Mr. Gaga Viewing and Conversation

Israeli Dance at its Finest!

Those who have never seen a performance by Batsheva Dance Company might be forgiven for conjuring up images of kibbutzniks twirling in horas at the mention of Israeli dance. But Ohad Naharin, Batsheva’s artistic director since 1990, has never been much concerned with anyone’s preconceptions–about dance, about Israel, or about himself.

He trains his dancers in a quirky vocabulary called Gaga, a ground-breaking movement language using words like pleasure and letting go rather than arabesque and plié. Besides being one of the world’s leading choreographers, he’s the title character of the most successful documentary film in Israeli history.

Why? See for yourself at a Streicker Center screening of Mr. Gaga followed by a conversation with the film’s director, Tomer Heymann, and Naharin himself. About Naharin’s dancers, Mikhail Baryshnikov has said “I’ve never seen such a combination of beauty, energy and skill.” 

Their conversation will be moderated by Israel’s longest-serving consul general in New York, Ambassador Ido Aharoni.