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Gaga is the movement language Ohad Naharin developed in the 1990s, first for Batsheva dancers, then opened to non-dancers (Gaga / People). It is a sensation-based vocabulary: instructions like "thick spaghetti", "soft float", "dive into the floor" are not metaphors, they are technical cues. Today there are Gaga teachers in roughly 40 countries, with daily public classes in Tel Aviv. This lesson covers the principles, the cue vocabulary, the typical class structure, and how Gaga differs from ballet, modern, and yoga.
Cultural note, Naharin developed Gaga partly to help his own injured back. The system is built on listening to the body before commanding it, a near-opposite of military, sport, and even classical-ballet logic. Open-class Gaga in Tel Aviv attracts dancers, retirees, and curious tourists alike. There are no mirrors in a Gaga studio (deliberately) and no levels (anyone can take any class). It is also widely cross-trained by NBA players, fighter pilots, and physiotherapists.
Founding Principles
The Cue Vocabulary
Class Structure
Compared to Other Forms
Spread & Schools
Inside a Gaga / People Class
A short reading: 60 minutes inside an open Gaga / People class at Suzanne Dellal, the warm-up, the sensation cues, the unexpected images, the closing moments.