Maya Nahum Shahal
06.11.2024

Yasmeen Godder: “Being Present in Your Body with Ease Is the Sexiest Thing”

The dancer and choreographer Yasmeen Godder is currently rehearsing for her solo performance and a joint show with singer Dikla. She sees dance as a trip, talks to her plants, fears losing her home, feels guilt for those suffering since October 7, misses her Jerusalemite grandmothers, finds refuge in her studio, makes stuffed vegetables on Friday nights, and recommends everyone to breathe during hard times.

Yasmeen Godder
– Age: 51
– Residence: Jaffa
– Family status: In a relationship, with a daughter
– Occupation: Award-winning choreographer and dancer (recipient of the Bessie Award in New York, Rosenblum Prize, Landau Prize, Ministry of Culture awards, among others). Her works are performed worldwide. Recently, her show Love Music (Now!) with singer Dikla premiered and will be performed on December 18 at Expo Tel Aviv.

Where are we catching you right now?
“At home in Jaffa, after a shower and a rehearsal for my solo piece Practicing Empathy #3, which I created during the pandemic when I couldn’t meet with my dancers. It explores self-empathy and whether, or how, it has a place.”

How and where do you drink your coffee?
“It changes constantly, but I usually drink my first cup at home, by the window, overlooking a small park with trees and birds. At home, I drink filter coffee, black coffee, or a long espresso. Outside, I always order a cappuccino and am very specific about it—if I’m out, it must be perfect.”

Who would you like to have a beer with?
“Jack Kornfield, a teacher of Buddhism and meditation. I’ve been having deep conversations with him for years through his podcasts and books. I’d talk with him about everything happening now, seeking a compassionate and present perspective on these overwhelming challenges. And actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whom I adore and find hilarious. When I lived in New York in the ’90s, people would stop me to say I looked like her. I love her show Wiser Than Me, where she interviews older women with fascinating life journeys. I’d love to laugh with her, revisit Seinfeld scenes, and maybe do Elaine’s iconic dance together.”

What are you currently working on?
“For three years, I’ve been working on Love Music (Now!), a creation inspired by Dikla’s debut album Love Music, aiming to create a fusion between a liberating rock music concert and a deep dive into dance. On stage are Dikla with a nine-piece orchestra and my eight amazing dancers, who each bring their unique world. The premiere was in Germany, and the next performance will be on December 18 at Expo Tel Aviv.”

What’s your quirk?
“I talk a lot to my dog and my plants. I don’t know if that’s a quirk; it feels more like connecting to additional dimensions.”

What’s the best advice you’ve received?
“To breathe when things get hard. At first, when people told me to ‘breathe,’ it annoyed and frustrated me, but over the years, much like many aspects of dance, I’ve learned to embrace it.”

How do you like to spend Friday afternoons?
“It’s my favorite time of the week. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifts, and everything slows down. I make stuffed vegetables; there’s something about the act of filling them that feels special to me on Fridays.”

What superpower would you like to have?
“To jump between realities and different spaces without experiencing the emotional toll.”

Who, in your opinion, is the sexiest person?
“Someone who is present in their body with ease. And, of course, my partner, Itzik Giuli (a multidisciplinary creator and artistic director).”

Who do you miss?
“My Jerusalemite grandmothers, Alina and Alka, their energy as women, their home, their cooking, and who they were. Alina, a Christian Polish woman, was a pierogi master, so I miss the smell and taste of her cooking. My other grandmother, Alka, was a fascinating character. When I’d call her and ask how she was, she’d say, ‘I’m enjoying myself.’”

Where would you most like to live?
“If not in Jaffa, then on a hill overlooking the sea somewhere in the Mediterranean region—not necessarily in Israel.”

What do you like to spend your money on?
“All my money and resources go toward creative work, not indulgences. But apart from that, the one consistent thing I spend money on is organic vegetables.”

What would you like to change about yourself?
“My uncompromising sense of commitment. Commitment is incredible and gives me so much, but sometimes it becomes misaligned. When that happens, it’s hard for me to notice. I’d love to occasionally step back, observe things from a side view, and see what’s really going on.”

What do you feel guilty about?
“About everything happening here and everyone who’s affected by it. I feel guilt because I’m part of this, and I have this need—rooted in my sense of commitment—to do something, to contribute to making things better. The guilt arises from the situation of so many people: the hostages, their families, the soldiers, the evacuees, and the people in Gaza and Lebanon. Everyone who’s suffering.”

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
“Creating a protective cocoon with my partner and our daughter (13).”

What scares you? And has it changed since October 7?
“Losing my home. That fear intensified after October 7; it’s now at the forefront. The cycle of displacement, even in my personal history, where people are constantly searching for home again, terrifies me.”

What’s your sanctuary these days?
“Dance. I find so much solace, connection, and the ability to feel through movement and dance, and through meeting with colleagues and dancers in the studio. The connection through the body, the space where we can explore and be with ourselves and with each other—it’s my sanctuary. The studio feels like a lifesaver now more than ever.”

What makes you happy?
“Seeing the impact my works have on people. Watching as a creation opens some channel in them, inviting them on a kind of trip. The space where dance happens transcends dance—it’s an invitation for transformation and reflection. It moves me to see what people take away from it.”

What do you feel is missing in your life?
“Peace. I don’t want to give up on it. It might sound naive amid what we’re going through, but I miss that sense of connection among people, coming from a place of goodness rather than fear and horrors.”

What do you consider your most valuable possession?
“My daughter.”

Which artists have influenced your work the most?
“Choreographers Trisha Brown and Pina Bausch, poet Patti Smith, musician PJ Harvey, and artist Cindy Sherman. I’m deeply inspired by and love women artists.”

If you weren’t a choreographer, what would you be?
“Something between a visual artist and a farmer. I’d explore the dimension of working the land daily. I had a brief experience of this in my teens when I worked in a kibbutz for two months, picking avocados and jojoba. I loved it.”