I work with the potential that I might be a DOG – Y to C – Yaniv Cohen (NO/IL)

I I work with the potential that I might be a DOG is a performance that intertwines Yaniv Cohen’s personal experiences with ADHD and dance. Yaniv plays with neurotypical rhythms and explores the emotional spaces that open through the exhaustion of body and mind.

Based on his personal experience with ADHD, Yaniv Cohen combines his addiction to exercise and love of dance in an intimate and informative piece. On stage, Yaniv performs an impossible multitasking feat, where exercise routines and bodily sensitivity are woven together with a constant stream of text. The performance addresses themes such as self-image, shame, and the cultural constructs of psychiatric disorders.

In the machinery of my body, skin stretches, bones support, muscles contract and sweat pours down. I move my body, and joints pivot, limbs extend, tendons flex. Breath quickens, pulse races in a synchronized dance of effort. My senses sense the journey of exertion. Sometimes I find peace. 
– Yaniv Cohen on the process of DOG

It may seem like we are more easily distracted these days, like children bubbling over with restless, untamed energy. At the same time, we are expected to have self-control over this “natural” behavior, which makes some of us feel like “animals in a cage.” The dog was domesticated about thirty thousand years ago, and its wild behavior was kept in check by humans who took control of it. Feeling like a “caged animal” is also how Yaniv Cohen describes the social pressure he experiences towards taming his natural enthusiasm and hyperactivity. Acknowledging that he might be a “domesticated dog” is a liberating entry point to explore his hyper tendencies and potential within the existing power structures of art, culture, and society.

About the artist

Yaniv Cohen (1977) is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and an associate professor of contemporary dance at the Oslo Academy of the Arts. His choreographic work has toured both nationally and internationally, and he has worked with Carte Blanche, Iceland Dance Company, and the Norwegian Ballet. His journey with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has been both a personal and artistic exploration. Growing up with ADHD, Cohen closely experienced the complexity of masking—trying to hide the symptoms to conform to societal norms. This personal experience has influenced his artistic direction, where he explores ADHD and hypersensitivity, not just as challenges, but also as powerful drivers of creativity.

Credits

Choreographer: Yaniv Cohen
Performer: Yaniv Cohen
Dramaturg: Asher Lev
Script: Asher Lev and Yaniv Cohen, based on a lecture by Dr. Thomas E. Brown
Composer: Arvid Ingvarsson
Lighting Designer: Martin Myrvold
Set Designer: Carl Nilssen-Love
Costume Designer: Eyrun Leistad Müller
Producer: Madeleine Fairminer

Co-produced by: DansiT Choreographic Center, Rosendal Theater, Kloden Theater, Dansens Hus
Supported by: Arts Council Norway, Fritt Ord Foundation