Where was I last night?

I stumbled across a notice that Hofesh Shechter's dance company was coming to Vancouver for two nights to perform Uprising/In your rooms.  I knew nothing about Hofesh Shechter's work, but I poked around the internet for a while, discovered he is the current darling of London's contemporary dance scene,  and decided it was worth the risk/expense/trying to rope a pal into.  And I'm glad I did.

I'm finding that I am getting more and more interested in contemporary dance.   That being said, I know next to nothing about it...but, like music, you don't really need to know much to be affected by it.  Shechter's choreography is energetic and raw, even animalistic at times.  I've included a clip from Uprising (which looks a lot better if you view it in Youtube fyi)  - an interview I listened to with Shechter indicated he was interested in boys' interest in playing, in fighting in this piece.  I don't really think narrative is the focus of his work (this is just me, unedjumacated as I'ze be in the language of dance ... so I could be way off); there does seem to be an interest in  between the group and the individual (in the middle of a completely unified group movement, one or two dancers will break off into their own patterns), but really, trying to figure it all out isn't all that necessary.  There is something universal about the movement he presents, and you can't help but be affected.

Shechter also composes the score for his works.  The clip I've included doesn't really convey how integral the really loud, pulsing score is.

A great night out.

Though my pal A. and I agreed Uprising would have been that much more meaningful if the dancers were shirtless... (sorry, had to lower the tone, but hey, we're only human ;)