WORKS

The strength of WORKS lies largely in this exceptional group work, rarely executed with such synchronicity. [...] One particularly striking trio features a female dancer with two male counterparts. Set to a rhythmically intense score punctuated by hand claps, this sequence stands out for its exceptional dynamism, movement quality, and the connections forged between the three bodies.

Emanuel Gat's WORKS offers an enticing evening of dance. His dancers live in the moment, reacting to the instant, just what is needed in a world that is changing at a frightening speed. The performance is [...] memorable for [...] the intense human focus in the many small meaningful reactions that make it a living, breathing and constantly evolving piece of theatre.

There are myriad simultaneous and consecutive sequences of action that require pinpoint timing and intense concentration, a serious discipline that is masked by the dancers’ casual demeanour. These are excellent dancers, without doubt, and their complex interactions are secured on the strength of that collective experience.

This generosity, intensity, and fluidity shine on stage on the night of the premiere. From the moment the curtain rises—though there is no actual curtain in the open-air setting of the Agora theater—one is swept away by the surge of twenty dancers on stage, their brilliance, their expansive and precise movements, energetic yet clear, and Emanuel Gat’s mastery of composition.

Originally titled TENWORKS (for Jean-Paul) [...] the piece has taken on a life of its own, reducing its cast (when we saw it for this review, there were nine dancers on stage) and embarking on an international tour. Yet its core remains unchanged: a virtuosic, complex dance storm, where Emanuel Gat’s creativity fuses with that of his performers.

Gat operates on another level. His work requires a deep absorption, inspiring a buoyant ease that borders on virtuosity—translated into breathtaking speed and intricate complexity. On Gat’s stage, the space teems with energy, electrifies, magnetizes, and scatters in a way that feels almost diabolical.

Rarely has a title, in its very simplicity, been more fitting. Works, by Emanuel Gat, is the quintessence of what the choreographer is capable of producing and creating—his works, his masterpiece. [...] A galaxy of bodies and talents carried by a company at its peak, Works unfolds in a continuous flow of reconfigurations, like a creative process that reinvents itself before our eyes.

Emanuel Gat [wishes] to pay tribute to the dancers—their work, their intensity, the difficulties it involves, the simplicity of it, how it develops, and what this work truly is. The idea is excellent and warm, necessary, without a doubt. [...] We understand the love they have for their work, for dance, a calling they must have carried within them for a long time, always—a calling that continually offers us dazzling moments.

With Ten Works (for Jean-Paul) [...] Emanuel Gat crafts a defining moment in dance history, delivering a performance that will leave a lasting mark on the Montpellier Danse festival. [...] Led by 25 brilliant and deeply invested dancers, this choreographic conversation generates unexpected forms, blends a range of emotions, and leaves the audience spellbound. It is as if they are witnessing life itself unfold.

Moving, mysterious dance is a delight [...] What’s so engaging is seeing actual relationships between people play out on stage. [...] It’s strangely touching, and clearly delights the dancers, too. [...] The movement is unpindownable – without affectation, or any particular technique, it feels like a natural extension of the performers.

Experimental dance without the pretension [...] Gloriously weird, off-kilter, surprisingly funny, double Bessie Award-winning choreography from Emanuel Gat astounds in this kaleidoscopic collection of pieces. [...] This piece is, from start to finish, amusing, arousing, sensual and innovative, and really, what more could you ask?

The polished pieces are clinical yet full of meaning, frantic yet controlled, and strong yet subtle. [...] WORKS advocates for difference, presenting it as an integral force in driving the choreography forward, using it to piece the performance together. WORKS therefore is more than a celebration of the dancer. It forces us to see difference within a collective as a strength.

That said, one does not view a dance performance the same way one would view a Gat ballet. [...] Whether the dancers burst onto the stage to the frenzied sound of Nina Simone's Sinnerman, like a flock of swallows seizing the space in wild and renewed waves [...] (a game full of joyful rivalry); whether duos merge into intimate, complex, and emotional phases...

That the dancers gaze at each other’s eyes on the stage [...] is also one of the strengths of WORKS by the Israeli choreographer Emanuel Gat. [… The] performers of this production […] are always in contact. They transform a learned score into a magical game that prefers the fragility of the moment to technical perfection.

The dancers embody a clarity and precision that define Gat’s signature choreographic language—a fusion of emotion, sensation, and vulnerability. A profusion of bodies immerses the audience in a poetic, multicolored, and expressive energy. [...] WORKS [is] an homage to dance and to those who invent it on stage, live!

TENWORKS is a work of exploration. True to his convictions, Emanuel Gat remains an engaged choreographer, staging a utopia of dancing bodies. That night in Montpellier, joyful brass bands could be heard in the distance, gathering for a street festival—like an echo of Emanuel Gat’s free-spirited dance.

Brilliantly composed and skillfully orchestrated, this choreographic score for ten dancers explores a new vision of dance. [...] Carried by ten extraordinary dancers, of eyes meeting, bodies brushing [...] Works combines ease and virtuosity with beautiful freedom. This piece, with sharp intelligence and quiet splendor, conveys the emotion of an unadorned dance.

WORKS showcases the virtuosity of its performers, each fully committed to this exploration of movement. Non-narrative yet rhythmically dynamic, the piece brings to life beautiful formations and, at times, frozen tableaux. [...] This asynchronous kaleidoscope thrilled the audience on opening night.

In an early duet the muscular Michael Loehr, an anchoring presence throughout, either shares or withholds suggested intimacies with Milena Twiehaus. He later joins Karolina Szymura and the flamboyant Thomas Bradley for a restless, rangy trio. [...] All credit to these and the other fine dancers.

Emanuel Gat at His Peak! [...] In his latest creation, Emanuel Gat celebrates dancers—their individuality and virtuosity, their responsibility and humanity—through twenty performers, half from his own company and half from the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon. One of the highlights of Montpellier Danse.