HOFESH SHECHTER COMPANY

THE SHOW

The Art of Not Looking Back possesses the extreme physicality that characterizes the creations of choreographer Hofesh Shechter and was created specifically for the company’s female dancers, as opposed to Uprising, a work exclusively for men performed at the Mercat in 2009. While Uprising was an emotional and dynamic analysis of what it means to be a man, its counterpart is a piece with many more turns.

In the case of Uprising, seven men emerge from the shadows to bombard the stage with boundless energy, intermingling and boxing, building and disintegrating. This highly charged work is accompanied by a base of pulsating percussion composed by Shechter.

In contrast, the choreographer sees The Art… as different to his other creations: “The piece has ended up establishing a kind of relationship between myself and the women who move onstage, and in some ways the women function as a single individual, as a female gender, so to speak. The process has been completely different to my experience with the men.”

THE COMPANY

Hofesh Shechter is currently one of the most fascinating contemporary artists on the British scene, and his company, established in 2008, has toured throughout the world to great public and critical acclaim. In addition, Shechter, a former drummer in a rock band, also writes the musical score for each of his dance shows. The Mercat has supported this outstanding artist since his beginnings, co-producing and staging his piece Political Mother during a previous season.

These performances mark the end of Shechter’s residency inBarcelona, where he worked on his latest creation during the month of January.

SHOW AND ARTIST INFORMATION

The Art of Not Looking Back

Original cast Eulàlia Ayguadé Farro, Winifred Burnet-Smith, Victoria Hoyland, Yen Ching Lin, Sita Ostheimer, Ino Riga
Additional music:
Excerpt from Litany IV, part of the Six Litanies for Heliogabalus composed by John Zorn, performed by Mike Patton, solo voice. Used with the kind permission of Tzadik recordings.
Excerpt from Concerto in D minor for 2 violins (BWV 1043) by J. S. Bach performed by Lara and Scott St. John, used courtesy of Ancalagon Records (www.larastjohn.com).
Fragile Wind composed by Nitin Sawhney
Lighting design Lee Curran
Costume design Becs Andrews
Commissioned for the 2009 Brighton Festival. Restaged in 2011 with support from DanceXchange

Uprising

Original cast Hofesh Shechter, Chris Evans, Bruno Guillore, Tim Morris, Kyoung-Shin Kim, Ran Ben Dror, Moshe Avshalom
Lighting design Lee Curran

Commissioned by The Robin Howard Foundation
With the support of Jerwood Changing Stages, Choreolab Birmingham DanceXchange, Arts Council England

Coproduction Mercat de les Flors
With the collaboration GRANER fàbrica de creació (residence)

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