Meet a NYFA Artist: Saar Harari

NYFA speaks with 2008 Choreography Fellow, Saar Harari (with Lee Sher).

NYFA: Hi Saar, how did you choose dance as your medium?

SH: I danced since i was 4, 5 years old, my mom has a studio for dance in Israel. when I was 18 I joined the Israeli special forces for 6 years the physicality in my unit connected me to my body in a deeper way, when I was done with the army the transition back to the dance world was very organic for me. Dancing really makes me happy.

NYFA: How do you start on a project?

SH: We are interested in the movement. We start to generate and work deep on the movement, to really sense it, to dance it. Then we start to see what we have. Sometimes we think of a structure to the piece before we start, but in both cases we try to finish as far away as possible from were we started.

NYFA: What are your goals for the future?

SH: I try not to think about it in that way but to do what I really want now.

NYFA: What is an indulgence for you?

SH: Our time in the studio, dancing every day makes the life a bit easier to deal with…

NYFA: What is your studio/workspace like?

SH: Usually it’s a good size studio with no mirrors (we don’t like it) but it can also be the out doors, out roof, etc…

NYFA: What advice do you have for young artists?

SH: Don’t deal with anything but the quality of the work the rest will come to you.

Saar Harari and her collaborator Lee Sher’s work Prima will premiere at the JCC in Manhattan. January 7 at 8pm, January 8th and 9th at 7pm, and the 10th at 3pm. The work is presented in collaboration with PS 122 as part of the COIL Festival.

For more information on Saar Harari and LeeSaar The Company, visit the LeeSaar website.