Hofesh Shechter is “coming to take over Canada.” And based on his reviews, it will be our pleasure.
The Isreali-born, U.K.-based Shechter and his dance company of 12 will be performing at the National Arts Centre on Sept. 29-30.
A former rock drummer, Shechter began choreographing about five years ago. Clearly talented, he was quickly co-commissioned by three of London’s prominent dance theatres to create works that would grow throughout the theatres.
“They sort of took a risk. They saw a young artist and thought it would be an interesting venture,” Shechter says.
“Basically by the end of that project, around 2007, we had actually created a company from gathering and working with dancers over a period of a few years. The Arts Council England recognized the situation and supported us and the company was created.
“So it wasn’t really planned and I’m absolutely thrilled that that’s the way it happened.”
Landing in Canada for the first time, the company will be performing Uprising, a 26-minute piece comprised of seven male dancers, and then In Your Room, a 45-minute piece with 12 dancers and five live musicians also on stage.
Despite being part of one show, the pieces sound drastically different.
“Uprising is a very intense loud piece where you connect with the energy of the boys on stage,” says Shechter. “You sort of observe the changes in energy and the relationships between them.
“In a way, it’s a very simple piece. But when you watch it, there are a lot of conflicting ideas. You’re not getting a very definite answer to who they are, or whether they’re working together, against each other or against something. There are a lot of questions about power and friendship and the relation between boys and game and fun and fighting.”
In Your Room, on the other hand, combines male and female dancers and has a more cinematic feel.
“It’s a more complex piece. It has a lot of splashes and images and switches between one scenario to another,” says Shechter. “It gives you a much wider view of these people. It plays a lot on the power game between individual and group and who’s pushing whom? It’s more epic but at the same time a bit more intimate than uprising.”
After Ottawa, The Hofesh Shechter Company will be performing in Montreal, Quebec, Calgary and Vancouver.
Want to go?
• What: In Your Room and Uprising
• Where: The National Arts Centre
• When: Sept. 29-30
• Tickets: $35-$47, on sale Sept. 8. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount
• More information: For more, go to nac-can.ca.
