Hofesh Shechter's 'Grand Finale'

There's a moment at the end of The Beatles song 'Hey Jude' where Paul McCartney and the rest of the band begin to chant 'na na na nananana na Hey Jude.' My dad has always said that this chant puts him into a kind of trance and that it's a piece of music he could listen to over and over again. I have quite the same response to Hofesh Shechter's works, in particular the recent premiere of Grand Finale. His choreography is deliciously hypnotic, with patterns, motifs and steps all repeating themselves whilst his dancers move together like schools of fish. I find it not only beautiful to watch but fascinating too and I wonder how difficult it must be to choreograph each step and then put it all together so that it flows into a two act show at Sadler's Wells. You can easily lose yourself in Grand Finale and Shechter’s style does everything it can to hypnotise you so that one has almost forgotten the space around them. You may be thinking you could do that anyway with the help of the Sadler’s Wells bar, but trust me, this style of choreography is so rich in steps and influence, you'll only have that to focus on. Whether or not I like a piece of dance, I always take this as a good sign. Something else that I love about Shechter’s choreography is the obvious influence of traditional Israeli folk dancing and his yearning to go back to his roots always seems to come across. If you’re expecting a scene from Fiddler on the Roof, you’ll be disappointed, as the influence is much more subtle as Schechter pieces traditional steps with contemporary dance. The overall result is a bit of a melting pot of styles and influences, which is why it held my interest.

Grand Finale seems to be Shechter’s response to catastrophe and crisis and how humanity copes when the world is on the brink. He's created a dystopian world, with obelisk-like structures moving across the stage and sepia dusty lighting covering each dancer. It sounds bleak, but it isn't at all. In fact, Shechter doesn't seem despairing and instead chooses to celebrate life. He has said that Grand Finale looks at how humans treat chaos not only with fear but also with excitement and hysteria. This is depicted before the end of the First Act with the dancers running around the stage cheering and full of energy. I actually could have done without this section as I think you already get the mixed emotions in the rest of the choreography. I found this out of place and a bit obvious, which was a shame considering that the rest of the piece is an intelligent portrayal of the human state. There was also a live band on stage, dressed like the band who kept on playing on the Titanic. Again, I don't think the obvious allusion to the Titanic really slotted in to the rest of the show.

I have to say, that seeing this choreography on Shechter’s Company is a very different experience to when he choreographed for The Royal Ballet for his piece Untouchable. I loved that piece too, but his company are able to bring an entirely different energy to his choreography - unsurprising really as they're so used to his style. There are elements in Grand Finale that are almost sacrificial, seeming to pay homage to a tribal way of life through sequences danced in unison. This works so well when danced by the Company because they dance with such abandonment and have incredible stamina (I'm talking about that second act rave dance that requires jumping and shaking for what seemed like hours - in a good way). They are able to round the shoulders more, bend limbs and shake hips that a classical company just can't reach with the same ease. All of the dancers were wonderful but Yeji Kim in particular stood out for me. I felt she was able to really express the story and emotions through her body and her dancing prowess was beyond impressive. She looked to me like the epitome of a Shechter dancer.

What Shechter has created is mesmerising and exciting. He uses choreography to depict psychological states of the mind which I like a lot. Although there are elements of this piece that could do with a good tweak and a bit of cutting, I think Shechter has probably created one of his finest works here. It's intelligent, current, exciting and takes a fresh spin on calamity. Responding to crisis with a sense of humour goes very far with me, so I'll always admire Shechter for depicting this through dance.

*Images Copyright of Cliona Roberts

Thanks to Sadler's Wells and CRPR