Join us for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's performance of Ohad Naharin's Minus 16 on Sunday, December 25 at 8 pm. Ohad Naharin is a groundbreaking choreographer and one of Israel's greatest artists. The night's performance will also feature Streams, Journey, and Revelations. Tickets are $26 each. If anyone is interested, we can meet for an Israeli dinner beforehand.

See www.alvinailey.org/minus-16 for additional info and a video.

FROM THE ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER INFO SHEET

This work features a delightfully eclectic score that propels Ohad Naharin’s phenomenally inventive piece with sounds ranging from Dean Martin to mambo, techno to traditional Israeli music. Removing the barrier between audience and performer, this work, unlike any other in the Ailey repertory, challenges the dancers to improvise and invite the audience to participate in the experience by joining the dancers onstage.

Unfolding in sections, Minus 16 uses Naharin’s acclaimed “Gaga” method to break down old habits and make room for new movement and new experiences, broadening the possibilities for dancers as interpreters and revealing the humanity and wit of the Ailey Company. Mr. Naharin is dedicating the Ailey premiere of the work to the memory of his wife Mari Kajiwara (1951-2001), who was a dancer with the company for many years as well as Mr. Ailey’s rehearsal assistant. The duet from Mabul featured in Minus 16 was originally created for her in 1992. Minus 16 is based on excerpts from Mabul (1992), Anaphaza (1993) and Zachacha (1998).

“Ohad Naharin's choreography is notable for its movement quality - especially for its smoothness within technical difficulty. But there is also an undercurrent of feeling that makes itself evident at all times.” -The New York Times

“If you could hold one of Ohad Naharin’s dances in your hand, it would feel smooth. Think of a polished stone, it looks like a piece of sacred sculpture, but hurl it and it becomes a weapon.” -Village Voice

Ohad Naharin, the exciting choreographer of Black Milk (from the 2003 Ailey season), has been hailed as one of the world’s preeminent contemporary choreographers. Born in 1952 on Kibbutz Mizra, Naharin’s dance training and performance background includes the Batsheva Dance Company, The School of American Ballet, The Juilliard School, Israel’s Bat-Dor Dance Company and Maurice Béjart’s Ballet du XXe Siècle in Brussels. Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company in 1990. Throughout his tenure with the company, he has choreographed over 20 works for Batsheva and its junior division, Batsheva Ensemble. He has also restaged over ten of his dances for the company and recombined excerpts from his repertory to create Deca Dance, a constantly evolving evening-length work.

In addition to his work for the stage, Naharin has pioneered “Gaga”, an innovative movement language. “Gaga”, which emphasizes the exploration of sensation and availability for movement, is now the primary training method for Batsheva’s dancers. Naharin has been the recipient of the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government (1998), two New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards (for Naharin's Virus at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2002 and for Anaphaza at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2003), the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement (2009) and a Dance Magazine Award (2009).