Why You Should Be Taking Gaga

Gaga—the trendy movement practice created by Batsheva Dance Company artistic director Ohad Naharin—is growing more and more influential in American contemporary dance. But what can dancers get out of exploring Gaga as part of their training?

Break Your Habits

“Usually, we go to places that are our default—how we normally walk, how we normally move. Our habits,” says Ella Rothschild, a former Batsheva dancer. “Gaga gives the opportunity to go out from our habits. To wake up places that are sometimes dead.”

Tom Weinberger teaching at Purchase College. Photo by David Cooper, Courtesy Puder PR.

Be Fearless

“It has made me a more fearless dancer,” says Jessica Alexander, a dance major at Purchase College. “I am more willing to try new experiences because I have an approach that will help me back them up.”

Dance Bigger

Gaga encourages dancers to take up more space, and to wake up muscles and joints that are underused. Ariarna Odom, a Howard University dance major, says that her flexibility and extension have improved as a result.

Get Specific

“It’s helped me learn choreography,” says Odom. “Having to be specific has made me more focused on the nuances that choreographers give.”

Find Gaga intensives each summer, spring and fall in various American and international cities. Visit
gagapeople.com for more details.