Overview

Created by world renowned dancemaker Ohad Naharin and performed in Toronto by Charlotte Ballet under the direction of the company’s new Artistic Director Alejandro Cerrudo, KAMUYOT is a contemporary experience for all ages, developed with the vocabulary of Gaga. Naharin’s iconic movement language, Gaga is both innovative and ever evolving, characterized by a deeper connection to the body, freedom found through movement and a return to the feeling of pleasure.

For this unique presentation, audience members will be invited to take a seat on the stage, surrounding the dancers, creating a shift in the dynamic between performer and audience. At the heart of the show stands a simple invitation – to dance. Breaking away from the traditional theatre hall, the show also liberates the audience. A hand’s reach from the dancers, over 50 minutes with no clear boundaries, connections are weaved between the dancers and the audience, formulating a language that seems like it has always been there. An inspiring and moving experience that allows the audience “to be with” dance and not only watch it.

View the playbill for this event.

PRODUCTION IMAGES FROM KAMUYOT

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Ohad Naharin is the House Choreographer of Batsheva Dance Company and creator of the Gaga movement language.

Naharin was born in 1952 in Mizra, Israel.  His mother is a choreographer, dance teacher, and Feldenkrais instructor, and his father was an actor and psychologist.  He joined Batsheva Dance Company in 1974 despite having little formal training.  During his first year, guest choreographer Martha Graham invited him to join her own company in New York.  Between 1975 and 1976, Naharin studied at the School of American Ballet, The Juilliard School, and with Maggie Black and David Howard.  He then joined Maurice Béjart’s Ballet du XXe Siecle in Brussels for one season.

Naharin returned to New York in 1979 and made his choreographic debut at the Kazuko Hirabayshi studio the following year.  From 1980 until 1990, Naharin presented works in New York and abroad, including pieces for Batsheva Dance Company, the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, and Nederlands Dans Theater.  At the same time, he worked with his first wife, Mari Kajiwara, and a group of dancers in New York. Naharin and Kajiwara continued to work together until she died from cancer in 2001.

In 1990, Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company, and in the same year, he established the company’s junior division, Batsheva – the Young Ensemble.  He has since created over thirty works for both companies. After almost thirty years of leading Batsheva, Naharin stepped down as Artistic Director in 2018, and continues to serve as the Company’s House Choreographer.

Naharin’s work has also been featured in several films. In his 2007 documentary, Out of Focus, Director Tomer Heymann filmed the process of restaging Decadance with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet.  And in 2015, the Heymann Brothers released their comprehensive documentary about Naharin, Mr. Gaga, to critical and audience acclaim.

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 daughter, Noga.

Photo by Ilya Melnikov

What is Gaga?

Free Event Co-hosted by the Canadian Opera Company

Join us for a dynamic introduction to Gaga, Ohad Naharin’s world renowned movement language lead by Kyle Scheurich, certified Gaga instructor based in New York City. In the first part, guests are invited to experience what Gaga is first-hand, and engage in activation of the body through rich imagery that stimulates the imagination and emphasizes physical sensations for a playful and exploratory multisensory experience. In the second part, Kyle is joined by Alejandro Cerrudo, Artistic Director of Charlotte Ballet, and select members of the company to share more context about Gaga in relation to KAMUYOT. Guests will gain a deeper understanding of this unique movement language through a demonstration of how Gaga informs the rehearsal process and Ohad Naharin’s choreography.

Thursday Sep 28, from 12:00-1:00 PM
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. 

First come first serve.

About The Speakers

Kyle Scheurich

Alejandro Cerrudo