As part of the ‘Impulse’ series, the British Council along with the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, hosted Hofesh Schecter, a choreographer and composer from the United Kingdom, for a workshop and lecture performance at the Attakkalari Studios recently.
The lecture demonstration saw Hofesh talking to the audience about his different experiences and works like ‘Fragments’ and ‘Political Mother’. Keeping the audience amused with his light-hearted yet detailed conversation, Hofesh along with two of his teammates showcased some movements. This lecture was a prelude to his tour of India in September and Hofesh was extremely excited to share his journey with the people gathered at the studio. As he narrated his thought process, Hofesh spoke about how all his movements happen for a reason. “I can’t do abstract dance,” he said.
Hofesh talked about how he did each piece in totality and how his movements were mostly pointed towards the centre of the body. The lecture also consisted of questions from the audience and Hofesh answered them keeping his experience as a choreographer and composer in mind. When an audience member asked him about composing and choreographing, Hofesh said that he always composed his own music for the pieces as timing was an important factor. Another question was if he took suggestions from his team and improvised on his work, and Hofesh smiled and commented, “That rarely happens. I’m a control freak.”
Though small portions of Hofesh’s works were performed at the lecture demonstration, the audience was mesmerised by the quality of the work. Commenting on the lecture, Jayachandran Palazhy, the artistic director of the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, said that it was interesting to see the efforts behind his works presented in a simple manner. “A long process goes behind connecting the entire body. It was a wonderful experience to get an insight into his choreographic process and his strive for originality,” said Jayachandran.
Parth, a repertory member of the Attakkalari, said that it was worthwhile to watch Hofesh’s choreography which comes from the gut. “In a place like India where movements are mostly grounded, it was very inspiring to see his movements,” he said.
Another repertory member Hemabharathy Palani, said that it was great for a choreographer to see the level that the renowned performer had reached. “A young artiste like me should always make the right choice and never compromise on quality. That is what I learnt at the lecture. Even though only bits of his work were shown to the audience, it was easy to understand the effort behind each,” she said.
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