Ohad Naharin

Naharin, Ohad (b Israel, 22 June 1952). Israeli dancer, choreographer, musician, and company director. He studied dance as an apprentice with the Batsheva Dance Company. Further studies in New York at the Juilliard School and at the Graham school. He danced with Graham, with Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century in Brussels, and with Bat-Dor in Israel. He performed with his own small troupe in New York (from 1980) and worked as a freelance choreographer in Israel and abroad. In 1990 he became artistic director of Batsheva Dance Company. One of his first successes there was Kyr, a full-length work for which he also composed the music with the Tractor's Revenge, an Israeli rock group. Another popular work is the full-length Anaphase (1993). His dances are in the repertoires of many companies, including Netherlands Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Bavarian State Ballet, Lyons Opera Ballet, Cullberg Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, and Rambert Dance Company. His Axioma 7 (mus. Bach) was created for the Geneva Ballet in 1991 and was subsequently taken into the Rambert repertoire (1994).