"Stay next to people that want to push you forward"
Matan David is an impressive artist who worked in Batsheva Dance Company for 12 years. He have also been the director of the Ensemble and now is rehearsal director of the main company.
-You are an amazing artist. How did you develop your artistry?
“Well, it's really true when people say the experience is everything. I always thought that I'm a good dancer, teacher, but only when I started to work with dancers around the world and work on my teaching artistry I realized how fulfilling it is and helps me grow as an artist. So meeting other people and work with them really contributed to my artistry”
-You worked in Batsheva Dance Company for 12 years. And you have also been the director of the Ensemble and now rehearsal director of the main company. What fascinates you about Ohad Naharin’s work? How can you define his work?
“It's very hard to define Ohad's work. Do you know the feeling that you look back at your life and realize how young you were and such a different person? Is it still you but different compared to where you are in the process of your life? It's similar to Ohads work: the dancers are really influenced from where he is in his research for movement, of life... It's still his vision about art, and his asstatics but more developed each time. I enjoy how he bring himself to the creation process “
-What is for you the Batsheva Dance Company?
“Batsheva for me is a relationship with a partner. LOVE/HATE/BETRAYAL/EXCEPTNESE/MOVING ON - But really, it's a family by now..”
-What is the importance of Gaga in your dance? What did this practice teach you?
“I guess i own a lot to Gaga, it affected my way of living so much. its so hard to tell how because by now i dont remember any other way of living, moving since it is part of who I am. It inspired me a lor: from the beautiful idea that our familiar limits are not our true range; not to take myself seriously; that life is better on 30% but of a very big engine.. and many more”
-How important is it to respect the uniqueness of each dancer?
“This is the most important and from my work with dancers this is what you should "teach" first... it's the hardest thing to teach I feel - how to find your own voice but we should aspire to that before anything else “
-You have been the director of Batsheva – The Young Ensemble from 2013 to 2017. What are the beautiful aspects of being a director?
“I loved my director job with the young company. For me what was amazing is to stand in front of a group for the first time as their director and I needed to start managing .
No one cared it was my first year - they all expected work to keep going - so I dived straight into work full in with no experience and realized in the process that I'm really good at that gave me a lot of confidence. It’s amazing to take a group and to start a process from nothing, watch the young dancers grow - was truly a gift “
-What are the difficulties instead?
“The work was really demanding on the non artistic side, to a point that took me away from being with the dancers in the studio which is what I loved most to do and also that is what made me leave.”
-What are important characteristics as a director?
“For me what works the most for me is looking everyone in their eyes: be human, listen, support and when needed also to be a bit hard. I believe that the positive energy will always be more useful than a negative one... I try to compliment as much as I can and this really creates a different vibe and energy with the dancers.”
-What catches your attention in a dancer? What do you think is important as a contemporary dancer nowadays?
“there is a lot to take into consideration but What I'm mostly looking for in dancers is the ability to change and grow: to immediately take a suggestion or correction and do something with it and without repeating what they did a second ago... this is how you see potential”
-Can you give some advice to young dancers?
“My advice for young dancers is to look for teachers, dance schools, companies that only makes you feel good about yourself. Don't stay next to people that hold you back, only stay next to people that want to push you forward”
Thank you so much Matan! It was an honor for us!