The Man Behind Political Mother

Raw Complexity

Dissolving the barriers between two seemingly opposing forces, Hofesh Shechter Company thrusts viewers into an atmospheric rock concert with the thundering assault of percussion entangled with traditional folk and contemporary dance to make for a highly physical dance performance with striking dancers. The Minnesota debut of Political Mother - the creation of Artistic Director of Hofesh Shechter Company and choreographer, Hofesh Shechter - is presented by Northrop Dance in partnership with Walker Art Center and brings the work of this extraordinary choreographer and composer to the Twin Cities. The Hofesh Shechter Company performance includes a one-night-only event at the Orpheum Theatre on Nov 13 (purchase tickets here!) and will include an exclusive free performance preview at Solera Restaurant. An audiovisual marvel of light, dark shadows, and drummers in military tunics, Political Mother explores mechanisms of state and society and how ideals of camaraderie, duty, and service can be brutalized by repressive power. Now, with Political Mother consuming the attention of stunned critics and audiences alike, Shechter embraces the role of choreographer, rock composer, and the man unleashing a powerful force of dance intensity.

The Man

Britain’s fieriest choreographer, Israeli-born Hofesh Shechter, has created works described as gritty, complex, intense, animalistic, intoxicating, immersing, and stunning. The Political Mother website of Hofesh Shechter chronicles the rise to success and intense energy of the extraordinary choreographer and talented dancers and musicians. In 2007, after five months in the studio, Hofesh Shechter's Uprising/In Your Rooms broke from its restraints and devoured the spotlight of the U.K. dance scene. Shechter moved to the U.K. in 2002 following a career as a dancer and made his choreographic debut two years later with Fragments. An alumnus of the world-renowned Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, and a former rock drummer, Shechter writes the musical scores for each of his dance creations. His music alongside his company’s unique physicality has earned his works unrivalled reputations around the world.

The overwhelming response to Shechter's work, both critically and from his audience, has singled him out as one of the most exciting artists to emerge in recent years. His work is a confrontational commentary on politics, people, the world, and the role of emotions in thought. Presented with a Critics' Circle Award in 2008, praised in The New York Times as "thrilling," championed by the U.K. press, and nominated for a South Bank Show Award, Shechter presents an innovative exhibition with gripping views of daily world pressures.

The Movement

Political Mother has garnered glowing praise worldwide for its complexity and explosive collision of politics and movement. His first full-length piece at around 75 minutes, Artistic Director of Hofesh Shechter Company and choreographer, Hofesh Shechter describes it as “brimming with emotional and gritty complexity, powerful percussive grooves and a raw and honest physicality.” Ten dancers perform Political Mother accompanied by a band of live drummers and electric guitarists.

Debra Craine of The Times speaks of the performance as “...delivered like a roar of defiance in the face of an omnipotent, malevolent force. It’s visceral, painful and very, very exciting but even in the dark void at its centre there is humanity and tenderness, never quite extinguished.” Unleashing a rapid-fire of surreal images, Shechter produces an intoxicating, full-throttle, immersive experience that is sure to be the modern dance event of the year. Luke Jennings of The Observer on Sunday states, “it's a fine, excoriating work, fuelled by real anger…” The Independent says of the performance, “its gritty, unorthodox maneuvers can catch you off guard in ways that are bound to disorient conventional expectations… a kind of urban-guerrilla edginess… There is nothing complacent to be seen here.” In the November 2012 issue of Dance Magazine, Barbara Newman cited the shadowy figures, animal instincts, and “frenzy of desperation” as intriguing, possibly upsetting elements of Political Mother. In the end, she wrote, “You can hardly imagine the stunning power…so imagine the imagination that created it and the extraordinary pleasure of watching it develop before your astonished eyes.”

The Music

Previously a drummer in a rock band, Shechter composes the scores for all of his own dances, creating powerful and exciting submersions into sound. In the article “The crouching tiger: How Israeli Hofesh Shechter became the biggest beast in British choreography,” published by The Independent, Hofesh states "I sometimes use snippets of Bach, two or three minutes here or there, but music is such a big part of my choreography that I don't think I could create an entire piece to someone else's score.” With music as a centrally significant role in the inspiration and development of choreography, it is logical that the music be moldable and that of his own in order to allow the two elements inspire and develop each other. Furthermore, unique from many companies and performances, Hofesh Shechter Company musicians are much more than a backing band. The authority and influence of the music contributes another layer of atmosphere to the piece, as well as providing for the unexpected. The score for Political Mother was created in collaboration with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and barbicanbite09; with research supported by Jerwood Studio at Sadler’s Wells. This one is meant to be loud.

The Message

The work of Hofesh Shechter is not finished until there is an audience watching. In his interviews, Shechter insists on the ceremony of performance, the dynamics of energy bouncing back and forth between the stage and the audience. And what about the title? The Independent quotes Hofesh in his explanation of the title and underlying message: "It's something I thought up a long time ago, but have never used,” Hofesh explains. “I think titles are very important, they can be a key, a clue into the piece – but they can also be a trap.  For me, a title is a bit of a filter, a way to start to see the work – it should definitely attune the brains of the people who are coming to see it – but it's not meant to give everything away.” And what is the piece about? “I can't come up with one single answer, thank God. If I could, that would be horribly wrong."

Check out our sneak peek video of Hofesh Shechter Company in Politcal Mother!

Click here to purchase tickets to Hofesh Shechter Company Political Mother

Join co-artistic directors of Twin Cities-based Black Label Movement, Carl Flink and Emilie Plauché Flink for the Hofesh Shechter Company Performance Preview before the show.

-Rah Riley, Marketing Intern