When the list of artists appearing at Singapore's "da:ns 2007" festival was published earlier this year, dance aficionados in Southeast Asia were thrilled to see that the event, held from October 11 to 21 at the Esplanade, included a performance by Israel's Batsheva Dance Company.

That wasn't only because the troupe has a reputation for staging exciting and innovative works, but also because Batsheva, under the direction of world-renowned choreographer Ohad Naharin, is regarded as one of the world's leading contemporary dance companies.

Ohad Naharin (photo courtesy of The Esplanade Co. Ltd.)

Naharin, now 55, was raised in an artistic family. His mother was a dance and music composition teacher; his father a psychodrama specialist.

"As a kid, I was already inventing stories, making things up, and playing with different elements like painting and writing music," he explains.

"It's partly because of my parents that I started dancing and choreographing, but it's also that I simply needed to do it. I just like dancing".

Though he did not begin his formal dance training until the age of 22, at the Tel Aviv-based Batsheva Dance Company, he was soon spotted by Martha Graham and invited to join her company in New York.

After a year there, he continued his studies at Juilliard, and then joined the Maurice Bejart Company in Brussels for one season before making his choreographic debut in 1980 at the Kazuko Hirabayashi Studio in the Big Apple.

"It was my first publicly presented choreography ... but it wasn't really my first. It's very hard to say when I started. When I talk about choreographing, I don't talk about the training or the official premiere, but about the force of creativity and the use of imagination.

"Being a choreographer, to me, is simply part of growing up. At some point in life, we all have to make decisions. Mine was to dance and do my choreography."

Naharin was appointed the artistic director of Batsheva in 1990, and house choreographer in September 2003. He's also known for developing a training method called "Gaga", extending the vision of a Company that has always emphasised the efficiency, multidimensionality and textural aspects of movement.

His creations have been performed by many other major companies, including Nederlands Dans Theatre, Lyon Opera Ballet, Ballet Nacional d'Espana, and the Opera National de Paris.

"Most of my works [for example, an early piece amusingly titled "Pas de Pepsi"] can be seen as dealing with contemporary issues but they're not about what's in fashion. I would say they're more about the human condition, and they're universal.

"Also, while the involvement of the audience is always there, it's not about reaching them physically. The level of involvement might feel challenging in some pieces, but what I primarily demand from the audience is their attention, their power of imagination.

"Mamootot" (photos by Gadi Dagon, courtesy of Brooklyn Academy of Music)

"In 'Mamootot', there is the handshake [between the dancers and the audience sitting on the four sides of the square dance floor]; in 'Telophaza' [presented at 'da:ns 2007'], we try to make the audience move, and in 'Anaphaza' audience members are brought on stage. But these are just the three works out many more that don't require the physical participation of the audience."

Another signature style is Naharin's selection of music. He has often collaborated with composers as well as used a combination of music from various sources. For example, his "Three" - being performed in Seoul this week and in New York next month - features music by JS Bach, Brian Eno, Chari Chari, Kid 606 + Rayon, AGF, Fennesz, Kaho Naa, Pyar Hai, Seefeel, and the Beach Boys.

  "Three" (photos by Gadi Dagon, courtesy of Brooklyn Academy of Music)

"I have a real love for music and I've been exposed to many styles and genres. Apart from my musical background, I also have friends who are musicians and I enjoy receiving suggestions from them. I appreciate the tastes of many of my dancers, so they bring me the music from their countries. I'm constantly being introduced to new genres.

"Right now, there are performers from about seven countries in the company. They are generous, very highly coordinated, love to dance, and accept my philosophy of dancing without a mirror. I look for a sense of 'groove', musicality and a lot of practice rather than a beautiful physique. My dancers can be different in terms of body type, physical flexibility, and strength in their technical prowess.

"I think of my dancers all the time when I choreograph. Choreographing is about developing a movement language. It's about being able to be more coherent by pushing my dancers further.

    "Three"

"I get inspiration for my works from many things. I read a lot, go to art exhibitions, good restaurants, and even play cards. But my works are not like books that are completed once published. I keep changing them, keep thinking up things to add."

Naharin's dancing mind never seems to be still. At the end of our interview, he reveals the strange framework he's thinking about for his next piece.

"The stage is round, and the audience is standing."

Special thanks to the Esplanade's Mark Sinn for his help in arranging this interview.

           written by Jasmine Baker;   published in The Nation on October 25, 2007