BALLET DE L'OPÉRA DE LYON / OHAD NAHARIN

Created in 2015 by the resident choreographer of the Batsheva Dance Company, Last Work expresses both the quintessence of his style and a step to the side. The title should be construed as “Dancing as if for the last time”, because this is not Ohad Naharin’s final work. It was written using the vocabulary that he invented, Gaga, which is made up of gnarled undulations and agile contortions that seem to radiate out from the hips and stomach. The dancers first take it up through a series of solos. This is one of the singularities of a piece that makes more room for the individuality of the performers before the group takes over. The other particularity of Last Work is that it is undoubtedly the least narrative of this choreographer’sworks. Dreamlike, dark, and disquieting, it summons images over which the shadow of the conflicts in the Middle East passes. From lullabies to techno, the contrasting music sets the stage for a succession of metaphors for the audience to decipher. The omnipresence of violence and the logic of domination and loneliness are countered by the vital energy of celebration and a tenderness that resists.