Minus 16

Featuring an eclectic score ranging from Dean Martin to mambo, techno to traditional Israeli music, Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16 uses improvisation and Naharin’s acclaimed “Gaga” method, a unique movement language that breaks down old habits, pushing the dancers to challenge themselves in new ways.  

The work is unique Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's repertory for removing the barrier between performers and spectators, inviting audience members onstage to participate in the finale. Having spectators join in brings an element of unpredictability and fun that makes each performance of Minus 16 delightfully different. Former Artistic Director Robert Battle recalled one performance when a woman lost her wig onstage. “When the dancer who was her partner whispered ‘I’m so sorry’ she said, ‘I’m 70 years old and having the time of my life.’” 

Minus 16 is based on excerpts from other works in Naharin’s repertory, including Mabul (1992), Anaphaza (1993), and Zachacha (1998). The work includes “Echad Mi Yodea” (“Who Knows One?”), one of Naharin’s most notable compositions, set to a rock version of the song from the Passover Haggadah. The dancers, dressed in black suits and white shirts, sit in chairs arranged in a semicircle. They go through the 13 verses in unison, screaming out “She ba-shamaim u va-aretz” (“Who is in the heaven and the earth?”) with every repetition. The choreography ranges from gentle pedestrian gestures to violent thrashing, with the dancers standing on the chairs, stomping, and throwing themselves into backbends. The section concludes with the dancers feverishly tearing off their suits, stripping down to their underwear, and tossing their clothes into the center of the stage.

While Naharin was excited to work with the Ailey company, his motivation for setting Minus 16 was also personal. The piece is dedicated to the memory of his wife, Mari Kajiwara. A New York native, Kajiwara joined the Company in 1970, serving as an assistant for many years. She married Naharin in 1978 and together they co-founded their first company, the Ohad Naharin Dance Company. In 1990, when Naharin became the director of Batsheva, Kajiwara served as the company’s rehearsal director and dancer, performing in some of Naharin’s pinnacle works. 

"Minus 16 not only delights in its own wackiness, but also celebrates the joy of dancing.” 
- The San Francisco Chronicle