Mr. Gaga

A tribute to the Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, whose own movement language, Gaga, and eccentric views on choreography have contributed greatly to the development of modern dance in recent decades. Even though director Tomer Heymann and Naharin have known each other for more than 20 years and Heymann planned to make a documentary about the choreographer before, he only got Naharin’s approval eight years ago. Heymann attended rehearsals of the Batsheva Dance Company, where Naharin has been artistic director and choreographer since 1990. He interviewed Naharin’s friends, colleagues and dancers from the company, compiled over 1,200 hours of footage and devised a multifaceted biography that reflects a love for dance. Surprisingly, Naharin only started his formal dance training at the age of 22. He danced in several renowned companies, including the Martha Graham and Maurice Bejart dance companies, but it wasn’t until he became a choreographer that he truly flourished. With a chronology that includes stunning dance excerpts, Heymann shows how Naharin turned Batsheva Dance Company into a leading international dance institution when he returned to Israel. What drives Naharin is a deeply rooted conviction that dance, a combination of exertion and pleasure, should be accessible to everyone.