Choreographer and Israel Prize winner Ohad Naharin, seen speaking on stage during the final rehearsals for Batsheva's 50th Anniversary performance at the Tel Aviv Opera, June 21, 2014. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
The Israel Prize-winning choreographer Ohad Naharin said Sunday that he supports the agenda of the BDS movement and would support a boycott of his own performances.
“I’ve always said that if boycotting a performance of mine will improve the situation in the territories or bring a solution to the conflict, I will support the boycott myself,” Naharin told Army Radio.
“BDS has an agenda that I identify with. They are against the occupation.”
Naharin, the house choreographer and former artistic director of the famed Batsheva Dance Company, added that proceeds from a Tel Aviv performance set for Sunday night would go to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel because that organization supports “the entire rainbow of people in Israel and helps everyone.”
Naharin was scheduled to appear with a group of dancers to showcase Gaga — a language of movement that he has developed.
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Practicing Gaga, a form of language for movement developed by Ohad Naharin. YouTube screenshot)
Naharin, who once danced for the Martha Graham company in New York, nevertheless criticized the BDS movement for its failure to really help Palestinians, despite its efforts.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel says it aims to “work to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”
Critics, including many heads of state, say the organization in fact opposes the existence of Israel as a whole and is a cover for anti-Semitism.
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