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Violence or Humanity
Who will win in the end?

Double Murder is a poignantly beautiful moment of humanity, a work of violence, tenderness and hope

October 17, 2022

Hofesh Shechter and his ten virtuoso dancers return to Montreal with Double Murder, a double bill charged with the choreographer’s distinctive tribal and contagious energy, from November 2 to 5 at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts. The two contrasting pieces, Clowns and The Fix, take us into a world of violence before offering an infinitely human piece as an antidote.

Set to music by Hofesh Shechter himself, Double Murder plunges into the heart of our deepest emotions. Clowns is an incisive nod to our growing indifference to violence. How far are we prepared to go in the name of entertainment?

This biting comedy of murder and lust sweeps us into a whirlwind of choreographed anarchy. Originally created for Nederlands Dans Theater, the work was adapted for film by the BBC and has been shown at numerous festivals.

To the explosive saraband of Clowns, Shechter contrasts the hypnotic atmosphere of The Fix, a sensitive counterpoint in half-tones, a shield protecting us from the aggression and cynicism of the world. A poignantly beautiful moment of humanity, a work of violence, tenderness and hope.

About Hofesh Shechter

Hofesh ShechterBorn in 1974, Hofesh Shechter studied dance and percussion and was a member of the renowned Batsheva Dance Company. Based in London since 2002, he began his career as a choreographer two years later after winning a competition with the duo Fragments, for which he also composed the music.

Shechter’s career exploded rapidly, and his work has been presented on major stages all over the world. In 2008 he founded the Hofesh Shechter Company, but continued to work on outside collaborations and to accept commissions from important institutions such as the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in New York and the Royal Ballet in London.

Choreographer Hofesh Shechter is recognised as one of the most exciting artists making stage work today, renowned for composing atmospheric musical scores to compliment the unique physicality of his movement. He is the artistic director of the UK-based Hofesh Shechter Company, formed in 2008. The company resides at Brighton Dome and Shechter is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells.

The two contrasting pieces, Clowns and The Fix, take us into a world of violence before offering an infinitely human piece as an antidote.

Hofesh Shechter’s repertoire for the company includes Uprising (2006), In your rooms (2007), The Art of Not Looking Back (2009), Political Mother (2010), Political Mother: The Choreographer’s Cut (2011), Sun (2013), Barbarians (2015), Grand Finale (2017), Show (2018) and Political Mother Unplugged (2020). Grand Finale was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.

Shechter has also staged and choreographed works for leading international dance companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Batsheva Ensemble, Candoco Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 1, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet Flanders.

He has choreographed for theatre, television and opera, notably at the Metropolitan Opera (New York) for Nico Mulhy’s Two Boys, the Royal Court on Motortown and The Arsonists, the National Theatre on Saint Joan and for the Channel 4 series Skins.

Hofesh Shechter – Double Murder

As part of #Hofest, a four-week festival celebrating Shechter’s work across four iconic London venues, he co-directed Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice with John Fulljames at the Royal Opera House. In 2016 he received a Tony Award nomination for his choreography for the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof.

In 2018 Hofesh Shechter was awarded an honorary Order of the British Empire for Services to Dance and the company’s first dance film, Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns, was broadcast by the BBC to great acclaim. Shechter’s follow-up short dance film Political Mother: The Final Cut premiered in the UK in July 2021.


Public dance workshop

Experience Hofesh Shechter’s powerful gestures and tempestuous energy through a workshop open to all. Led by rehearsal assistant and senior member of the company Yeji Kim, this session will include a warm-up exploring Hofesh’s fundamental movement principles, as well as learning repertoire and imagery from his work Double Murder.

Yeji Kim, Rehearsal Assistant and Senior Member of the Hofesh Shechter Company

Known for his atmospheric musical compositions that accompany the unique physicality of his movements, choreographer Hofesh Shechter is recognized as one of the most exciting artists making stage work today. His gestures are powerful, the energy tempestuous. It is a mix of everyday, urban grooves with both folk and classical references, always driven by his musical composition.

Open to amateurs/non-professional dancers, the workshop will take place on Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 11 am to 12:15 pm on the stage of Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts. No experience is required. Age 14 and up.

Hofesh Shechter Company

Double Murder: Clowns / The Fix
November 2 to 5
at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts

Images and videos courtesy of Hofesh Shechter Company

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