The stage had dramatic lighting with a black background and 15 brown folding chairs.

It seems too intimidating of a number, doesn’t it? But this is what “Echad Mi Yodea” wanted to convey. I

t is strong and powerful yet shows vulnerability at the same time. And these dancers danced with much conviction and finesse.

The Batsheva Dance Company performed Ohad Naharin’s “Echad Mi Yodea.”

This song is a traditional Jewish Passover song in the Haggadah and is sung after the meal.

Tractor’s Revenge and Ohad created a different version of the song with a creative take, and it has been used for the dance since 1990.

This version starts with a spoken introduction. Then, drumbeats and other electronic rock elements begin playing as the dancers move powerfully to the beat.

It ends with the performers reciting “shebashamaim uva’aretz” which means “In Heaven and Earth.”

Fifteen chairs and dancers form a semi-circle on stage, ready for a powerful performance.

They captivate you right from the beginning with their powerful movements.

They stand, sit, shake, jump, and thrash their bodies which evokes the davening in the synagogue.

The dark, heavy, dramatic lighting highlights their white undershirts as they create a wave.

But why did the last dancer fall to the floor, unlike everyone else?

The “faller” was inserted in the choreography by accident.

According to Haggadot.com, Ohad decided to change the movements, but one dancer did not hear the instructions, so he proceeded with the old choreography where they fell down.

Ohad thought of letting the dancer at the end of the line act as the “faller” who does it at the end of each wave.

The dance takes a cumulative form which sums up to a thirteen-part dance.

Each part follows the thirteen essential Jewish teachings made to be educational and fun for the young.

However, Ohad’s rendition is more aggressive (more militaristic), rendering a powerful message paired with the lighting, facial expressions of the dancers, and their high-energy movements.

One key factor in performing the “Echad Mi Yodea” are their costumes.

They wear a black suit, shoes, a hat, and a white undershirt. You can also see how they start taking them off one by one until there’s only their underwear left.

It symbolizes a joyful celebration of freedom, rejection of tradition, and an act of isolation and desperation; the pile of clothes thrown at the center reminds them of everything they lost.

The dancers repeat the steps, adding more as each repetition goes on.

The first one (counted as one) talks about having one God, two as in the two tablets of the commandments, three representing the three Jewish forefathers, and so on.

You might think they were just flailing about, but their movements were a story of their faith.

The dance ends with the dancers doing one more round of the routine with only their undergarments.

This symbolizes their bareness and shamelessness as they shouted “shebashamaim uva’aretz” with all their heart for one more time, fists clenched tightly.

The faller still had all his clothes on and would sit back on his chair while the rest of the troupe was standing.

Watch their exhilarating performance in the video below!

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Source: Batsheva Dance Company YouTube Channel, Haggadot, Numeridanse, Tessa Fungo