“Ohad Naharin has been hailed as one of the world’s preeminent contemporary choreographers and his work stands in the front row of contemporary dance” (Batsheva).
Ohad Naharin was born in 1952 on Mizra Kibbutz, a collective community in Israel that is based on agriculture. His father, a psychologist and artist, and his mother, a dance teacher, instilled an appreciation for the arts. They brought him to the theater and let him study music in his youth. Later 1974, after time serving in the Israel Army, Ohad took a two-week dance course with Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv. Despite his age and lack of traditional training, he was asked to join the company where he started his dance career (Johnstone).
The same year he started training with the Batsheva Dance Company, Martha Graham came to guest choreograph. Graham was enraptured by Naharin and asked him to join her company in New York. While in New York City, he worked with Graham and expanded his training (Gaga People).
After moving abroad and working/performing internationally with two dance companies, Naharin returned to New York City in 1980. That year both presented his first choreographic work at Kaxuko Hirabayshi Studio, and opened his own company, Ohad Naharin Dance Company with his wife, Mari Kajiwara, also a world-renowned dancer. For 10 years Naharin created works with his company and received many commissions from big-name companies throughout the world (Batsheva).
Ohad Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company in 1990. As Artistic Director Naharin has choreographed over 20 works with the company and restaged many of his previous works. He uses his musical background and talents to enhance his choreographic voice and has won numerous awards for his innovative choreography (Batsheva). On top of the choreographic contributions he has made to the dance world, he is the pioneer of the gaga dance technique. Gaga technique “emphasized the exploration of sensation and availability for movement” (Gaga People). This is now the main training for Batsheva dancers and has expanded throughout the world as a current dance technique (Johnstone).
Some videos of Ohad Naharins work:
Citations:
Johnstone, Nick. “Ohad Naharin: The maverick lord of Israeli dance.” The JC.com. n.p., 17 Oct. 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
“Ohad Naharin.” Batsheva Dance Company. Batsheva, 2015. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
“Ohad Naharin.” Gaga People.Dancers. Gaga Movement Ltd., 2016. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
Ohad Naharin 
I see a lot about Ohad Naharin and the invention of gaga. Finding the movement in the body, and understanding what the body wants before pushing it to do what you want.
My question is more so focused on the content he creates… What would you say inspires Naharin’s choreographic works? Does he have an idea and allows it to develop? Does he work in collaboration with the dancers allowing them to explore an idea?
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Tisiphani,
From what I have read and seen of his work, he takes a very broad concept (a lot of time relating to Israeli/Jewish culture) and applies that to his dances. He uses gaga as a form of movement development. It is a deeper sense of improvisation. I believe he uses both movement he creates through this improv as well as pulls from his dancers movement.
Thanks for the questions,
Chelsey
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