New Territory: Hofesh Shechter On Creating First Work for Classical Ballet Company

This story originally appeared in the February/March 2015 issue of Pointe.

Contemporary choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s boisterous work is often reminiscent of rock concerts, yet it crosses over to the ballet stage in March. The Royal Ballet has commissioned the Jerusalem-born choreographer and Batsheva Dance Company alum to create his first work for a classical company. Shechter spoke with Pointe ahead of the world premiere.

What prompted you to work with a full ballet company?

The idea came from Kevin O’Hare, when he became artistic director at The Royal Ballet. I told him I would only do an ensemble piece: I’m not interested in creating for two or three people, and you don’t get a lot of opportunities to work with 35 people at that level. It’s a new challenge.

What do you find inspiring about classical ballet dancers?

They are like super-dancers: They can do anything technically. A lot of my work happens in the upper body, but they can do so much with their legs. I’ll see if it inspires me to use the lower body in a more elaborate way. In terms of energy, there is something very neat, very open about them, whereas my work tends to be internal. I hope something fresh can come out of these conflicts.

Are you creating the music for this work?

Yes. I’m very humble with it. I make music for my works, but I don’t see myself as a composer. The Royal Ballet welcomed it, however, and suggested I use their orchestra, so I’m writing a score for a string and percussion ensemble, along with an electronic track.

What inspires you at the moment, choreographically?

Complexity. A lot of my movement is very quick, but I want to find complexity inside that. Thirty-five dancers allow for an amazing mix of energy and rhythm, of order and disorder. I don’t usually start with a clear structure in mind, but this time I did.

What do you use to help dancers in the studio?

I use very simple images and actions to simplify the movement, make it feel authentic. There are a lot of mannerisms in ballet, but the RB dancers are chameleons, and I want to tap into their human qualities.