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Hofesh Shechter company US debut of 'Political Mother' UCLA Live 2011-12 season Oct. 19-20 Photo by Simona Boccedi
Starting their 2011-12 Dance Series at Royce Hall with a bang, UCLA Live presents a return engagement of the Hofesh Shechter Company and the U.S. premiere of Political Mother, the highly acclaimed choreographer’s first full length work. Described in promotional materials as “part dance show, part heavy rock gig, part political statement . . . and an audio-visual marvel,” the evening length event for ten dancers and as many musicians (drums and electric guitars) promises to reveal a “raw physicality [and] gritty emotional complexity.”
Descriptions of Political Mother include phrases like “astonishing unisons . . . percussive grooves [and] a chain of surreal, danced images . . . a Chinese puzzle of shocking, amusing and touching events [that] challenge perceptions of what is normal.”
Whoa! Sounds like someone discovering fire while pounding their fists together.
The company was here in 2009 and it wowed audiences then. This current project comes complete with an online educational packet and seems ready to raise the roof!
The artist, himself, has a compelling background as a rock-n-roll drummer and as a former member of the explosive Israeli dance company, Batsheva. He composed the score for this dance and he is currently setting and making other work on movers across the globe. While he is in LA, he and the company are offering a master class as well as a peek inside the company’s unique musical process.
The performances are in the middle of the week, which may be problematic. But, given our earlier experience and the current international fervor, this 70 minute detonation may truly be what we need to propel us through to the weekend.
Check out this teaser and tell your boss you'll be a little late one of these mornings this week.
