Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon | Ohad Naharin | Last Work

Dancing, as if it were the last time. Although Last Work is not Ohad Naharin’s last work, its title can be interpreted as a promise of intensity. Physical commitment and political determination, visceral body language and eloquent message: this creation by the world-celebrated choreographer is in effect a manifesto. Last Work enters the Company’s repertoire because this work pushes Naharin’s spirit to the extreme while occupying a unique place in the production of this choreographer who has profoundly transformed the dance landscape. In this creation, the unmistakable signature of the man who is called Mr. Gaga emerges, named after the singular body language he invented. This language draws on the dancers’ emotional states to develop visceral, undulating movements. A visual power of images. Recurring themes: the omnipresence of conflict, the place of the individual in the group, the power of celebration. More crepuscular and dreamlike than other pieces, Last Work leaves room for the performers’ personalities, thus showing all the virtuosity of the artists of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon.

Choreography Ohad Naharin
Music/composer Grischa Lichtenberger, Maxim Warrat
Costumes Eri Nakamura
Set design Zohar Shoef
Assistant choreographers/dance masters Ariel Cohen, Guy Shomroni
Lighting Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi)
Date and place of creation Batsheva Dance Company, world premiere June 2, 2015, Suzanne Dellal Center Tel-Aviv
With the dancers of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon
Co-production Montpellier Danse & Hellerau European Center for the Arts, Dresda
Sostenuto dal Batsheva New Works Fund e Dalia, Eli Hurvitz Foundation