Yossi & Oded

Founders \ Artistic Directors \ Choreographers \ Dancers \ Artists

Yossi Berg and Oded Graf started collaborating in 2005, and they have since built a reputation for work that is supremely physical, sometimes provocative, and by turns poignant and witty. Having performed with world-renowned troupes ranging from Batsheva Dance Company and DV8 Physical Theatre to others, they mix their masterful physicality with their dynamic research of theater, text, and voice. Responding to the social and political realities of contemporary life, the choreographers propose onstage alternatives laced with a disarming humor that surprises audiences, inspires deeper reflection, and offers hope and beauty.

Yossi and Oded’s singular brand of artistry has launched them to the forefront of Israel’s vibrant dance scene and placed them prominently on the world stage. Their work tours extensively around the world including: Montpellier Danse France, American Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, La MaMa, White Bird the U.S., Madrid en Danza Spain, Dansens Hus Sweden, The Place Theater London, Lausanne Danse Switzerland, Belgrade Dance Festival Serbia, TanzTage Berlin, Tanz Bremen, Lipsiusbau Museum Germany, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome Italy, Israel Museum and Israel Festival Jerusalem, SIDance South Korea, JCDN Japan, among others.

Moreover, their works have been performed in additional venues in Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.K., and the U.S.

In addition to touring their productions, Yossi and Oded have also been invited as guest choreographers to either stage or create new works for opera houses and dance companies across the globe. Their choreography has been included in the repertory of prominent troupes including Batsheva Ensemble Company, Muza Dance Company in Israel; Donlon Dance Company / StaatsTheater Saarbrucken, TanzTheater Osnabruck, StaatstTeater Braunschweig, and StaatsTheater Kassel in Germany; Introdans in Holland; Tanzkompagnie Theater St.Gallen in Switzerland; Company E in the U.S.; Aura Dance Company in Lithuania; Polish Dance Theater in Poland; Belgrade Drama Theater in Serbia; TND Company in Spain; Norrdans Company in Sweden; Baerum Kulturhus Copmany in Norway; and Junior Company in Denmark.

They teach extensively around the world, regularly create for universities, and lead workshops in contemporary dance and improvisation, drawing on their research of being present and partnering: Emory University Atlanta, Hunter College and Rutgers University New York, the U.S., Simon Fraser University Vancouver Canada, SEAD Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, Austria, Palucca University of Dance Dresden Germany, Seoul University Of The Arts South Korea, Dansehallerne Copenhagen Denmark, Mimar Sinan University Istanbul, Turkey, Moga studio Japan, Trois cl Luxembourg, Tseh Moscow Russia, Teatro Comunale di Ferrara Italy, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance Israel, Maslool Professional Dance Program in TLV, Kibbutzim College of Education, Ben Gurion University, Masa at Kibbutz Ga’aton, to name but a few.

Yossi and Oded’s compelling choreography has garnered them numerous honors at home and abroad. They have received special grants from the Ballet Master Albert Gaubier’s Foundation and the Kunstrads Scenekunstudvalg Denmark, the Schusterman Foundation the U.S., Teva Foundation, Bistrizki Foundation, Rabinovich Foundation, Tel Aviv Municipality, Lottery Foundation, and many others. The pair’s creations won the first prize in international choreography competitions in Germany (Hanover), Spain (Burgos-New York), Denmark (Dansolution), and Poland (Serge Diaghilev). Their full evening works were nominated by critics for the best dance events in Israel: Heroes (2007), Bodyland (2014), Come Jump With Me (2016). In 2008 the European Ballet Tanz magazine hailed them as “choreographers to watch”. Yossi and Oded were Aerowaves artists; received Israel’s Ministry of Culture Award for Outstanding Choreographers; and in 2016 were awarded the Rosenblum Prize for Artistic Excellence in the Performing Arts.

They have also participated in prestigious artist-in-residence programs including: Movement Research at Judson Church in New York, the Artist Village in Taipei, STRUT Dance in Australia, Tanzplan in Germany, Iris Garland Visiting Artists in Canada, Gabirol in Tel aviv, and their work has been co-produced by such venues as HELLERAU-European Centre for Arts,Palucca, and the Dresden SemperOper in Germany.

The Company was featured in the movie ​​LET’S DANCE!​ for ARTE channel and in various publications including ​The Weizmann International Magazine of Science & People and ​The New York Times.

The choreographers’ rich repertory includes the works: You Look Like The Last Audience On Earth; When Love Walked In; The Rite of Spring; Come Jump With Me; Bodyland; Black Fairytale; Forest; Eleven; Animal Lost; 4 Men Alice Bach and the Deer; Heroes; Most of the Day I’m Out; Bloody Disco; The Picnic; Wo-man in Tomatoes; Mechanical Trio in a Hot Country; Bear-girl King; Fairytale Goes Bad; My Space; Optic; Heaven or Tel Aviv; Untitled; Roots, and others.