Ohad Naharin

Ohad Naharin is a choreographer and the creator of the Gaga movement language.  Born in 1952 in Mizra, Israel, he began his dance career with Batsheva in 1974 and made his choreographic debut in New York in 1980.  In 1990, Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company and established its junior division, the Batsheva Ensemble.  He has created over thirty works for both companies and set pieces on other companies including Nederlands Dans Theater, the Paris Opera Ballet, and Les Grand Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.  In addition to his stagework, Naharin developed Gaga, the innovative movement research and daily training of Batsheva’s dancers that has spread globally among both dancers and non-dancers.  After almost thirty years of leading Batsheva, Naharin stepped down as Artistic Director in 2018, though he continues to serve as House Choreographer.  Batsheva will also continue to be the home of Ohad’s research, development, and teaching of Gaga.  A citizen of both Israel and the United States, Naharin currently lives in Israel with his wife, dancer and costume designer Eri Nakamura, and their two children, Noga and Asa.