A group of dancers lunge forward and throw their arms backwards, intense blue lighting surrounds them
photo credit Todd MacDonald
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Dance

Theatre of Dreams

Hofesh Shechter Company
2 performances between Sat 3 & Sun 4 May 2025, 19:00
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Dive into the theatre of dreams, a world of fantasy and the subconscious, revealing fears, hopes, desires and emotions that penetrate both the dreaming mind and our waking thoughts.

Hofesh Shechter returns to Brighton Festival following the phenomenal Grand Finale (2017) and Double Murder (2022). His inimitable dancers bring to life the interplay between poetry and reality in his latest work Theatre of Dreams, accompanied by live musicians and Shechter’s trademark cinematic composition.

‘The dance dazzles, defined by razor-sharp gestures, a contagious energy and the irresistible beauty which characterises Shechter’s work.’
Le Figaro
 


Choreography and Music:                Hofesh Shechter                     
Lighting design:                                 Tom Visser
Costume design:                                Osnat Kelner
Associate Artistic Director:              Bruno Guillore
Music Collaborator:                           Yaron Engler
Set Collaborator:                                Niall Black
Dancers: Tristan Carter, Robinson Cassarino, Frédéric Despierre, Rachel Fallon, Cristel de Frankrijker, Mickaël Frappat, Justine Gouache, Zakarius Harry, Alex Haskins, Yeji Kim, Keanah Faith Simin, Juliette Valerio, Chanel Vyent
Musicians Yaron Engler, Sabio Janiak, Alex Paton

 

Members Priority Booking: Opens 9am, Fri 14 Feb
Public Booking Opens: 10am, Thu 20 Feb

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'A symbiosis of hip-hop, folk dance and nightclub vibes… Poetic and joyful, this Theatre of Dreams surprises from start to finish, and above all is full of emotion and energy! Invigorating’
L’Essentiart
‘Astonishingly beautiful, constantly inventive’
The Guardian
‘The dance dazzles, defined by razor-sharp gestures, a contagious energy and the irresistible beauty which characterises Shechter’s work.’
Le Figaro
Group of dancers stand upright together, their heads pointed towards the ceiling and their hands clasped together, held high above their heads. There is an orange light above the dancers, but the dancers themselves are shrouded in shadows. They are all dressed in dark-coloured shirts.
13. A Large group of 12 or 13 dancers stand on a stage in 2 lines going from left to right - one line of dancers in the foreground and another line of dancers directly behind them. The foremost line of dancers are all holding hands, and each is posting on their right leg and swaying their body to the left while kicking their left leg out to the right. The line of dancers behind them are crouched down low with their legs splayed wide, and their arms held out to each side, curved downwards at the elbow. The first line of dancers look innocent, dancing together happily, whilst the line behind them stare at them animalistically. They are dressed in an assortment of colourful shirts, trousers and dresses.
A single dancer stands on the left of the image, dancing alone on a black stage – she is lit only by a single blue light. Her left leg is touching the stage while her right leg is raised and bent at the knee, and her left arm grabs her hip while her right arm is curved above her head with her hand loosely closed. She is wearing a light-coloured dress and her dark hair is tied up in a bun. On the right of the image, separated from the dancer by an unlit area of the stage, a group of male musicians play various instruments, lit by a stark red spotlight. They are dressed in suit trousers and blazers
9 dancers stand in a line stretching across a dark stage, holding each other’s hands creating a chain of bodies. Each dancer is positioned differently, with some holding there arms high and thrusting their bodies outwards, and others hunched over. They all seem to be in their own world, not looking at each other. The dancers are wearing an assortment of different colourful shirts, trousers and dresses. Behind them - on the right of the image - 3 musicians stand, playing various instruments. They are dressed in red suit trousers and red blazers.
A group of 5 dancers move erratically together, each posing with a different shape and posture. The dancer at the forefront of the image is facing outwards, with his left leg planted on the ground and his right leg held high out to the side with his knee bent. His arms are curved outwards around his head, his fingers splayed, while his mouth and eyes are held wide open. The dancers are wearing an assortment of different colourful shirts, trousers and dresses.
11. 6 dancers move in close proximity to each other, with 2 dancers in the foreground and 4 dancers slightly behind them. They are all performing slightly different moves, with some raising their arms and leaning forwards, and another stretching her arms towards the flooring in a thrusting motion. Their facial expressions are content, and they look as if they are dancing in their own world – they are not interacting with one another. They are lit by a single white light, and are dancing in and out of shadows. They are dressed in an assortment of colourful shirts, trousers and dresses.
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Images by Todd MacDonald | Tom Visser

