MONACO DANCE FORUM - LAST WORK
Ohad Naharin

An aura of the ephemeral shimmers through the energetic, dense dance piece Last Work by choreography legend Ohad Naharin. A sense of clarity and reflection, as if in the center of a hurricane. Unperturbed, a person runs in the background through the scenery for the full piece length of 60 minutes. Seemingly fleeing or light-footedly dreamy, this body does not move from the spot. A symbol for the will to move forward?
18 other dancers fill the space with the movement language so characteristic of the Tel Aviv-based Batsheva Dance Company: expansive bodies, deep lunges or quotes from traditional Israeli dance formations such as the circular hora. For all its dynamism, Last Work is defined by a subdued calm and meditative underlying tension. This feeling is carried by the electronic sounds of German DJ Grischa Lichtenberger. Constantly repeating sound patterns give the dance a space to unfold in the moment. Fast-paced group formations are repeatedly contrasted in dance with the lone body. Contacts arise easily, more casually than consciously initiated. With Last Work, the Israeli choreographer presents a rather quiet, thought-provoking world full of strong, physical presence. The moment holds eternity firmly in its grip.