Ohad Naharin

Ohad Naharin is the House Choreographer of Batsheva Dance Company and creator of the Gaga movement language.

Naharin was born in 1952 in Mizra, Israel. He joined Batsheva Dance Company in 1974. During his first year, guest choreographer Martha Graham invited him to join her own company in New York, where Naharin later made his choreographic debut in 1980. In 1990, Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company, and in the same year, he established the company’s junior division, Batsheva – the Young Ensemble.

In addition to his stagework, Naharin also developed GAGA, an innovative movement language based on research to heighten sensation and imagination, become aware of form, find new movement habits, and go beyond familiar limits. GAGA is the daily training of Batsheva’s dancers and has spread globally among both dancers and non-dancers.

Photo : © Ilya Melniko