POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED
Choreography & Music by Hofesh Shechter
Performed by Shechter II
In 2020, Hofesh Shechter celebrated the 10th anniversary of his iconic masterpiece Political Mother by creating a powerful new version for Shechter II.
POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED will invoke the ferocity and spirit of the original in a new era and for a new generation of dancers, selected from the most inspiring young artists across the globe.
POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED will draw you into a world of raw emotion and intense sensations, driven by Shechter’s contagious tribal movement and the dancers’ extraordinary skill and honesty.
Danced to a bespoke, new recording of Shechter’s music and accompanied by a landscape of designed, digital animated projections, this will be a dance experience like no other.
Choreography and Music Hofesh Shechter
Original Lighting Design Lee Curran
Original Costume Design Merle Hensel
Video Projection Designer Shay Hamias
Original cast:
Jared Brown, Jack Butler, Chieh-Hann Chang, Evelyn Hart, Charles Heinrich, Evelien Jansen, Rosalia Panepinto, Jill Goh Su-Jen, Niek Wagenaar
Musical Collaborators Nell Catchpole, Yaron Engler
Percussion Arrangements by Hofesh Shechter, Yaron Engler
Additional Music: J.S. Bach, Cliff Martinez, Joni Mitchell, Giuseppe Verdi
On soundtrack: Christopher Allan (cello), Rebekah Allan (viola), Laura Anstee (cello), Nell Catchpole (viola), Tim Harries (double bass), Andrew Maddick (viola), Kai West (double bass), Yaron Engler (drums), Dom Goundar (drums), Joseph Ashwin (guitar), Joel Harries (guitar)
We regret that a number of performances had to be cancelled or postponed.
Reviews
‘Political Mother has not aged a bit. It even finds a new modernity with these young performers, who are all excellent.’ Jean-Frédéric Saumont, Danses avec la plume
‘The choreographer could have added Reloaded because he has cut and reassembled the show, and added a superb set design by introducing black and white video projections, that are often abstract but occasionally figurative, superbly produced by Shay Hamias.’
‘Getting goose bumps is the very least you can expect from a Hofesh Shechter show’
‘Originally created with live music, it is now danced to recorded music, alongside previously unseen video design that gives the piece a new colour. The artists of the junior company Shechter II appear in this version that is more “rock n roll”. Le Monde
Political Mother premiered on 20 May 2010, at the Brighton Festival, UK.
Commissioners
POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED is produced by Hofesh Shechter Company and co-commissioned by Théâtre de la Ville Paris, HOME Manchester, düsseldorf festival! with production support from Fondazione I Teatri Reggio Emilia and a production residency at DanceEast, Ipswich.
Funding partners
Hofesh Shechter Company gratefully receives support towards the delivery of Shechter II 2020, which includes project funding from The Foyle Foundation, The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation and the International Music and Art Foundation, and core funding from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Hofesh Shechter Company is supported using public funding through Arts Council England and benefits from the support of BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of its projects.