HOFESH SHECHTER COMPANY ANNOUNCES
• THE 2024 COHORT FOR THE RENOWNED SHECHTER II COMPANY
• PERFORMING FROM ENGLAND WITH LOVE
• FULL TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
Hofesh Shechter Company today announced the eight dancers selected to join the prestigious company Shechter II. The selected dancers represent the very best of the next generation of contemporary dance artists and will be performing in Hofesh Shechter’s compelling new work, From England with Love. The show will embark on an extensive UK and international tour throughout 2024, with full dates and venues to be announced shortly.
Over 1,200 dancers aged between 18 and 25 auditioned for Shechter II from 34 countries, with the final eight drawn from the most inspiring young talent across the world. They are Holly Brennan (UK), Yun-chi Mai (Taiwan), Eloy Cojal Mestre (Spain), Matthea Lára Pedersen (Iceland), Piers Sanders (UK), Rowan Van Sen (Netherlands) Gaetano Signorelli (Italy) and Toon Theunissen (Belgium).
From England with Love is a paean to the multi-layered complexity that is England. Through Shechter’s choreography, the dancers will evoke the paradox at the heart of this open, generous and soul-searching land, conflicted by its dark history and powerful attachment to deep-rooted traditions. They draw us into their search for identity and self-knowledge as they grapple with this complex system of values.
Playful and poignant, full of pride and paradox, From England with Love is performed like a ‘Dear John’ letter, a farewell note to old England and a glimpse into the heart and soul of this beautiful, yet complicated place.
Performed to an original score composed by Shechter, this new piece will bring together the beauty, wit and invention of the best of English classical composers, presented in a clash with raging rock alongside echoes of choral song and electronics in an avant-garde cacophony.
Launched in 2018, Shechter II builds on Hofesh Shechter Company’s firm commitment to nurturing young artists and helping to shape the future of contemporary dance. Few up-and-coming dancers have the chance to create and perform work and deliver our outreach in different spaces to different audiences, supported by an experienced creative and technical team. Shechter II provides a full programme of professionally aligned research and development which aims to develop young dance artists who deeply understand their practice, who are engaged, curious and who embrace self-reflection.
For press information please contact Cliόna Roberts on 07754 756504 or e-mail cliona@crpr.co.uk
Notes to Editors
FROM ENGLAND WITH LOVE
Choreography and Music by Hofesh Shechter
Lighting Design: Tom Visser
Costume Concept: Hofesh Shechter
Additional Music: English compositions by Edward Elgar, Tomas Talis, Henry Purcell & William H. Monk
From England with Love is produced by Hofesh Shechter Company and co-commissioned by Château Rouge, scène conventionnée – Annemasse, Espace 1789, scène conventionnée danse – Saint-Ouen, Scène nationale de Bourg-en-Bresse, Düsseldorf Festival!, Escales Danse, with production support from Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Fondazione I Teatri Reggio Emilia and a production residency at DanceEast, Ipswich.
From England with Love premiered on 11 February 2021 at Zuiderstrandtheater in The Hague, The Netherlands, and was originally performed by Nederlands Dans Theater 1.
Hofesh Shechter Company gratefully receives support towards the delivery of Shechter II 2024. This includes core funding from John Ellerman Foundation and The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation and project funding from Jerwood Arts towards Jerwood 🖤 SII – a new Continued Professional Development offer to the dancers.
HOFESH SHECHTER COMPANY
Hofesh Shechter Company is a boundary-breaking dance company that produces exceptional work created by Artistic Director Hofesh Shechter OBE, with, at its core, an extraordinary company of internationally diverse dancers.
In all our work, we strive to move ourselves, and our audiences, beyond reason.
Founded in 2008, the company’s repertoire 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) and Double Murder (2021) with SHOW (2018), POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED (2020) and Contemporary Dance 2.0 (2022) performed by Shechter II, its young company. Hofesh Shechter Company has played in cities around the world including Paris, New York, Melbourne, Tokyo, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Rome, Seoul, Rio de Janeiro and many more.
The company collaborates on exceptional, world-leading, large-scale stage and film projects including a revival of Hofesh’s production of Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice at La Scala, Milan (2018), co-directed with John Fulljames; East Wall (2018) at Tower of London, in partnership with East London Dance, Historic Royal Palaces and LIFT; short films – Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns (2018), broadcast on the BBC, POLITICAL MOTHER: The Final Cut (2021) and Return (2023); feature film – En Corps (2022) and LIGHT: Bach dances (2021) winner of the FEDORA – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Ballet 2020, produced in collaboration with Royal Danish Opera.
Central to its belief that dance can bring about meaningful change, is Shechter Moves the company’s learning, engagement and development programme. Primarily aimed at young people age 14+, this programme shapes opportunities for everyone to experience the life-enhancing potential of their creativity.
Hofesh Shechter Company is supported with public funding through Arts Council England.
Hofesh Shechter Company benefits from the support of BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of its projects.
Hofesh Shechter is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, London and Artist-in-Residence of Gauthier Dance (2021-2024). Hofesh Shechter Company is Associate Company of the Brighton Dome.
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.
