Sadeh21 by Ohad Naharin, performed by Batsheva Dance Company, is one of the most talked-about and remarkable works in Batsheva’s repertoire. Since its world premiere in Jerusalem in May 2011, at the invitation of the Israel Festival and the Luminato Festival, the work has received exceptional critical acclaim in Israel and worldwide.  

It has been praised in the press as “a masterpiece, so beautiful” (Galatz) and “a heartbreaking piece” (Yediot Aharonot), and The New York Times described the Company’s dancers as “hypnotic, febrile, divine.” 

“I remember my first time watching Sadeh21 at its premiere in 2011. I was floored by the beauty created by the individual bodies and their permutations. Throughout the piece, there is this chilling tension between parallel layers of existence, which triggers a vast range of emotions. This is one of my all-time favorite works. The piece has not been performed by the company’s dancers in years, and I am looking forward to seeing the current cast give it their own interpretation.”  Dr. Lior Avizoor, Artistic Director, Batsheva Dance Company 

“A buzzing drone wafts around the hall as the seated audience exchanges final words. Suddenly, the lights go out. A stage light comes on and that’s it, in the blink of an eye, without any warning, you’re there, thrown into another world where an open, empty field is gradually filled with electrifying bodies, moving as if in a strange ritual, never letting you take your eyes off them for even a second. Welcome to Sadeh21.”  Merav Yudilovich, Ynet 

The piece is dedicated to Noa Eshkol (1924-2007), Creator of the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Method and Notation

World premiere: May 2011, Sherover Theater, Jerusalem

Sadeh21 was commissioned by The Israel Festival, Jerusalem, and Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity and produced by Batsheva Dance Company, with the generous support of the Michael Sela Fund for Development of Young Artists.

MOMO has two souls. One sends long roots to the depths of the earth – a soul that embodies archetypes and myths of hardened, raw masculinity, and the other is in a constant search for an individual and distinct DNA; one moves within its own autonomous and independent force field and the other is a constellation of elements that spin around the same nucleus – alternately drifting away and towards it, making room for necessary tenderness and catharsis.

With a soundtrack comprised mostly of the album Landfall by the legendary Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet, one of the foremost contemporary classical music ensembles, a shared passion of deep sorrow and beauty unfolds on stage. Relinquishment becomes a dedicated search for a crack, and glitches in the movement code turn out to be free, playful, and emotive material.

Duration: 70 minutes without intermission

Major sponsor:  Chelck Family Foundation

Supported by: Batsheva New Works Fund, American Friends of Batsheva, French Friends of Batsheva, The Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation, Factory54

Co-producers: Orsolina28, Moncalvo

Presenting Co-producers: Torinodanza Festival / Teatro Stabile di Torino – Teatro Nazionale / Festival Aperto – Fondazione I Teatri, Reggio Emilia / Fondazione del Teatro Grande di Brescia.

World Premiere: 10 December 2022, Suzanne Dellal Centre, Tel-Aviv.