Emanuel Gat

Emanuel Gat
Artistic Director and Choreographer

Born in Israel 1969.
After his military service (1987-90), Emanuel Gat studied music at the Tel Aviv Academy. His first encounter with dance was at a workshop for amateurs led by Israeli choreographer Nir Ben Gal. Six months later, at age 23, Gat joined the Liat Dror Nir Ben Gal Company with whom he toured in Israel and around the world. After two years with the company, Gat began working as an independent choreographer, creating his first solo piece “Four Dances” in 1994 to music by Bach. Over the next 10 years Gat created a number of independent projects as choreographer and lead dancer. Among those projects were “Al-Kuds” (96-98) in collaboration with musician/text writer Mariano Weinstein, “Kasha” (99) a duet in which Emanuel created the music as well, “Good Year” (2000) a piece for 9 dancers commissioned by the Kibbutz Dance Company with soundtrack by Gat, “A Local recital” (2001) an evening long solo performance created in collaboration with 5 leading Israeli Choreographers,  “Two Stupid Dogs” (2002) a work for five dancers in collaboration with the Arab rap group MWR – a commission by the Israel/Jerusalem Festival. His work has been presented in Israel as well as internationally at dance festivals around the world. Gat received a scholarship from the Ballet Master Albert Gaubiers Fund in 1995 and the Rosenblum Award for Performing Arts in 2003 As well as the Landau award (2004). In January 2004 Gat established his company - Emanuel Gat Dance, which received Israel’s Minister of Culture Award in 2005 for outstanding dance performance. In 2006 Gat was named a chosen artist of the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation IcExcellence, one of Israel's highest honors for artists.
The company has created since six pieces that have toured around the world. The premier of “Winter Voyage” and “The Rite of Spring” took place at Uzes festival in June 2004. These two works were performed since to great acclaim more than 150 times worldwide. In 2006 Emanuel Gat received the Bessie award for the presentation of this program at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York.  
In 2006 Emanuel created “K626” a work for 8 dancers based on Mozart’s Requiem, which was premiered at the Festival de Marseilles.
The following year, the company premiered “3for2007” (a three piece program including “My Favorite things” a solo danced by Emanuel to music by John Coltrane, “Petit torn de dança” a duet to medieval French songs and “through the center...” a piece for 8 dancers to electronic music by Squarepusher.
The next creations by Emanuel Gat will be premiered at Montpellier Danse in July 2008.

Emanuel Gat was invited to create a new work for the Paris Opera Ballet, which will be premiered in April 09.

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Press Quotes

• “Emanuel Gat ne fait rien comme tout le monde "
  Rosita Boisseau  / Panorama de la danse contemporaine. Textuel, 2006 read more
  

• Un grand chorégraphe en Provence  /  Les accords de Gat
  "... Car l'atout d'Emanuel Gat, outre son énergie, c'est bien évidemment son talent : l'extraordinaire vélocité de sa danse; les défis permanents qu'il se lance et relève avec une élégance souveraine. Quand tant d'autres se gargarisent de concepts avant de savoir mettre un pied devant l'autre, la rigueur de son écriture, belle, envoûtante et réfléchie, fait de lui une rareté : un authentique et brillant chorégraphe, doublé d'un magnifique danseur"    Raphaël de Gubernatis / Le Nouvel Observateur read more

• "...If you want to see the future of dance, take a long look at Emanuel Gat...Emanuel Gat was one of the sensations of the Jacob’s Pillow festival this summer, isn’t afraid to mix Schubert and Freud, Stravinsky and salsa. " kansas city star.

• Here is a choreography who knows how to bend tradition with craft."      /  Ballet Magazine by Rachel Straus 

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