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About the Company: Batsheva Dance Company
Since its founding in 1964 by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild, Batsheva has become one of the most influential cultural role models in Israel. The appointment of Ohad Naharin as Artistic Director in 1990 launched Batsheva into a new era. A compact and dynamic organization,
Batsheva is applauded in the most prestigious theaters and festivals, with over
200 performances a year in Israel and on the five continents. Batsheva's artistic
intrepidity and innovation, has earned the company its reputation as one of the
most inspirational and sought after companies - a true leader on the global map
of performing arts. The
company is international in nature, made up of individually unique dancers from
Israel and abroad. Dancers are encouraged to affirm their distinct creative gifts,
as creators on their own.
Throughout the fruitful years of his leadership, Naharin used his artistic wisdom to assist Batsheva in reaching a mature independence. Natural talents have evolved in the process: Sharon Eyal has danced with Batsheva for thirteen years and has been Naharin's inspiring force in many of his creations. She has become one of the most promising young choreographers. Yoshifumi Inao has danced with Batsheva since 1997, and has been the company's Rehearsal Director for the past two years, staging many of Naharin's creations for dance companies around the world. During the last season, he was also Batsheva's Associate Artistic Director.
Ohad Naharin remains deeply involved with Batsheva as its house choreographer, its main creative and inspiring force. Naomi Bloch Fortis, Naharin's longtime associate, continues leading Batsheva through its future challenges, as its General Manager and Co-Artistic Director. About the Production:
Deca Dance
Hong
Kong program - February 2002 About the Artist: Ohad Naharin
Naharin began his training as a dancer with the Batsheva Dance Company. A year later at the invitation of Martha Graham he came to New York to join her company as well as to make use of a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. After a year with the Graham Company he elected to continue his studies at the Juilliard School of Music as well as with Maggie Black and David Howard. He then joined the Maurice Bejart Company in Brussels for one season. He made his choreographic debut in 1980 in the Kazuko Hirabayashi studio in New York. Between 1980 and 1990 he performed and worked with his group in New York and wishes to acknowledge the help, inspiration and support of Gina Buntz, Beate Gordon, David Gordon, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Mari Kajiwara, David Manion, Larry Rhodes, Aviva and Emanuel Sella, Mary G. de White and David White. In 1990 He was appointed Artistic Director of the Batsheva Dance Company. As of September 2003, Naharin became House Choreographer of Batsheva Dance Company, handing the directorial duties of Artistic Direction to his close team of associates - Yoshifumi Inao, Sharon Eyal and Naomi Bloch-Fortis. His works have been produced by Patricia Wilde - Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Jiri Kylian - Nederlands Dans Theatre, Gradimir Pankov - Grand Theatre de Geneve, William Forsythe - Frankfurt Ballet, Graeme Murphy - Sydney Dance Company, Yorgos Loukos - Lyon Opera Ballet, Larry Rhodes - Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Cristopher Bruce - Rambert Dance Company, Nacho Duato - Ballet Nacional Madrid, Jorma Uotinen - Finnish National Ballet, Mats Ek - Cullberg Ballet, Iracity Cardoso - Ballet Gulbenkian, Ivonice Satie - Bale de Cidade de Sao Paolo, Constanza Vernon - Bavarian State Ballet, Pia Forsgren and Robert Weil - The Jewish Theatre, Anders Hellstrom - Gothenburg Opera Ballet, Brigitte Lefevre - Opera National de Paris, Lou Conte and Jim Vincent - Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. His mother teaches dance and composition and his father is a psychologist specializing in psychodrama. Naharin, who trained musically before he started to dance, has often collaborated in the musical compositions for his work - with the Tractor's Revenge (Kyr ), rock musicians Avi Belleli and Dan Makov ( Anaphaza ), Ivry Lider ( Kaamos , Z/Na ), Peter Zegveld and Thijs van der Poll ( Sabotage Baby ), Karni Postel and Habib Alla Jamal ( Naharin's Virus ). Naharin has collaborated since 1990 with lighting designer Bambi and costume designer Rakefet Levy. Naharin was awarded the "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French governement in 1998. Naharin became an American citizen in 1991. "If you could hold one of Ohad Naharin's dances in your hand, it would feel smooth. Think of a polished stone. It looks like a piece of secret sculpture, but hurl it and it becomes a weapon." -- Deborah Jowitt, Village Voice ******************************************* Batsheva Dance Company at the Theatre de Saint-Quentin-en Yvelines: In Conversation With Ohad Naharin |
The
nucleus of Batsheva Dance Company consists of passionate people, with a common
mission: to excel in art and to strengthen common human values through the power
of creativity. 
Batsheva
Ensemble is the junior company working alongside the Senior Batsheva, while preserving
its own professional identity. The Ensemble is the greenhouse for cultivating
the next generation of dance performers, choreographers and designers. A large
amount of its schedule is dedicated to its unique and original educational programs,
offering young audiences all over Israel, an equal opportunity for an exciting
and fresh exposure to the art of dance. 
Batsheva
and Naharin's vision for the next decade, have enabled for a natural transition
for Inao and Eyal to express their talents. Starting September 2003, Yoshifumi
Inao has been assumed his new position as Artistic Director of Batsheva and Sharon
Eyal has been appointed Associate Artistic Director. 
Tel-Aviv
program
"Deca
Dance is not a new work. It is more about reconstruction:
I like to take pieces or sections of existing works
and rework it, reorganize it and create the possibility
to look at it from a new angle. It always teaches
me something new about my work and composition. In
Deca Dance I took sections from different works. It
was like I was telling only either the beginning,
middle or ending of many stories but when I organized
it the result become as coherent as the original if
not more." - Ohad Naharin