Meet the Choreographer ... Hofesh Shechter

My first taste of dance was actually the compulsory folk-dance classes at school every Friday. I didn’t like them, but the teacher said I had a talent for dancing and encouraged me to go to auditions. At 15, I entered the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and by the time I was 18, I’d won a place at Batsheva Dance Company and moved to Tel Aviv.

I think that Israeli culture and the Israeli reality has a massive influence on Israeli choreographers. Something about the energy, the scent of the work, the openness of it, the directness, the harshness, the frustration, the battle - all these seep into the energy of the work.

My choreography comes from connection to emotions, to things I feel, things that move me. It is a personal sense of being connected to the body, which gives an authenticity, honesty. I don't endeavour to create a particular or unique style, it only matters to me that it has emotional integrity. I take a deep breath and dive in with as much as I can. I don’t have a system; I take in information and I experiment. I have now been working with my dancers for so long that these days, they have become a source of inspiration and information.

The endless possibilities of creation...

A sense of camaraderie.

Dance has different roles in different societies, but all are based on the ancient ceremony of creating inspiration and enthusiasm, and in stimulating the imagination.

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