Group of dancers stand upright together, their heads pointed towards the ceiling and their hands clasped together, held high above their heads. There is an orange light above the dancers, but the dancers themselves are shrouded in shadows. They are all dressed in dark-coloured shirts.
13. A Large group of 12 or 13 dancers stand on a stage in 2 lines going from left to right - one line of dancers in the foreground and another line of dancers directly behind them. The foremost line of dancers are all holding hands, and each is posting on their right leg and swaying their body to the left while kicking their left leg out to the right. The line of dancers behind them are crouched down low with their legs splayed wide, and their arms held out to each side, curved downwards at the elbow. The first line of dancers look innocent, dancing together happily, whilst the line behind them stare at them animalistically. They are dressed in an assortment of colourful shirts, trousers and dresses.
A single dancer stands on the left of the image, dancing alone on a black stage – she is lit only by a single blue light. Her left leg is touching the stage while her right leg is raised and bent at the knee, and her left arm grabs her hip while her right arm is curved above her head with her hand loosely closed. She is wearing a light-coloured dress and her dark hair is tied up in a bun. On the right of the image, separated from the dancer by an unlit area of the stage, a group of male musicians play various instruments, lit by a stark red spotlight. They are dressed in suit trousers and blazers
9 dancers stand in a line stretching across a dark stage, holding each other’s hands creating a chain of bodies. Each dancer is positioned differently, with some holding there arms high and thrusting their bodies outwards, and others hunched over. They all seem to be in their own world, not looking at each other. The dancers are wearing an assortment of different colourful shirts, trousers and dresses. Behind them - on the right of the image - 3 musicians stand, playing various instruments. They are dressed in red suit trousers and red blazers.
A group of 5 dancers move erratically together, each posing with a different shape and posture. The dancer at the forefront of the image is facing outwards, with his left leg planted on the ground and his right leg held high out to the side with his knee bent. His arms are curved outwards around his head, his fingers splayed, while his mouth and eyes are held wide open. The dancers are wearing an assortment of different colourful shirts, trousers and dresses.
11. 6 dancers move in close proximity to each other, with 2 dancers in the foreground and 4 dancers slightly behind them. They are all performing slightly different moves, with some raising their arms and leaning forwards, and another stretching her arms towards the flooring in a thrusting motion. Their facial expressions are content, and they look as if they are dancing in their own world – they are not interacting with one another. They are lit by a single white light, and are dancing in and out of shadows. They are dressed in an assortment of colourful shirts, trousers and dresses.

Credits

Produced by Hofesh Shechter Company Commissioned by Théâtre de la Ville - Paris. 

Co-commissioned by Sadler’s Wells London; Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; Seongnam Arts Center/Seongnam Cultural Foundation; Danse Danse Montréal; MC2 : Maison de la Culture de Grenoble - Scène nationale; Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen; Central - La Louvière; Shanghai International Dance Center Theater (SIDCT); Théâtre Sénart - Scène Nationale; Torinodanza Festival / Teatro Stabile di Torino - Teatro Nazionale; Festspielhaus St. Pölten (AT); La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand scène nationale; Maison de la danse, Lyon - Pôle européen de création; Les Gémeaux - Scène Nationale de Sceaux; Château Rouge, scène conventionnée – Annemasse; Châteauvallon-Liberté, scène nationale; Scène Nationale ALBI-Tarn; Le Carré Sainte-Maxime with support from Theater Rotterdam; Les Salins - Scène Nationale de Martigues; Marche Teatro / Inteatro Festival; La Briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne and The Maria Björnson Memorial Fund. 

Individual Commissioner: Georgia Rosengarten 

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

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