Peridance Contemporary Dance Company Goes to Italy and Israel

Artistic Director Igal Perry | Executive Director Yarden Ronen-van Heerden

Peridance Contemporary Dance Company (PCDC), under the Artistic Direction of Igal Perry together with Executive Director Yarden Ronen, is excited to continue its nearly three decade-long dedication to creating and performing powerful dance that inspires audiences nationally and internationally. This summer, PCDC will captivate audiences in Italy and Israel with a multi-city tour of "Infinity" and other works July 13-25, 2013.

International Tour Repertory

Inspired by the striking images of rural landscapes, frequent in Salvador Dali’s paintings, Igal Perry’s new creation “Infinity” is set to the famous Adagio movement of Beethoven’s “Sonata Hammerklavier”. The work, which depicts the delicate vulnerability of the human image against a background of vast, open spaces, derives its style and timbre from the music’s sustained and often haunting passages.

Altered color balance Dali painting; PCDC performing Perry's "Infinity"

Excerpts from Perry's beautiful “Twilight” are classical in style, where both partnering and movement sequences venture into a realm of deep, expansive movement, ranging in energy from soft and sustained to unexpected, sharp and fast paced sequences.

In addition to the latest repertory and repertory favorites by Igal Perry, the Company will perform works by Ohad Naharin and New-York-based choreographers Dwight Rhoden and Sidra Bell. PCDC’s moving excerpted duet by the Batsheva Dance Company Artistic Director Ohad Naharin is from the work “Mabul” (1992) and a gift to Peridance in memory of Mari Kajiwara.

"Mabul" duet

Complexions Contemporary Ballet choreographer and co-artistic director Dwight Rhoden’s new piece for the Company embodies his unique and dynamic style. This new work, "Evermore," reflects Rhoden and Igal Perry’s long-standing collaboration which has included an exchange of creations on both companies.

Scene from "Evermore"

Follow PCDC's International Tour, or see the Company for yourself!

Save the date for the Company's Workshop and Audition August 26-30th.

The Reviews! PCDC in the news

PERIDANCE CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY RECEIVED WONDERFUL PRAISES FROM THE PRESS!

HERE ARE SOME QUOTES AND LINKS:

Igal Perry's Conflicted Terrain is "a beautiful metaphor for how deeply and intimately a dancer or a choreographer can become with a piece of music and the performance of it — as if there’s no real demarcation where the music ends and the dance begins."
- Karen Shapiro, WetPaint Journal

Enzo Celli's I'm Here is "a spoken narrative, at once poetic and gripping, (which) tells of the 'three deaths' experienced in the concentration camps. The cumulative effect of words and movement is fascinating and the work resonates deeply."
- Oberon's Grove

Dance Magazine contributor Charmaine Warren writes of Ohad Naharin's "Mabul" (an excerpted duet) "This perfectly timed duet meets each dancer where they are and shows their individual techniques in performing—ahh, but this is what Naharin does best, molds the work to each dancer."

 

Photos: rehearsals with Dwight Rhoden and Sidra Bell (by Meghan Rose Murphy)

Learn More about Gaga

Watch Home4Dance's interview with Ohad Naharin explaining how, when and why Gaga was created!

Ohad Naharin brings Gaga to New York's Peridance Capezio Center from Home4Dance on Vimeo.

Gaga Summer Intensive at Peridance Capezio Center:

August 1, 2011-August 13, 2011

Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm

Saturday, 10am-2pm

The intensive is open to only 50 dancers, so we urge you to sign up as soon as possible.

Follow these two steps:

1. Fill out the online form available HERE and click submit at the bottom of the page.

2. Email your resume and a photo of yourself to gagausa1@gmail.com (subject: Gaga Intensive).

Gaga Workshop with Ohad Naharin!

Gaga Movement Language Creator Ohad Naharin is coming to Peridance!

Come take advantage of this exciting opportunity.

