In February, when he came to transmit
Sadeh 21
to the dancers of the Paris Opera ballet, Ohad Naharin assured that the Bastheva Dance Company, based in Tel Aviv, would indeed come to dance in Paris. “
The situation is crazy and we feel helpless,
” he said
. Most countries have canceled our tours except France and Portugal. The reason: we fear not being able to ensure our safety, which is absurd. We have the right to protest what is happening in Israel, but I do not feel that this threatens our security.
» La Batsheva, invited by Chaillot, was to dance at the Grande Halle de la Villette from June 6 to 15, a piece entitled
2019.
This programming had in fact been modified after the events of October 7. Initially the company had been invited to dance
Anaphase (1)
, a muscular and joyful celebration supposed to commemorate Naharin's 30 years at the head of the company. The piece would also have been given as the opening of Montpellier Danse, outdoors, in the cloister. Security being too delicate, Montpellier had chosen to postpone until 2025. Chaillot for his part had changed his program, replacing the thunderous
Anaphase
with the more meditative
2019
.
Replacement program
“The company, for security reasons, no longer wishes to travel,
” announced Chaillot today, who hopes to find a replacement program for the eight dates of the Batsheva at the Grande Halle, the thousand seats of which each evening have been sold.
Was it fear or reason that dictated Bastheva's refusal to travel? After October 7, a handful of dancers chose to leave the country: “I am invested in taking care of the dancers and ensuring that the company remains connected to the heart of what brings us together: research into how and why dance. In this catastrophic situation, human values in Bastheva have never been so strong,” confided Naharin. Moreover, the choreographer has always distanced himself from the regime and wishes to clarify that the company is not a national company but a foundation financed by benefactors. “
I belong to the group of builders in Israel and I would like one day to take power over the group of destroyers who deny reality,”
he said, ostensibly targeting Netanyahu's regime.