Oded Graf is a choreographer, performer, educator, mentor for young dance makers and an artist. He is based in Tel Aviv, traveling around the world creating, teaching and performing with his company “Oded Graf & Yossi Berg Dance Theatre” (Artistic director and choreographer). His creations grab multiple possibilities of looking at the body: as a political statement, a piece of nature, an emotional landscape, a constant changing archive of memories, flesh and bones and a liquid cultural material, always more than one identity and option.
Graf present his works in the frame of Oded Graf & Yossi Berg Dance Theatre since 2005 till today in venues, theaters, museums, and the most prestigious dance and theatre festivals around the globe. Some of the company tours include: Montpellier Danse France, American Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, La MaMa, White Bird the U.S., Madrid en Danza Spain, DansensHus Sweden, DanseHallerne, Denmark, 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 Jerusalem, Tel Aviv Museum and Israel Festival Jerusalem, SIDance South Korea, JCDN Japan, among others.
In addition to touring, Graf has been invited as guest choreographer to stage and create new works for opera houses and dance companies across Europe and the U.S. His choreography has been included in the repertory of prominent troupes including Donlon Dance Company / StaatsTheater Saarbrucken, 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, TND Company in Spain, Norrdans Company in Sweden (2013, 2015), Baerum Kulturhus Copmany in Norway, and Junior Company in Denmark.
Graf`s teaching is a large and inseparable part of his artistic research. Creating performances for universities and leading workshops, lectures and classes is a major part of his yearly schedule. He also mentors and is an artistic advisor for young artists. His teaching has included residencies at Emory University and Rutgers University in the U.S., Simon Fraser University Canada, Seoul University Of The Arts South Korea, Dansehallerne Denmark, Moga studio Japan, Trois cl Luxembourg, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance Israel, Maslool Professional Dance Program in TLV, Ben Gurion University, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s Dance Journey study abroad program and the Dance Workshop in Kibbutz Ga’aton.
Graf is the recipient of numerous awards, prizes and grants including the Ballet Master Albert Gaubier’s Foundation grant and the Kunstrads Scenekunstudvalg Denmark, the Schusterman Foundation, the U.S., Teva Foundation grant, Bistrizki Foundation grant, Rabinovich Foundation, Tel Aviv Municipality, Lottery Foundation, and many others. He won first prize in international choreography competitions in Germany (Hanover), Spain (Burgos-New York) and Denmark. Graf & Berg’s works: Heroes (2007), Bodyland (2014), Come Jump With Me (2016), were nominated by critics to be the best dance events in Israel. They 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.
Graf was an artist-in-residence at Movement Research 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 his work has been co-produced by such venues as HELLERAU-European Centre for Arts,Palucca, the Dresden SemperOper in Germany and DanseHallerne in Copenhagen (2010, 2012, 2013).
