Hofesh Shechter: Uprising, In Your Rooms

Length of the programme: 20’ + 40’
 

There is going to be a post-show talk with Hofesh Shechter and his dancers on the 3rd April.
   

Hofesh Shechter is one of the UK's most talked-about young choreographers, delivering intensely physical, breathtaking work that immediately connects with audiences. The vibrant, young, urban edge found in Shechter's dance has seen him working on the National Theatre's 2007 production of Saint Joan in London.
 

A former drummer in a rock band, Shechter has created an intense and percussive live soundtrack to accompany his latest work, the stunning In Your Rooms. The evening is completed by Shechter's acclaimed Uprising, a highly charged piece which sees seven men emerge from the shadows to bombard the stage with furious energy, set to a throbbing score, again composed by Shechter himself.
 

Uprising was described by the Herald as “pure pleasure”. A highly charged short work with a propulsive, percussive score, Uprising leaves audiences buzzing.
 

In Your Rooms brims with playful, gritty physicality and is at times provocative, political and deeply personal, presenting a society which is scarily alienating and yet shockingly familiar. Shechter has assembled a formidable cast of nine performers from the UK's leading contemporary dance companies. The dancers reveal their shifting motives, their lack of control and their vulnerabilities through intricate, touching encounters. The work also features an original score, created by Shechter in collaboration with Nell Catchpole (The Gogmagogs).
 

’There's something spicy about it. Something dark but smooth, and sarcastic in a very subtle way. And exciting in a very basic way. You're sitting in your seat and occasionally some adrenalin shoots into your veins. I don't know if thought-provoking is exactly the word, but it's kind of…riddling in a way. ’ (Hofesh Schechter about In your Rooms)
 

This is your chance to see a highly talented and creative choreographer perform what has been described by the Observer as 'his breakthrough work', and the first time an artist has ever been co-produced by London's three major dance venues: Sadler's Wells, The Place and Southbank Centre.
 

Be sure not to miss two magical works from this gifted young choreographer - hotly tipped as dance's next big thing.
 

“Shechter is ’The shooting star’ on the sky of contemporary dance.(…) he has you on the edge of your seat, dry-mouthed, from start to finish.” (The Observer)
 

“The sight of 11 dancers, on their knees, all lurching and twisting and twitching in synch, like troglodytes toiling in a mine, stirs up almost tribal feelings of recognition. Shechter may be presenting life as an emotional straitjacket, but he makes us feel we're all in it together.
Impressively, the score, for low strings and punch-you-in-the-sternum drums, was written by Shechter himself. At some performances he features as a drummer, though at Sadler's Wells he joined his dancers on stage. Remember the name. Ho-fesh. Shechter. He's more than up and coming: he's arrived.” (The Independent)
 

Interview with Hofesh Schechter!
 

Choreography: Hofesh SHECHTER
Performed by:
Leon BAUGH, Winifred BURNET-SMTIH, Christopher EVANS, Eulalia AYGUADE FARRO, Philip HULFORD, Elias LAZARIDIS, Yen-Ching LIN, Bruno Karim GUILLORE, Gavin COWARD, Sita OSTHEIMER, Ino RIGA, Hofesh SHECHTER, Jenny WHITE
Music: Hofesh SHECHTER, Vex’d
Lighting Design: Lee CURRAN
 

With the support of:
British Council, Robin Howard Foundation Commission 2006, Jerwood Changing Stages Choreolab (DanceXchange), Jerwood Space and Movingeast
 

IN YOUR ROOMS is commissioned by The Place, Southbank Centre and Sadler’s Wells co-commissioned by The Point, Eastleigh, Dance South West, Gloucestershire Dance and Take Art Somerset.
 

Company Artistic Director: Hofesh SHECHTER
Rehearsal Director: Bruno GUILLORE
 

Hofesh Shechter Company is supported by Arts Council England and Jerwood Charitable Foundation.