SPRING 03
FOOTNOTES BY FASTRAC
Ohad Naharin, photo by Icare
VictoriaDanceSeries.com
WHO IS OHAD NAHARIN?
AND JUST WHAT WAS HE DOING IN MONTREAL? By Series Producer, Stephen White
On May 5, 1998, the New York Times ran a story titled “In Israel, Religious Groups Opposed Batsheva Dance Company Dress”. The furor? The ultra-Orthodox deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and two religious groups protested Ohad Naharin’s newest choreography that was to be included in a special jubilee performance entitled “Art of the State: Israel at 50”. Their concern? The dancers were costumed in undershirts and shorts.
Bowing to political pressure, the state government initially pulled the performance from the program. Then, the controversy reached the highest levels with Prime Minister Netanyahu finally intervening and interrupting his lunch with Al Gore to reach an amicable solution. In the end, however, Naharin, unhappy with the imposition of “censored compromise”, resigned as Artistic Director from Batsheva Dance (rather than sell his soul). The company’s dancers walked out in protest and