Tuesday, Thursday, September 28th, 30th, 11:30am
Friday, October 1st, 2:30pm

Peridance Students: $20 for single class
Non-Peridance Students: $25 for single class

**Students may use their gaga class-card by adding the $5 difference.

**New Students taking any of Ohad Naharin's Master Classes will be able to purchase their first 5 Class-Card at a reduced rate of $70 (instead of $75)

Space is limited, students are encouraged to pre-register online. Click here to register.

GOING GAGA?

Peridance Capezio Center, in collaboration with Ohad Naharin, is thrilled to announce:

Gaga Classes

Offered exclusively in NYC at Peridance!

Starts August 2nd!

Gaga is a movement language developed by Ohad Naharin, Artistic Director of Israel’s Bat Sheva Dance Company. Dancers and non-dancers alike reconnect to the way they move as individuals and humans. The technique emphasizes tension release, harnessing your imagination, finding your own passion for movement, and understanding the body as an intrinsic source of power and energy.

Learn more about this exciting new class!

Gaga Master Classes with Ohad Naharin!

Artistic Director of Israel's Bat-Sheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin, is coming to Peridance in November to teach 2 classes in Gaga Technique.

November 9 & 10, Mon & Tues at 2:30pm

*Online Registration is CLOSED!! Interested, unregistered students may add their names to the Master Class' wait list. Entry into the master classes will be given on a first come, first served basis.

Naharin created Gaga over 20 years ago and it can be used to recognize the body's almost unlimited movement potential; to discover a sense of endless possibilities. Naharin has stated that Gaga is about becoming available:

"we discover our passion to move and connect it to effort, we discover both the animal in us and the power of our imagination. We learn to appreciate understatement and exaggeration, we discover the difference between joy and pleasure and use both to protect ourselves from injuring and hurting our body... We become more aware of people in the room and we realize that we are not in the center of it all. We never look at ourselves in a mirror, there are no mirrors."

Still curious about Gaga Technique? Watch the video below to find out more!

Gaga Technique with Ariel Friedman

GAGA technique with Ariel Freedman
Jul 9, 2009 - Jul 11, 2009; Thu, Fri, Sat
Time Varies (see below): -

Thursday, July 9th, 2:30pm - 3:45pm
Friday, July 10th, 3:30pm - 4:45pm
Saturday, July 11th, 3pm - 4:15pm

Gaga technique was developed about 20 years ago by the now Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin. Two decades ago, Naharin was creating choreography for the company when he sustained a serious bodily injury. "Gaga" was a way for him to begin dancing once again while paying special attention to areas of the body that needed it. It uses an imagery based method of teaching to create bodily sensations. (i.e. tiny ants crawling all over your body, ice cold water rushing off your limbs, etc.) It helps the person to listen to what the body needs by feeling from within rather than relying on mirrors to contrive the body from the outside.

Gaga offers a new way to reach a deeper knowledge and understanding of one's self via the body and its movement. The technique requires the participant to be alert, quick, flexible, imaginative and dexterous in the use of his or her body. Yet, one need not be a professional dancer to benefit from the tools imparted when learning the Gaga movement language.

Essentially, Gaga increases one's understanding of the body’s weaknesses and strengths, as well as its response to them. Through Gaga, one works to breakdown physical barriers to reach a greater comprehension and control of instinctive movements. Via Gaga one is able to de-construct the decisions of the conscience and sub-conscience. Ultimately, Gaga empowers the experiences of pleasure, stillness, positivism, and happiness. The Gaga movement language is a tool that can be utilized by dancers and non-dancers alike.

Ariel Freedman was born in the USA in 1983, studied at The Julliard School, danced at Mikhail Baryshnikov's Hell's Kitchen Dance and at Aszure&Artists Company, joined the Batsheva Ensemble in 2006 and the Batsheva Dance Company in August 2008.

Below are some more detailed articles on Gaga technique:

Dance in Isreal Posts by Deborah Friedes

Dance Spirit Article by Kathryn Holmes