Winner of the Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for Best Choreography (modern) in 2008 Hofesh Shechter is becoming one of the UK’s most exciting artists. Recognised as both a choreographer and composer Hofesh recently dazzled audiences with The Choreographer’s Cut – commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and performed at London’s iconic Roundhouse Hofesh reworked his acclaimed double bill Uprising/In your rooms to feature a band of 20 musicians alongside a company of 17 dancers.
Hofesh graduated from the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and Music before moving to Tel Aviv to join the world renowned Batsheva Dance Company, where he worked with Artistic Director Ohad Naharin and other choreographers including Wim Vandekeybus, Paul Selwyn-Norton, Tero Saarinen, and Inbal Pinto. Hofesh began drum and percussion studies whilst in Tel Aviv and continued later in Paris at the Agostiny College of Rhythm. Subsequently, he began experimenting and developing his own music while participating in various projects in Europe involving dance, theatre and body-percussion. In 2002 Hofesh arrived in the UK.
His choreographic debut, Fragments, for which he also created the score, toured both nationally and internationally to Finland, Italy, Portugal, Korea, and Poland, where the piece won first place in the 3rd Serge Diaghilev choreography competition. In 2004 Hofesh was commissioned by The Place Prize to create the sextet, Cult. The work was one of five selected finalists and was announced winner of the Audience Choice Award. From 2004 to 2006 Hofesh was Associate Artist at The Place and was commissioned by the Robin Howard Foundation to create Uprising, his ever-popular work for seven men. The three works formed the triple bill deGENERATION, Hofesh’s first full evening of work.
In 2007 London’s three major dance venues, The Place, Southbank Centre and Sadler’s Wells, collaborated on a unique producing venture, commissioning Hofesh to create In your rooms which was presented at all three venues in 2007 and culminated in sell-out shows at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. In your rooms was nominated for a South Bank Show Award and won the Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography (modern) in 2008.
Hofesh was commissioned by Brighton Festival in 2009 to create the “exquisitely acrimonious” The Art of Not Looking Back (The Observer, 2009) which was inspired by and made for six female dancers. An outdoor version of the work was presented at Latitude Festival later that year. In 2010 Hofesh will create his first full length work for the Company,Political Mother, which will premiere at the 2010 Brighton Festival.
Hofesh has been commissioned in the UK by Bare Bones Dance Company, Edge and Verve the postgraduate companies of London Contemporary Dance School and Northern School of Contemporary Dance respectively, StopGAP Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, CandoCo and Dance United. Internationally Hofesh has made new work and remounted works on Ballet CeDeCe (Portugal), Hellenic Dance Company (Greece), Bern Ballett (Switzerland), Skanes Dansteater (Sweden) and Carte Blanche Dance Company (Norway).In 2009 he will work with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. In 2008 Hofesh formed Hofesh Shechter Company who are touring globally to both critical and popular acclaim.
Hofesh worked as choreographer at The Royal Court Theatre for Motortown by Simon Stephens (2006), and on The Arsonists (2007), collaborating with Director Ramin Gray on both productions. Hofesh was choreographer for the National Theatre’s award winning production of Saint Joan (2007) directed by Marianne Elliot and starring Anne Marie Duff. Hofesh also choreographed the hit dance sequence Maxxie’s Dance for the opening of the second series of Channel 4’s popular drama Skins.
Hofesh is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells and Hofesh Shechter Company is Resident Company at Brighton Dome.
For more info on Hofesh Schechter Company:
Hofesh Shechter Company’s official website
To learn more about Hofesh Shechter, see The Guardian here.
Catch Hofesh Shechter in Double Bill: Uprising/In your rooms! Click here for details.
