Whale Dream

When whales sleep, only half of their brain is at rest, while the other half stays fully awake. With one eye open, it is aware of predators, controlling when to rise to the surface to breathe, and how to continue drifting slowly through the water. On the sleeping side, the eyelids show that this side of the brain is not only sleeping, it is dreaming.

We all have dreams. They are based on our hopes, our loves, and our desires. Yet, we live in a physical world, a social world, that requires sharp survival instincts. These two states, of dreaming whilst being alert, stand in full contrast to one another, yet still exist within every one of us.

Whale Dream was shown in many countries around the world. In 2025, it was extended by Oded Ronen as part of his journeys to Jewish and Israeli communities abroad, to raise awareness of the global effort needed in order for the hostages to return home.

After the second hostage deal, in early 2025, testimonies from released hostages began to surface, describing the conditions of those who were left behind in captivity. In March 2025, new details were revealed about Nimrod Cohen, an IDF soldier who was 19 when he was kidnapped, and is now 21.

Nimrod was taken from a faulty tank, on October 7. With him were fellow soldiers, Omer Neutra, the commander of the tank, Oz Daniel, and Shaked Dahan. Nimrod was taken alive, the others were murdered, and then kidnapped.

According to the testimonies, Nimrod was suffering from severe torture, while his limbs were bound.
He was kept in a small cage, meant for animals, shown videos of his friends being murdered, and suffered from a skin condition that spread across his body without receiving any medical care.

Over time, Nimrod gradually became more silent and withdrawn, communicating less and less.

In the Hamas tunnels, there is no sense of hours. There is no day, there is no night. It is like being in the deepest part of the ocean, except that the surrounding space is closing in, and there is no sense of time. It is not surprising that thought itself begins to fade. The body is trapped, surrounded by murderers, struggling to survive.

We don’t know what Nimrod’s mind went through during those long two years, but we can only hope, that even while he was tortured and locked in that cage, there was still some part of him, even a small part, which kept dreaming:

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Of coming home
Of reuniting with his loved ones
Of being free

In October 2025, after more than two years in captivity, a new deal was reached and Nimrod Cohen was released.

Choreography: Oded Ronen

Music: Yehezkel Braun, Pleq, Samuel Barber

Premiere: September 2014

Special thanks to: The Choreographers Association, The Beck Charitable Fund for Israel