Amy Gunter and Professor Nathan Balser, Dance
Introduction
Gaga, created by Isreal’s Ohad Naharin, is an innovative movement practice focused on enhancing sensations within the body through movement. It is used both as a training method for dancers, and a movement practice for the general public. Because the emphasis of Gaga is to explore sensation and availability for movement in a completely unique way, it is becoming increasingly popular in the dance world today. Gaga is also unique in that there are no expectations of what your body should look like while doing it. Each person must take the instructor’s cues and interpret them inside their own bodies; opposed to a traditional dance class that focuses on getting all bodies to accomplish the same movement patterning. According to Ohad Naharin, Gaga helps find the connection between effort and pleasure, let go of unnecessary tension, be aware of the friction between flesh and bones, discover the power of our imagination, recognize the importance of energy flow in all directions, explore multi-dimensional movement, connect to the sense of endless possibilities, and change our movement habits by finding new ones. In short, Gaga is about becoming available.1 The Batsheva Dance Company, who is trained solely through Gaga, explains more about the method: “Gaga is an experience of freedom and pleasure. The work improves instinctive movement and connects conscious and unconscious movement, and it allows for an experience of freedom and pleasure in a simple way, in a pleasant space, in comfortable clothes, accompanied by music, each person with himself and others.2” I was interested in Gaga as a training method for dance, and wanted to experience it myself to see if it was effective and applicable to dancers of all genres.
Methodology
I attended Repertory Dance Theater’s Summer Intensive, taught by two Gaga experts, Noa Zuk and Ohad Fishof. For two weeks, I took daily Gaga technique classes followed by Gaga dance repertory. Each day I took notes on the structure of the classes, and my experience in them. After the two weeks of Gaga study, I attended Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Summer Intensive. During these two weeks, I took contemporary technique, ballet technique, improvisation, choreography, and Reike (a Japanese relaxation technique used for healing). Although these dance classes were not specific to Gaga, I practiced applying what I had learned from Gaga to “regular” dance training practices. My goal was to see if the Gaga principles I had learned were effective in creating body efficiency in a dance setting completely different from Gaga.
Results
Practicing Gaga gave me more body freedom and efficiency. One of the major things that happened was my ability to feel vivid sensations in my body as a result of the images I was creating in my mind. At first, I felt overwhelmed by the many layers of cues given, but eventually I was able to hold on to one image or sensation while adding more and more images on top. The images given helped me to loosen parts of my body where I hold tension and gave me freedom in a way I had never felt. I was able to move with my entire body without overusing my muscles. Because I accessed the ability to move fully and freely, I was able to enjoy my body more than usual. Gaga seems to have many paradoxes, and one is that movement can be simultaneously difficult and easy. After a few days, I felt my body using the muscles that it needed instead of the muscles it was used to, and I started to feel very real pleasure when my muscles were burning and my body was moving through exhaustion. I would say that Gaga is as much a mental practice as a physical one.
After making discoveries in a Gaga setting, I was interested on how it applied to a traditional technique class. I soon realized that every image and physical/mental reality I discovered in Gaga is directly applicable to every type of movement setting. Being able to be efficient while moving, and make direct connections to pleasure and exertion make dance much more fulfilling. While applying Gaga principles, I found new movement pathways that made full body integration and coordination more successful. Gaga is effective for increasing body efficiency and availability for movement in both Gaga technique settings and other, more tradition, dance training methods.
Discussion
I was surprised and pleased with my involvement in Gaga, and plan to continue applying what I learned to my daily movement life. I also want to continue studying Gaga in the future. I felt I was starting to make some important discoveries by the time my research was done, but feel that it was just the beginning. I also feel that Gaga could be considered a somatic practice for the body, and was continually reminded of how Gaga helped me find a new, more efficient, movement pattern. I would like to continue my research and understanding of Gaga to make more clear connections between Gaga and other somatic practices. I feel this area of research should be developed more, and is likely to yield interesting results.
Conclusion
After my Gaga experience, I feel confident in saying that every dancer of every genre should train in Gaga at some point. Gaga allowed me to access the power of my brain in a way I had never been able to before, and I believe this is a vital tool for any successful dancer. Your body can only accomplish as much as your brain has the messages to send. Gaga is an effective practice for increasing movement efficiency, technical virtuosity, and personal artistry. This is attributed to the complex and unique movement practice that focuses on how movement feels inside the body instead of how it looks to others. Gaga is a personal journey that has many benefits for dancers and non-dancers alike.
References
- Gaga. 2014. http://www.batsheva.co.il/en/?iid=13 (accessed December 20, 2014).
- Gaga. 2014. http://www.batsheva.co.il/en/?iid=13 (accessed December 20, 2014).