A suite of dances - A day in the studio
In this Reply Performance, the Dance On Ensemble turns its attention to the work of choreographer Noa Eshkol (1924–2007). Her precise dance compositions and the movement notation system she developed are reconstructed. In response, dancer and choreographer Noé Soulier develops a new choreographic work of his own. His practice, which interweaves dance, exhibition formats, and theoretical reflection, extends the dialogue with Eshkol’s thinking, offering a contemporary translation and a continuation of movement.
Festival Julidans
Programme section Julidans On Stage
World premiere
Location Internationaal Theater Amsterdam
Venue Rabozaal
Run 75 minutes, incl. intermission
Genre Dance
A suite of dances - A day in the studio
Noa Eshkol’s artistic practice was defined by an uncompromising commitment to essentials. Rooted in a profound understanding of the body and its spatial relationships, she created rigorously articulated choreographic compositions shaped through the movement notation system she developed together with architect Avraham Wachman: the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation (EWMN), a unique system for composing, recording, and analysing movement.
Now for the first time, an entire evening is dedicated to Noa Eshkol’s works performed by dancers outside the original Chamber Dance Group. The evening features dances from Theme and Variations, the first suite Eshkol created using the EWMN, which premiered in 1965. Revealing a striking formal precision and intricately structured movement language, her choreographic compositions enter into dialogue with a newly created work by choreographer and dancer Noé Soulier: The second part of the evening, “A Day in the Studio”, is choreographed by Soulier and reflects Noa Eshkol’s radical use of geometry within a contemporary choreographic language. Eshkol’s systematic and rigorous approach to spatial organisation forms a central conceptual point of reference, not as a model to be reproduced, but as a framework for rethinking how movement can be composed, articulated, and perceived.
-|-Noé Soulier’s practice is rooted in embodied experience and in situations where physical, sensory, and affective dimensions are closely interwoven. In “A Day in the Studio” he isolates actions such as hitting, avoiding, or throwing from their original functional contexts, allowing them to generate distinct qualities of acceleration, momentum, and tension. These shifts in intensity give movement an affective charge that operates independently of narrative structures. While the movement phrases are carefully composed, their organisation remains deliberately flexible: performers may reorganise phrases or reorient them in space in real time. The choreography thus unfolds through decisions made in the moment and establishes conditions for processes of transformation and structuring – within the individual body as well as in the evolving constellations between performers.
The performance is part of a series called Replies in which Dance On Ensemble invites contemporary choreographers to respond to masterpieces of the 20th century from their own artistic perspectives. It is following earlier editions dedicated to Merce Cunningham and Mathilde Monnier, Lucinda Childs and Panzetti / Ticconi as well as Martha Graham and Tim Etchells. This creates a continuous thread in which tradition and innovation continue to question one another. The production is presented as part of Dance On Ensemble’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
The Dance On Ensemble / Noa Eshkol / Noé Soulier
The Dance On Ensemble was founded in 2015 by the Berlin-based cultural organisation Bureau Ritter and celebrates the artistic excellence of dancers over 40. In collaboration with internationally renowned choreographers and directors, including Rabih Mroué, Lucinda Childs, Meg Stuart and Jan Martens, the Dance On Ensemble develops a programme of innovative and challenging contemporary dance works. The aim is to create a solid foundation for a rich and ambitious repertoire for dancers aged 40 and over.
Noa Eshkol was a choreographer, dance pedagogue, and textile artist. Together with Avraham Wachman, she developed the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation System and collaborated across disciplines with artists and scientists. Her approach to dance was marked by a focus on the essential: by recognizing each movement and every part of the body in its full autonomy and complexity, she opened a vast space for creative diversity in choreographic composition. Her work continues to influence contemporary choreographic and performative practices to this day.
Mor Bashan is an archivist, head of the research department at the Noa Eshkol Foundation for Movement Notation, and an active dancer with the Noa Eshkol Chamber Dance Group. In her dual role as researcher and performer, she bridges practical bodily knowledge with a deep understanding of the theoretical foundations of Noa Eshkol’s movement notation system. Her work makes a vital contribution to preserving, teaching, and advancing Eshkol’s choreographic and scientific legacy.
Noé Soulier’s work explores choreography and dance in different settings, including the stage, the museum space and theoretical reflection. He thus develops a practice that is both conceptual and deeply rooted in movement, reflecting his educational background, which combines dance (Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, National Ballet School of Canada, P.A.R.T.S) and theory (Master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Paris Sorbonne).
Performed all over the world at renowned venues such as Théâtre National de Chaillot (Paris), Sadler’s Wells (London), Performa (New York), Tanz im August (Berlin), he has also choreographed for many companies: Ballet du Rhin, Ballet de Lorraine, L.A. Dance Project, Lyon Opera Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater and Trisha Brown Dance Company. In July 2020, he took the direction of Cndc – Angers (National center for contemporary dance), a unique institution in the choreographic field that brings together a center for choreographic creation, a graduate school of contemporary dance and a dance program.
Credits
A suite of dances - Noa Eshkol
Dance compositions & choreography Noa Eshkol
Staging Mor Bashan (The Noa Eshkol Chamber Dance Group)
Staging assistant Dror Shoval (The Noa Eshkol Chamber Dance Group)
Performance Javier Arozena, Alba Barral Fernández, Anna Herrmann, Dominic Santia, Gesine Moog, Lia Witjes Poole, Marco Volta
(5 dancers with an alternating cast)
Light Martin Beeretz
Costume Chiara Valle Vallomini
Sound Mattef Kuhlmey
Technical direction Martin Beeretz
Selected pieces from Noa Eshkol’s dance suite Theme and Variations
Jacob Rachel and Lea (2), Duet (5), Skilla (6), March (1), Minuet (0,3) (early 1960s)
Fugue (0) (early 1970s)
A Day in the Studio – Noé Soulier
Choreography Noé Soulier
Performance Javier Arozena, Alba Barral Fernández, Anna Herrmann, Dominic Santia, Gesine Moog, Lia Witjes Poole, Marco Volta
(5 dancers with an alternating cast)
Light Martin Beeretz
Costume Chiara Valle Vallomini
Music A Day in the Studio, Hanne Lippard (2020); Portals, Jana Irmert (2025); Phase III, Lucy Railton (2025)
Sound Mattef Kuhlmey
Technical Direction Martin Beeretz
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Artistic direction Dance On Ensemble Ty Boomershine
Production Dance On Ensemble Anastasia Luck (Senior Producer), Valentin Braun (Production Assistant)
Production CNDC Céline Chouffot, Adèle Thébault
International distribution Chalmont Agentur
Premiere 6 & 7 July 2026, Julidans Amsterdam
Production DANCE ON / Bureau Ritter
In collaboration with CNDC Angers
The performance is part of Dance On Ensemble’s 10th anniversary celebrations
Funded by Kulturstiftung des Bundes
Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Part of DanceMap, funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union’s funding programme for research and innovation
DANCE ON is a project by Bureau Ritter, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
