An Israeli choreographer has been appointed as a guest director of the Brighton Festival 2014.

Hofesh Shechter, 38, is globally renowned for his work with his dance troupe, the Hofesh Shechter Company, which has been a resident group at the Brighton Dome since 2008.

Now he will be the creative force behind the festival which attracted almost half-a-million people last year.

“I'm so excited and honoured to have been invited to lead on this inspiring event and I feel a rush of excitement about the ideas I can contribute,” said Mr Shechter, who will take on a role formerly held by Jewish poet Michael Rosen and sculptor Anish Kapoor.

The choreographer, who graduated from the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and Music before joining the Batsheva Dance Company at the age of 18 and moving to the UK in 2002, added: “To be asked to lead this amazing event, to be asked to inspire, energise, encourage… well, delighted, is just a boring word.”

Andrew Comben, chief executive of the festival, said: “We're very pleased. His work and creative vision contains that rare quality and sense of adventure that sparks the imaginations of a much wider audience beyond his own discipline.

"With such an eclectic artist at the helm, Brighton Festival 2014 is set to be a very exciting one indeed.”

The three week festival runs from May 3 – 25.