“It has become my mission to spread gaga to as many dancers and people as possible.”

Ohad Naharin, world renowned choreographer and artistic director of Batsheva Dance Company in Israel, will be teaching classes of his signature technique, Gaga, at Koresh Dance Company April 27–30, 10–11:30 a.m. This is the first time Gaga has ever been taught in Philadelphia and is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take class with the legendary choreographer and teacher. To reserve your spot, contact Nir at nir@koreshdance.org or call 215.751.0959. Reservations are required and classes are only $7 each.

Check out this sampling from Batsheva Dance Company in action:

“Gaga challenges multi-layer tasks,” writes Naharin. “At once we, the users, can be involved in moving slowly through space while a quick action in our body is in progress. . . . We are letting our mind observe and analyze many things at once, we are aware of the connection between effort and pleasure, we connect to the sense of “plenty of time,” especially when we move fast, we are aware of the distance between our body parts, we are aware of the friction between flesh and bones, we sense the weight of our body parts, we are aware of where we hold unnecessary tension, we let go only to bring life and efficient movement to where we let go.”

Naharin will be in town as Koresh Dance Company presents its spring season (April 29–May 2) at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. The Philadelphia-based Koresh will feature a company premiere of Naharin’s Passomezzo, and the world premiere of Sense of Human by Roni Koresh. Mayor Michael Nutter is even declaring a Mayoral Proclamation for Mr. Naharin–who says we don’t appreciate the arts in Philly? Tickets and info for the show are here.

After the jump, learn about Naharin’s background and see a video of him talking about Gaga.

Naharin began his training as a dancer with the Batsheva Dance Company. He came to New York one year later at the invitation of Martha Graham Martha Graham to join her company, as well as to make use of a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. After a year with the Martha Graham Dance Company, he continued 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 and made his choreographic debut in 1980 in the Kazuko Hirabayashi studio in New York.

From 1980 to 1990 he performed and worked in New York, where he lived with his wife; the dancer Mari Kajiwara who died of cancer in 2001. In 1990 he was appointed the artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company. Naharin’s works are performed by companies throughout the world, including Nederlands Dans Theater, Frankfurt Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, Ballet Nacional d’Espana (Madrid), Cullberg Ballet (Sweden), and the Opera National de Paris, among others.

Here Ohad discusses his technique at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

About Gaga

Bat7 | MySpace Video

Gaga Classes are April 27–30, 10-11:30am at the Koresh Dance Company, 2020 Chestnut Street (www.koreshdance.org/215.751.0959)

Koresh Dance Company performs at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre April 29–May 2, presenting Sense of Human by Ronen Koresh and Passomezzo by Ohad Naharin. The Suzanne Roberts Theatre is at 480 South Broad Street. Click for tickets.