Double Murder

Hofesh Shechter Company is a boundary-breaking dance company that produces exceptional work created by Artistic Director Hofesh Shechter OBE, with, at its core, an extraordinary company of internationally diverse dancers.

Its mission to create work that feels less like dance and more like life, to share experiences that awaken people in their gut, and matter to their spirit, to inspire and nurture the next generation of dancers and to excite a new generation of audiences from across the world. Founded in 2008, the company’s stage repertoire 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) and Double Murder (2021) with SHOW (2018), POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED (2020) and Contemporary Dance 2.0 (2022) performed by Shechter II, its apprentice programme. Hofesh Shechter Company has played in cities around the world including Paris, New York, Melbourne, Tokyo, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Rome, Seoul, Rio de Janeiro and many more.

The company collaborates on exceptional, world-leading, large-scale stage and film projects including a revival of Shechter’s production of Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice at Teatro alla Scala, Milan (2018), co-directed with John Fulljames; East Wall (2018) at Tower of London, in partnership with East London Dance, Historic Royal Palaces and London International Festival of Theatre; short films - Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns (2018), broadcast on the BBC and POLITICAL MOTHER: The Final Cut (2021); feature films - En corps (2022) and LIGHT: Bach Dances (2021) winner of the Fedora – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Ballet 2020, produced in collaboration with Royal Danish Opera.

In all the company’s work, they strive to move themselves, and their audiences, beyond reason.

Hofesh Shechter Company is supported with public funding through Arts Council England. Hofesh Shechter Company benefits from the support of BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of its projects.

Hofesh Shechter is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, London and Artist-in-Residence of Gauthier Dance (2021-2024). Hofesh Shechter Company is Resident Company of the Brighton Dome.

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 the Artistic Director of the UK-based Hofesh Shechter Company, formed in 2008. The company is resident at Brighton Dome and Shechter is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells and Artist-in Residence of Gauthier Dance (2021-2024).

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), POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED (2020), Double Murder (2021) and Contemporary Dance 2.0 (2022).

Shechter has also staged and choreographed works for 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, The Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet of 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. 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, 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. His next short film POLITICAL MOTHER: The Final Cut premiered in July 2021 and in 2022, a collaboration with French filmmaker Cédric Klapisch saw the release of the much-anticipated feature En corps.

Photo credit: ©️ Hugo Glendinning

Irish lighting designer Tom Visser joined Shechter’s team for Grand Finale for their first creative collaboration. Recent work includes Crystal Pite’s new creation, Flight Pattern, for the Royal Ballet season 16/17. His work with other choreographers includes Alexander Ekman, Johan Inger and Joeri Dubbe.

Visser was born to a theatrical family. He began his career in musical theatre and later turned to contemporary dance as a member of Nederlands Dans Theater. He began his career as a lighting designer in the mid-2000s and has since worked extensively as a designer for dance, working with companies including Nederlands Dans Theater, Royal Swedish Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Norwegian National Ballet, Ballet Vlaanderen, Sydney Dance Company, Göteborg Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo.

Todd studied design at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

As Costume Designer, Todd has collaborated with many choreographers and companies including on several works with Richard Alston (including recent works Voices and Light Footsteps and Chacony), Martin Lawrance (including Burning and Body and Soul), Will Tuckett, Henri Oguike, Robert Cohan, Lea Anderson, Wendy Houstoun, Mthuthuzeli November, Clod Ensemble, Ballet Black and Yorke Dance Project.

Recent theatre design includes costumes for The Snow Queen, Hansel and Gretel and A Christmas Carol for the Rose Theatre, Kingston, and Frankenstein for the Aquila Theatre.

As Costume Supervisor, recent projects include “Daddy” and The Hunt for the Almeida Theatre; The Lost Thing for Candoco Dance Company at the Royal Opera House; Stories and As You Like It for the National Theatre; Julius Caesar for London Theatre Company at the Bridge Theatre; A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer for Complicité and the National Theatre; People Places and Things for Headlong Theatre and the National Theatre; Flight Pattern by Crystal Pite and Unearthed with Chris Ofili, both for the Royal Ballet.

Curran’s work with Shechter includes Political Mother, Orpheé et Eurydice (Royal Opera House and Teatro alla Scala), Untouchable (the Royal Ballet), Sun, The Art of Not Looking Back, In your rooms and Uprising.

