Video: Hofesh Shechter – choreographer
Award-winning Israeli choreographer and musician Hofesh Shechter talks to Lucy Glover about breaking into the international dance scene, having a "full vision" and the importance of hope…
Hofesh Shechter is the Artistic Director of the award-winning Hofesh Shechter Company.
After graduating from the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and studying drum and percussion in Paris, Hofesh arrived in the UK in 2002 and quickly established himself as one of our most exciting contemporary artists. He both choreographs and scores his work, which is defined by a political, dark-edged, folk-inspired aesthetic.
Hofesh recently worked in collaboration with the sculptor Antony Gormley to create Survivor, a large-scale art/music performance that premiered at the Barbican in January 2012. His first full-length work, Political Mother, premiered in 2010 to universal acclaim (see video for clips), and he won the Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for Best Choreography (modern) in 2008 for his show In your rooms.
In our video interview, he talks about:
- The importance of hope and self-belief in motivating yourself to “keep on trying”, especially when ideas don’t work out.
- His “full vision” of his work: the sound, the atmosphere, lighting and costumes are all part of the creative process.
- Why he believes that having one person leading the company – “one chef, not too many cooks” – means that the work doesn’t lose its identity.
- What it’s like to “digest” overnight success.
Hofesh Shechter Company is currently touring. Find out more. Hofesh is working with Youth Dance England to form the first UK-wide youth company, U Dance Ensemble, which will premiere at the Southbank Centre this summer.
Hofesh Shechter Company is currently accepting applications for auditions for a female dancer and for an apprentice dancer to join his company.
Image by Chien Ming Chang.
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