Trailer
For a trance-like 28 minutes and 21 seconds, contemporary dance film Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns stages a theatrical, macabre comedy of murder and desire, questioning how far we are willing to go in the name of entertainment. Directed, choreographed, and composed by Hofesh Shechter, Clowns drops the spectator into the fray for an immersive and powerful experience among ten exceptional dancers. This short film, shot at London’s iconic Rivoli Ballroom, combines Hofesh’s bold, exhilarating, and tribal choreography with rousing music and intense camerawork.
Overview of some festivals:
Dotdotdot, Austria (July, 2020)
Frei Art Festival, Germany (Sep, 2020)
CHOREOSCOPE International Dance Film Festival of Barcelona, Spain (Sep, 2020)
ZED Festival, Italy (Oct, 2020)
Fabbrica del Vapore, Italy (July, 2020)
Dotdotdot, Austria (July, 2020)
Frei Art Festival, Germany (Sep, 2020)
CHOREOSCOPE International Dance Film Festival of Barcelona, Spain (Sep, 2020)
ZED Festival, Italy (Oct, 2020)
Fabbrica del Vapore, Italy (July, 2020)
| Director | Hofesh Shechter |
| Production | Henny Finch, John Wyver |
| Editing | Todd MacDonald |
| Choreography | Hofesh Shechter |
| Artist | Yeji Kim, Diogo Sousa, Attila Ronai, Merel Lammers, Erion Kruja, Kim Kohlmann, Mickaël Frappat, Rachel Fallon, Frédéric Despierre, Chien-Ming Chang |
| Music | Hofesh Shechter |
| Costumes | Christina Cunningham |
| Other | Sebastian Cort |
In Partnership with
Production
Hofesh Shechter
Choreographer Hofesh Shechter OBE is recognised as one of the most exciting artists making stage work today, renowned for composing atmospheric musical scores to compliment the unique physicality of his movement. He is Artistic Director of the UK-based Hofesh Shechter Company, formed in 2008. The company are resident at Brighton Dome and Shechter is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells.
Hofesh Shechter’s repertoire for the company includes Uprising (2006), In your rooms (2007), The Art of Not Looking Back (2009), Political Mother (2010), Political Mother: The Choreographer’s Cut (2011), Sun (2013), barbarians (2015), Grand Finale (2017), SHOW (2018) and POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED (2020). Grand Finale was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.
Shechter has also staged and choreographed works on leading international dance companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Batsheva Ensemble, Candoco Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 1, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet Flanders.
He has choreographed for theatre, television and opera, notably at the Metropolitan Opera (New York) for Nico Mulhy’s Two Boys, the Royal Court on Motortown and The Arsonists, the National Theatre on Saint Joan and for the Channel 4 series Skins. As part of #HOFEST, a 4‑week festival celebrating Shechter’s work across 4 iconic London venues, he co-directed Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice with John Fulljames at the Royal Opera House. In 2016 he received a Tony Award nomination for his choreography for the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof.
In 2018 Hofesh Shechter was awarded an honorary OBE for Services to Dance and the company’s first dance film, Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns, was broadcast by the BBC in September to great acclaim. In 2020, Hofesh Shechter Company was named the winner of the Fedora – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Ballet for LIGHT: Bach Dances, in collaboration with Royal Danish Opera and co-directed by
Hofesh Shechter and John Fulljames. Hofesh Shechter’s new creation Double Murder will premiere in 2021.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Hofesh Shechter’s repertoire for the company includes Uprising (2006), In your rooms (2007), The Art of Not Looking Back (2009), Political Mother (2010), Political Mother: The Choreographer’s Cut (2011), Sun (2013), barbarians (2015), Grand Finale (2017), SHOW (2018) and POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED (2020). Grand Finale was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.
Shechter has also staged and choreographed works on leading international dance companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Batsheva Ensemble, Candoco Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 1, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet Flanders.
He has choreographed for theatre, television and opera, notably at the Metropolitan Opera (New York) for Nico Mulhy’s Two Boys, the Royal Court on Motortown and The Arsonists, the National Theatre on Saint Joan and for the Channel 4 series Skins. As part of #HOFEST, a 4‑week festival celebrating Shechter’s work across 4 iconic London venues, he co-directed Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice with John Fulljames at the Royal Opera House. In 2016 he received a Tony Award nomination for his choreography for the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof.
In 2018 Hofesh Shechter was awarded an honorary OBE for Services to Dance and the company’s first dance film, Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns, was broadcast by the BBC in September to great acclaim. In 2020, Hofesh Shechter Company was named the winner of the Fedora – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Ballet for LIGHT: Bach Dances, in collaboration with Royal Danish Opera and co-directed by
Hofesh Shechter and John Fulljames. Hofesh Shechter’s new creation Double Murder will premiere in 2021.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns (2018)
