Ohad Naharin to share dance philosophies in upcoming 'Decadance' shows in Seoul

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Ohad Naharin to share dance philosophies in upcoming 'Decadance' shows in Seoul

Published: 12 Mar. 2025, 15:54 Updated: 15 Mar. 2025, 16:14

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin speaks during a press conference for the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet's upcoming performances for ″Decadance″ at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul on May 12. [SEJONG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS]

Gaga in pop music means Lady Gaga. In contemporary dance, it’s traced to Ohad Naharin.

It refers to a dance language developed by the 72-year-old Israel-born choreographer, who was formerly the artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company.

Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin practices with the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet for the upcoming performances for ″Decadance″ at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. [SEJONG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS]

Starting Friday, the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet is set to put on Naharin’s long-standing repertoire “Decadance” (2000) for eight shows, until March 23, at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ Sejong M Theater in Jongno District, central Seoul.

With the name deriving from “deca,” the Latin prefix meaning 10, “Decadance” was first created to celebrate Naharin’s 10th anniversary with Batsheva. “Decadance” was previously performed in Korea at the LG Arts Center in 2002.

Now, the repertoire is in its 25th year, something Naharin initially did not expect. He feels that “Decadance” is an opportunity to share his philosophies and what he’s done over the past two decades, especially when working with first-time companies, including the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet.

“A lot about dancing is being in the moment, not thinking about the future or what already happened,” he said in a press interview on Wednesday. “It’s about now, but with a strong remembering with where I’m coming from.”

Naharin describes “Decadance” as a constantly evolving work, as it’s been given frequent modifications. He switched up the upcoming performances by adding two sections that were extracted from previous bodies of work. He gave them nicknames too: “picture,” based on the dancers’ brushstroke-like movements, and “sextet” because, well, it’s meant to be performed by six people.

Naharin’s work largely adopts the Gaga system, which emphasizes the connection of the self and heightening the senses to encourage freedom and expression of the body. But fundamentally, it is also about strengthening our engines — namely, our mind and body — to deal with the hardships of life better.

“If I compare the difficulty of life to the weight, if we have a weak engine, it’s harder to lift the weight,” Naharin said. “If we have a strong engine, we can lift the weight more easily. In many ways, it’s the simple gesture to admit our weaknesses and that life is a virtue.”

Because Gaga focuses on relying on instincts and embracing individuality, Naharin hugely opposes using mirrors, calling it a mistake in the dance industry.

“We need to sense and see the world when we move, and you need to find that by the help of the sensation, not by correcting your movements by looking in the mirror,” he said, while also pointing out that other tasks like cooking or basketball are not fixated on watching one’s own reflection.

“My language is dance. And the playground of ‘Decadance’ is allowing the dancers to celebrate dance,” he said. “I believe that everybody needs to dance. You need to dance. And I hope you dance.”

But, why? It’s to escape the feeling of being locked inside a body, he says.

“A body can become a jail, but if you think about it, dancing helps set us free.”

More information about “Decadance” can be found on the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ website. Tickets are 40,000 won ($27) or 60,000 won.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]