Where were you born?
I was born in Melbourne, but moved shortly after with my family to live in Israel.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on a small agricultural kibbutz until I was eight and then returned to Melbourne.
What do your parents do?
They are now both retired but my mother was a painter and is still involved in ceramics and my father was an engineer. There is a strong interest in visual arts in my family but I was the only one to become involved in performing arts.
Do you have any siblings and what are their occupations?
I have a younger brother. He is an arts photographer and also designs and owns a street fashion label, Hamb.
What is your earliest memory of dancing?
My earliest memory of dancing was Israeli folk dancing as a young teenager.
You didn’t take up dance until you finished high school. What sparked your interest?
Towards the end of high school I started going out and dancing in clubs and at parties. I loved it and my mother suggested to me to go and do some classes at the local community centre, so I did. Later I auditioned for the Australian Ballet School and got in. I became part of a very small group of men who were older than many of the other students. Interestingly, quite a few of us including Garry Stewart (director of ADT) are still very much involved with dance.
What has been your most challenging role to date?
I think founding and running Chunky Move for 16 years has definitely had its challenges. I have been forced to learn about and concern myself with many responsibilities beyond just my personal interests.
What is the best venue you have ever performed in?
The best and worst venue I can remember was a Big Top at Northern Sun festival in northern Holland where we performed Mortal Engine, a highly technically demanding show at the best of times. It rained the whole week we were loading in and there were many holes in the tent fabric. The ground was just mud by the time we opened. The show however was a hit and every night we got a complete standing ovation from packed crowds.
Where are you usually when the curtain goes up?
In the audience wringing my hands.
Once you have premiered a work, do you make many changes?
Yes. There are things about a work when creating in the studio you cannot know or anticipate until it is in front of an audience. A production only comes to life in front of an audience and ultimately a work cannot be completed until after that happens.
Do you have a favourite work of art?
I am a big fan of the works by both Ryoji Ikeda and James Turrell. Ikeda’s sound and video and Turrell’s lighting alter my perception of the world around me and shift my emotional states in beautiful and disturbingly visceral ways.
What do you always take with you to a performance?
I take a desire to be interested. Watching contemporary works is hard because they rarely work. I hope for the possibility of seeing something that may be familiar in a new and different way.
How do you switch off after the show?
I do like my red wine, but on longer tours it doesn’t like me so much. I am prone to depression so I have to be mindful with alcohol and any other stimulants.
What book are you reading at the moment?
Michel Houellebecq – The Map and the Territory.
What is your pet hate?
Dancers practising other choreographers’ work in my studio while I am trying to choreograph.
What to you admire in people?
Patience, kindness and tenacity.
What do you like about yourself?
I have a quiet determination to accomplish what I initiate.
What annoys you about yourself?
I become easily anxious when I have to deal with a number of things at the same time. This is a problem because that’s what getting on with life seems to be mostly about.
What makes you sad?
Films where parents lose their children. Particularly when I am flying. Must be something to do with the altitude.
What occupation would be furthest from your true nature?
A rehearsal director. I pay too much attention to the wrong details.
What word(s) would you use to describe your feet?
Attached.
Gideon Obarzanek’s ‘There’s Definitely a Prince Involved’ is showing as part of the Australian Ballet’s ‘Infinity’ triple bill at the Sydney Opera House from April 5 to 25.
