Hofesh Shechter at Sadler’s Wells

Hofesh Shechter has been showered with  honours for his 2010 show Political Mother and last night admitted to feeling goosebumps as he received an uproarious ovation at the premiere of his revised version The Choreographer’s Cut at Sadler’s Wells.

The performance, so loud and consuming that if a full-on student demo had kicked off outside you would be entirely unaware, builds on the original rock-the-soul score with 24 musicians and a troupe of 16 dancers, an additional six on last year. The new and old material is united seamlessly and extra scenes are coherent ensuring that the energy and tension which lie at the core remain uncompromised.

As before, it is an emotionally engaging experience, opening with a Japanese warrior who falls to his knees and commits hara-kiri, the tone is set for a performance that considers the sense of belonging and duty people have on personal and national levels. Throughout, an incomprehensible firebrand looms over a crowd of jittering folk dancers who in a moment go from raising their arms in elation to surrender.

Moving in pools of pulsing light the dancers thrash in groups, tightly coupled with the music. When the sound stops, they stop, slaves to the music, lurching, twisting and falling with the tempo. Precise and enthusiastic in their movements and expressions the dancers are just as dramatic and relentless as the sound, which is driven by screaming electric guitars, booming drums and a squad of six string players. This pairing results in a ferocious and unique 70-minute dance festival spectacle that releases energy at a remarkable rate – sweat pours off men pounding on Chinese drums.

The gig atmosphere is amplified with the removal of seats from the stalls making way for the cultivation of a mosh pit. For those who are seated there is no need to hold back or worry about rustling sweet wrappers. Head-banging, stomping and roaring is highly appropriate and acceptable as Shechter’s show is a rock-the-soul offensive.

Light and dark are also used to marvel. Darkness is interrupted with blasts of bright light and a cinematic feel is established as we snap from one scene to another with a change in lighting.

Certainly the highlight of the Sadler’s Wells season, the show is even better the second time round and deserves a sell-out run. Shechter has already made a strong imprint on the world contemporary dance but this is only the beginning.

Hofesh Shechter, Political Mother – The Choreographer’s Cut is performed until July 16 at:

Sadler’s Wells
Rosebery Avenue
Islington
EC1R 4TM

Tel: 0844 412 4300