Ohad Naharin's Gaga Technique

When beginning to research Andrea Miller's background and training, I kept stumbling upon the use of the term "Gaga," in relation to training, choreography and influence.  Because I rightfully assumed that this Julliard dancer's training did not include the Gaga that we are most familiar with, I decided to explore the term.  I found that Gaga is a meaningless word that Ohad Naharin used to label the form of movement training he developed after a back injury over 20 years ago.  While developing a method of  rehabilitation for his back, Naharin explored different places in his body that he could utilize in movement in order to deal with the pain.   The technique focuses a lot on self exploration, finding styles of movement that are unique to your body.  Emphasis is also placed on making movement feel pleasurable in your body and sending thoughts and energy to places in your body that are feeling weak.  The technique is taught much like Bill Evans teaches his classes.  Focus is turned internally with use of creative and detailed imagery.  The classes are taught in a way that warm up each part of the body, attention is not only sent to the core and major muscles, but just as equally to the fingers, toes and head.  Because dancers are taught to focus on every part of their body and how it functions, they are able to understand their movement more thoroughly and coordinate their movements to flow coherently. 
I have been mentally exploring these concepts already, due to the technique classes here at Brockport, and it was really interesting to see them also incorporated in the training and work done by Ohad Naharin.  I am very happy that the idea of internal focus seems to be becoming more prominent in the dance world because I feel that it is vital to the longevity of a dancer's career.  It is also exciting and interesting to me that Andrea Miller has had so much exposure to this style of movement because I admire her work.  It is exciting to me that I am being exposed to the same type of movement that has influenced her so strongly.