Other dance projects include Blak Whyte Gray by Boy Blue Entertainment; Rosalind, Within Her Eyes and Everything & Nothing by James Cousins Company; Tomorrow, Frames and Curious Conscience by Rambert Dance Company.

Theatre credits include Constellations (Royal Court Theatre, West End Theatre, Broadway Theatre and UK tour); Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Gundog, Road, Nuclear War, a profoundly affectionate passionate devotion to someone (-noun), X, Linda (Royal Court Theatre); Summer & Smoke (Almeida Theatre); The Lady From the Sea, Splendour (Donmar Warehouse); Jubilee (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and Lyric Hammersmith); Cover My Tracks (Old Vic Theatre); Hamlet and Blindsided (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester); Doctor Faustus and Love’s Sacrifice (Royal Shakespeare Company); Imogen (The Globe Theatre); The Weir (English Touring Theatre); The Spoils (West End Theatre); Black Men Walking (Eclipse Theatre, touring); A Number (Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Young Vic Theatre); Mametz (National Theatre Wales); Protest Song (National Theatre); Depart (London International Festival of Theatre); Boys Will Be Boys (Headlong Theatre and Bush Theatre); Kissing the Shotgun Goodnight (UK tour).

Richard Godin trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and his recent lighting design credits include Michael Clark’s The Barrowlands Project (closing of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad at The Barrowlands Ballroom, Glasgow); DV8 Physical Theatre’s Can We Talk About This? co-designed with Beky Stoddart (Slovenia and Korea); The Generating Company’s No Sweat (Sarlet, France and touring); A Christmas Carol, The Diary of a Nobody and Travels With My Aunt (Royal Theatre, Northampton); Top Girls, Assumption, A Slight Ache, The Lover and Under Milk Wood (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); Aladdin, Twelfth Night, From a Jack to a King, Dick Barton, The Mummy’s Tomb, A Slice of Saturday Night and Gaslight (The Queens Theatre, Hornchurch); Speakout (English Touring Opera); Henry V (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Diva in Me (Brighton Pavilion, Greenwich Theatre and Devonshire Park); The Other Road (National Theatre and Watch This Space); The Servant to two Masters (Komedia Theatre); Uncle Montagues Stories From the Shadows (Old Vic Tunnels); Cloudcuckcooland (UK tour); Snow White and Jack and The Beanstalk (Derby Arena); A Respectable Wedding (Edinburgh Festival); Sunday in the Park With Geroge, Into the woods and The Company (Embassy Theatre); Best Man Speech (UK tour); Frankenstein and The Tempest (UK tour); Thirteen, The Colour of Justice, Road, On the Razzle, The Love for the Nightingale, The Laramie Project, Loveplay, Wild Party, Chorus Line, Petie Rouge, Sherlock Holmes, Second from Last in the Sack Race, The Lights, Gormenghast and Far from the Madding Crowd (Arts Educational Schools London); Stormforce (Mermaid Theatre); OneFourSeven (Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Old Vic Theatre and Oval House Theatre); The Beautiful Game (UK tour); On The Air (Circus Space); Mylo (TDK Cross Central Festival).

Godin has toured extensively internationally with DV8 Physical Theatre and Complicité. Complicité’s The Master and Margarita toured to the Barbican Centre then Germany, Austria and Spain. DV8‘s Can We Talk About This? premiered at Sydney Opera House then toured to Hong Kong, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Leeds, Warwick, Cologne, Athens, Budapest, Ljubljana and the National Theatre. Complicité’s A Disappearing Number toured to the USA, India and West End Theatre including a live worldwide broadcast as part of NT Live. DV8’s To Be Straight With You toured to Europe, the USA and Canada. UK tourings include Orfeo, Ersimena, Dido and Aeneas, Jephte, Tolomeo, Tosca, Jenufa and The Little Magic Flute for English Touring Opera.

Godin has been Head of Lighting, Sound and Video for The National Youth Theatre and has also designed, tutored and mentored at The Central School of Speech and Drama, Guildhall and Arts Educational Schools.

Theatre works include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alys Always and Julius Caesar (Bridge Theatre); Chess (English National Opera); Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Black Box Theatre and O’Reilly Theatre, Ireland); Complicité’s A Pacifist’s Guide to a War on Cancer and People, Places & Things and As You Like It (National Theatre); The Kid Stays in the Picture and The Nether (Royal Court Theatre); Chimerica (Almeida Theatre and West End Theatre); Collaborations with Complicité in The Master and Margarita, A Disappearing Number, Shun-kin, Measure for Measure, A Minute Too Late, Pet Shop Boys Meet Eisenstein, Strange Poetry, The Elephant Vanishes, The Noise of Time, Light and Mnemonic (Barbican Centre, National Theatre, Almeida Theatre and Duchess Theatre, tours in the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (National Actors Theatre, New York).

