OCTOBER 13 • 2022 | 65

Melbourne, Australia. Needless to say, I was 
incredibly jet lagged! That morning, despite 
my setting two alarms, I did not wake up. 
When I did wake up, in the Upper West 
Side, it was 10 minutes to our meeting, 
which was around Broadway. I rushed like 
a mad man and decided to brave the sub-
way. I was very lucky to get the quick one 
— and I was only 20 minutes late. It was a 
surreal experience — I am never late. The 
Foundation was super nice and under-
standing. As the conversation went on, 
and they became aware of my self-depre-
cating humor, they kept saying “He’s just 
like Jerome!” By that point, I felt confi-
dent that we connected.
JN: Why did you want to be the cho-
reographer and collaborate on this pro-
duction? 
HS: I love the music and the tale of 
Fiddler on the Roof. So much of chore-
ography lies in the energy of the music 
— this is one of the most beautiful musi-
cals. The story, its history and culture is so 
strongly connected to my roots. I was part 
of a folk dance youth group when I was a 
child and experienced many different dance 
styles and tasted different cultures. I was 
very picky for many years and refused quite 
a few musical productions — this one felt 
right.
JN: Being nominated for the Tony Award 
in choreography in 2016 for Fiddler must 

have been an incredible feeling.
HS: I’m afraid to say that living in the UK 
and being busy with my work and touring 
for years, when I was informed that I was 
nominated for a Tony, I replied, “Great. 
What’s that?” So when I was told how 
prestigious it is, I got more excited about 
it. It is incredible to get this recognition, in 
particular, for the work we did on the show, 
which came from a lot of love.

JN: You’ve said that, growing up in 
Jerusalem, Israeli folk dancing was central 
to your upbringing and dance training. 
What Israeli influences — and any depar-
tures from that — did you incorporate into 
your Fiddler choreography?
HS: There is a lot of folk dance feel in 
Fiddler. I took a lot of that communal joy 
ؙ— the arm movements and the relationship 
between people — and inserted it there. It 

felt very right. At the same time, there is a 
contemporary twist to it, a sense of casual 
simplicity to it.
JN: My very favorite dance in Fiddler is 
the bottle dance. Did you veer from the 
original Jerome Robbins choreography and 
how do the dancers master it?
HS: The bottle dance is one of the ele-
ments we (of course!) decided to keep liter-
ally as in the original production — it’s such 
an iconic brilliant moment. The secret to 
mastering this thing is to work hard!
JN: Can you comment on your 
name, Hofesh, which means freedom in 
Hebrew, and what it was like being in 
the Israel Defense Forces while training 
at the Batsheva Dance Company?
HS: My name has always raised 
eyebrows in Israel and, yes, in partic-
ular, while serving in the army. But, 
most importantly, my name serves as a 
reminder, a hopeful presence. Freedom 
is a complicated concept, and this name 
made me question and twist in its many 
meanings and definitions. In the end, for 
now, for me, freedom, is a feeling.
JN: What can our sophisticated Jewish 
News audience expect from this production 
of Fiddler on the Roof at the Fisher Theatre?
HS: They can expect something gripping 
and exciting — a raw, alive and physical 
performance that perpetuates energy 
through the body and the group. 

continued from page XX

Fiddler on the Roof runs through Oct. 
16 at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand 
Blvd., in Detroit. Tickets start at $30 
(includes facility and parking fee) and 
can be purchased online at ticketmas-
ter.com, by phone at (800) 982-2787 
or in person at the Fisher Theatre Box 
Office. For more information, go to 
www.BroadwayinDetroit.com. 

JOAN MARCUS

LEFT AND 
RIGHT: Scenes 
from Fiddler 
on the Roof

