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The Arts Intel Report

Batsheva Dance Company: Momo

Eri Nakamura and Gianni Notarnicola in MOMO.

Mar 6–8, 2025
321 Ashland Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11217

MOMO, Ohad Naharin’s latest work for the renowned Batsheva company, follows the lead of its gorgeous, mournful music, we are told. Composed by Laurie Anderson and members of the Kronos Quartet, Landfall oscillates between Eastern European, minor-key keening; the splintered, crushed, dense notes of much contemporary music; and Anderson intoning. It conveys the environmental and human consequences of that old climate-change disaster, Hurricane Sandy. The Israeli choreographer likely had more immediate catastrophes in mind, even in 2022, when MOMO premiered. Yet it’s hard to imagine a Naharin work remaining gloomy for long. The episodic pace, the gawky movement, the reflexive irony, and his irresistible theatrical flair all militate against it. Whatever the mood and mode, though, you can’t lose with Batsheva’s large crew of arresting dancers and Naharin’s unflagging wit and daring. —Apollinaire Scherr

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