Opera works include The Rake’s Progress (Aix en Provence Festival and Dutch National Opera); The Snow Maiden and Hansel and Gretel (Opera North); Tristan and Isolde (English National Opera); Benjamin, dernière nuit (world premiere at Lyon Opera); The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and The Importance of Being Earnest (Royal Opera House); A Dog’s Heart (Dutch National Opera, English National Opera, Teatro alla Scala and Lyon Opera); Nabucco (Nancy Opera and Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier). Dance works include Ballet Spiegelungen - Verweile Doch (world premiere at Saarländisches Staatstheater); In Absentia (Sadler’s Wells Theatre); Sun for the Hofesh Schechter Company (Sadler’s Wells Theatre and international tour); Just for Show for DV8 Physical Theatre (National Theatre and international tour).

Trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, under the direction of Quentin Rouillier. Guillore was a founding member of Hofesh Shechter Company and has been involved in all of Shechter’s creations, from the early works of Uprising and In your rooms to his most recent piece Double Murder. He has performed in Uprising, In your rooms, Political Mother, Political Mother: The Choreographer’s Cut, Survivor, Sun and barbarians.

Guillore danced in works by Richard Wherlock, Guilherme Botelho, Ed Wubbe, Örjan Andersson, Rui Horta, Itzik Galili, Ohad Naharin, Mats Ek, Stijn Celis, Mauro Bigonzetti, Didy Veldman, Marie Chouinard, Clara Andermatt, Rui Lopes Graça, Regina van Berkel and Paulo Ribeiro. Guillore is featured in the film Passengers by Richard Wherlock.

Hailing from Australia, Carter received training at the New Zealand School of Dance. He first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2022. His performances with the company include Contemporary Dance 2.0 and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from the USA, Fallon received training at LINES Ballet Training Program and Manhattan Youth Ballet. She first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2017. Her performances with the company include Political Mother, Political Mother: The Choreographer’s Cut, Orphée et Eurydice (Royal Opera House and Teatro Alla Scala), Grand Finale, Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns, LIGHT: Bach dances and Double Murder. She has also worked with the Tanz Luzerner Theater, Idan Sharabi and his dancers, and Marina Mascarel.

Hailing from the Netherlands, Frankrijker received training at Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance. She first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2022. Her performances with the company include Contemporary Dance 2.0 and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from France, Gouache received training at Artez University of the Arts, the Netherlands. She first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2022. Her performances with the company include Contemporary Dance 2.0 and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from France, Heinrich received training at Ballet Junior de Genève. He first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2020. His performances with the company include POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED, POLITICAL MOTHER: The Final Cut, En corps and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from the UK, Li received training at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. He first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2021. His performances with the company include POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED, Contemporary Dance 2.0 and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from Hungary, Ronai received training at Hungarian Dance Academy, Budapest. He first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2013. His performances with the company include Political Mother, Political Mother: The Choreographer’s Cut, Sun, barbarians, Orphée et Eurydice (Royal Opera House and Teatro alla Scala), Grand Finale, Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Gary Copeland

Hailing from the Netherlands, Simin received training at Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance. She first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2022. Her performances with the company include Contemporary Dance 2.0 and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from the Netherlands, Vyent received training at Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance. She first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2022. Her performances with the company include Contemporary Dance 2.0 and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash 

Hailing from the Netherlands, Wagenaar received training at Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance. He first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2020. His performances with the company include POLITICAL MOTHER UNPLUGGED, LIGHT: Bach dances and Double Murder.

Photo credit: ©️ Chris Nash

Hailing from Singapore, Zunnur received training at School of the Arts, Singapore and London Contemporary Dance School. She first collaborated with Hofesh Shechter Company in 2018. Her performances with the company include SHOW, East Wall, Shechter Underground, Grand Finale and Double Murder. She has also worked with T.H.E. (Second) Dance Company, STRUT Dance, Co3 Contemporary Dance Australia, Marrugeku, Mitch Harvey Company and James Vu Anh Pham.

Photo credit: ©️ Helen Murray