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Thursday, November 2, 2017

In Context: Grand Finale



Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s latest work conjures the bleak and beautiful contradictions of our ever-collapsing universe, featuring his own pulsating original score performed live onstage. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #BAMNextWave.

Program Notes

Grand Finale (PDF)

Read

Article
At the end of all things: Hofesh Shechter on his latest work (Dance Magazine)
"I try to make work that is like a real night dream. It is an opportunity to express and digest a lot of emotions in the world today and in my life."

Article
Hofesh Shechter talks about Grand Finale, his new show (The Times)
The choreographer finds the funny in the end of the world.

Article
Hofesh Shechter, Fiddler on the Roof and the Choreographic Match Made in Heaven (Playbill)
"Dance is about making the best with what you’ve got in the room and that material is human beings, the people that are in front of you," notes Shechter.

Watch & Listen

Video
Live with Hofesh Shcheter Company (The Evening Standard)
Preview a live broadcast rehearsal on Facebook from Grand Finale's recent run at Sadler's Wells.

Video
Hofesh Shechter - 1.Introduction and Warm Up (Big Dance Choreographic Resources)
Warm up for Grand Finale while getting your body and mind right.

Worthwhile Words

“The world impacts on the work, immensely. It completely affects me, and I want it to.”—Hofesh Shechter

Now your turn...

How did you enjoy the show? Likes? Dislikes? Surprises? Tell us what's on your mind in the comments below and on social media using #BAMNextWave.

14 comments:

  1. If I wanted to watch zombies I could have stayed home and watched one star zombie movies on TV.

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  2. I was lucky enough to see Grand Finale last evening. I was so impressed with the cast's talent. The music, lighting, the choreography - everything made me think & feel multiple emotions at once. The juxtaposition between life and death, and humanity's fierce determination to live in the face of trauma & war truly gave me food for thought. I would recommend this to anyone.

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  3. This was a disappointment having seen other works by Mr. Schecter that reflect his great talent. This piece was sophomoric, juvenile, and boring enough that we left at the intermission.

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  4. Within the first 10 minutes I felt a strong sense of sadness. I began to write my own historic script of so many wars in Israel, deaths and preoccupation with perfection represented by the 2001 black monoliths.There are so many monoliths in Israel an d so many deaths and constant revivals of wanting to live. The group like a family one can not get away from

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  5. The constancy of the group is like a family one cannot get away from. At times jo your and at other times it monolithic in its rhythmic demands. Within the first 10-15 minutes I was overcome with a sadness that surprised me.

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  6. Evocatively emotional, rhythmically tribal, inspiring in the unabashedly full throttle, head bobbing, ghostly youth of love in ages of violent death while monoliths close in as time does to us all. Quite the experience. Wish I could experience it again.

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  7. I thought it was A-MA-ZING! Could not stand still on my seat, I wish I had been with them on stage. Pure dance from the core, tribal joyful dramatic deep desperate crazy. Human. Go see it!

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  8. I loved the show. I would watch it again and again. We were discussing it with my friends for a while after we left! So good. I have seen the company's work before and it's always dynamic with a strong story to back it up. The combinations of light, space, music, movement were excellent! I took the company's workshop before hand and had a deeper understanding of their process which is not necessary at all but it made the experience feel more intimate. I wish they were based in NY. - Vassilea

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  9. When I found out that Hofesh Shechter also composed much of the music, it blew me away and at the same time made perfect sense: writing, choreographing, painting, composing, speaking and even singing all have a rhythm. This performance was, in a word, epic.

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  10. Awesome. Great performance. Best of Shechter for me. And well served by the amazing dancers. I almost cried... Really lucky to have been there while visiting New York.

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  11. Totally amazing piece--phenomenal dancers and gorgeous sets and lighting. The darkness of theme was beautifully complemented by a life-affirming energy and the live music was an added bonus...

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  12. I've seen quite a lot of dance, having ushered for BAM and the Joyce theater back in the 1990s. I see quite a lot of visual art these days as a writer and critic, and I have to say I loved the work. I loved it. It was inventive and moving and I thought most of the dancers had such evocatively articulate bodies that I could watch them all night. I deeply appreciate choreography that takes risks and this work does. I would see anything by Hofesh Shecter again and again.

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  13. I was upset that there were long stretches of the piece that I could not see. Not very respectful of the audience.

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