Hofesh Shechter
Hofesh Shechter (born 3 May 1975) is an Israeli choreographer, dancer and composer based in London. He is best known for being the founder and artistic director of the Hofesh Shechter Company. Shechter was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 2016 for his work on Bartlett Sher's revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Since 2016, he has been named as one of The Stage's 100 most influential people in theatre. Early life Hofesh Shechter was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1975. At 6, Shechter began to study piano, later developing an interest in folk dance aged 12. At 15, he successfully auditioned for the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance as a pianist, but switched to dance upon his arrival, taking formal classes in ballet and modern dance. Whilst still training as a dancer, Shechter was conscripted into the Israel Defence Forces on his eighteenth birthday. He later described this experience as "like an electrical short circuit in my brain". Midway through the compulsory three years of his training, he moved to Tel Aviv when he was accepted as a junior into the Batsheva Dance Company. To complete his army duty, Shechter was given an evening clerical