Dreams and Disorder

There are certain elements you can expect to find in any piece by Hofesh Shechter: a deafening, grungy, and distorted score composed by the choreographer himself; dim lighting and smoke enveloping the stage to create a nostalgic yet unsettling atmosphere; and a signature hunch-shouldered, gestural movement language referencing various forms of folk dance. Unsurprisingly, all of these components are present in the Israeli-born, UK-based choreographer’s latest creation, “Theatre of Dreams”—his first piece on London’s Sadler’s Wells stage since 2021. Yet it’s how they are structured together that gives them renewed potency and meaning.

Performance

Hofesh Shechter Company: “Theatre of Dreams”

Place

Sadler’s Wells, London, UK, October 9, 2024

Words

Emily May

Hofesh Shechter Company in “Theatre of Dreams.” Photograph by Tom Visser

“Theatre of Dreams” aims to “delve deep into the world of fantasy and the subconscious, revealing fears, hopes, desires, and a myriad of emotions.” It’s underpinned by its use of innovative use black theatre curtains that sweep across the stage throughout the show during its 90 minute duration. In doing so, they reveal and conceal Shechter’s 13-strong cast, as well as a three piece band who intermittently play mournful brass instruments over the recorded soundtrack.

In today’s world, which is marked by innumerable humanitarian crises and social unrest, I can’t help but equate these curtains with oppressive forces censoring what voices can be heard, which messages can be shared, and how much of them society gets to consume. However, in the psychological, emotional context of the “Theatre of Dreams,” they could also cleverly represent the stilted nature of dreams, or mental repression, and how the mind can attempt to block out uncomfortable experiences, emotions, and anxieties.

Hofesh Shechter Company in “Theatre of Dreams.” Photograph by Ulrich Geischë

Whichever interpretation you choose, the dancers seem to grow stronger through suppression, bursting through the curtains that attempt to mask them in wild groups, arms flailing and torsos vibrating. One moment, their motions appear like expressions of protest, the next like bacchic celebrations—especially when they join arms in a line, shunt, and skip as their shoulders jolt up and down. Perhaps Shechter is saying that joy and partying are forms of resistance in themselves? It wouldn’t be a new theme for him: As he spelled out in lights in his seminal 2010 work “Political Mother,” “where there is pressure, there is folk dance.”

It’s not just the curtains that try to quell the dancers’ frenzy: At times, they attempt to self-regulate, sitting in meditative cross-legged poses, holding each other in moments of communal breathing, and marking classical ballet-inspired phrases in an effort find calmness and structure. Much like my own efforts at mindfulness, it’s all to no avail, as they repeatedly descend back into chaos.

It’s an organised chaos, however, and one that reveals Shechter’s genius for composition. What initially appear to be hectic phalanxes of individuals following their own impulses, are, upon closer inspection, complexly choreographed nuclei of highly-skilled dancers falling in and out of unison. Their loose, at times frantic limb-flinging and torso shaking seems erratic, but this illusion is shattered the moment the group snaps into a precise leg swipe or a sudden unison hand clap.

Hofesh Shechter Company in “Theatre of Dreams.” Photograph by Tom Visser

Despite the control and training required to perform such choreography, two-thirds of the way through the piece, the house lights come up, and Shechter’s dancers invite the audience to dance along with them. Though initially hesitant, we gradually oblige. It’s a charming way of offering spectators the opportunity to experience physical abandon in their own bodies, yet it feels like a false ending. After an invigorating groove, it’s difficult to sit back down to watch another half an hour of movement and ideas that show little development from what Shechter has already established.

This does not erase the value of what we’ve already seen, however. Overall, “Theatre of Dreams” demonstrates that there’s nothing wrong with having an aesthetic signature and that, when framed in an innovative way, these elements can become much more than just stylistic tropes. In the context of “Theatre of Dreams,” for example, Shechter’s jittery gestures are an effective physical representation of nervy neuroticism, and his trademark thunderous soundtrack feels like a train hurtling us towards an unknown, anxiety-inducing destination. I can’t wait to see how, like many choreographers before him, Shechter continues to simultaneously retain and reimagine his established artistic approach in the future.

Emily May

Emily May is a British-born, Berlin-based arts writer and editor specializing in dance and performance. An alumna of Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance and a member of the Dance Section of the U.K. Critics' Circle, she regularly contributes to publications across Europe and America including Dance Magazine, Art Review, Frieze, The Stage, Flash Art, The Brooklyn Rail, and Springback Magazine. She is currently an editor at COLORSxSTUDIOS, where she launched and continues to manage a new editorial platform.

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