Isabella Soupart is a Belgian choreographer, dancer, director and filmaker of Polish-Ukrainian origin based in Brussels. She is also an actress revealed to the general public in the film “Le Fils” by the Dardenne brothers.
She produces performances and visual works at the interface of several disciplines. She composes her pieces following a primarily sensory logic. Her work revolves around choreography as a means of navigation between different media such as sound, voice, image, space, light, movement and the visual arts. And if his work takes multiple forms, from live performance to film production, through performance, musical theater and opera, choreographic writing is at the center of his work. Its productions are presented on national and international stages but also in many festivals. She is regularly invited to present her work in museums, where she develops new dance formats combined with research on sound, space, light and architecture.
Her topicality led her to represent Belgium at the 14th Havana Art Biennial (November 2021), to return to the stage, as the main actress of Enoch Arden, a play presented at the Grand Théâtre de Genève (January 2022) and to present a new creation in February 2022, as part of Slow (36h) at the Concertgebouw in Bruges, Silence Festival Artnov (2022), and to present a new creation in October 2023, In Landscape at Fondation blan Brussels.
She collaborates with many artists including the visual artist Michel François, the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, the English visual artist Jonathan Sullam, the American light designer Jim Clayburgh, the MP4 Quartet, the Flemish photographer Danny Willems, the visual artist Kurt d’ Haeseleer, Sound designer and composer Thomas Turine, visual artist Sabrina Montiel-Soto, French dancer an actress Bérengère Bodin, Belgian-Swedish duo Victoria+Jean, musician Rubén Martinez Orio (Ictus), musician Shaya Feldman, Flemish pianist and composer Walter Hus, pianist and conductor Guy Vandromme, Swedish sound designer Silas Bieri.
Its productions are presented on national and international stages but also in many festivals. Kunstenfestivalsdesarts Brussels (B), Koninklijke Vlaams Schouwburg (KVS) Brussels (B), Festival Ars Musica Brussels (BE), Red Cat Theatre Los Angeles (US ), Festival Le Grand Ecart Kortrijk (B), Teatro Canovas Malaga (ESP), Teatro José Tamayo Granada (ESP), Teatre Lliure Barcelona (ESP), Festival Le Printemps de la Danse Villebois-Lavalette (FR), Festival Sommerszene Salzburg (A),Burgtheater Vienna (A), Eaux-Vives Geneva (CH), Festival Tournee General KVS Brussels (BE), Théâtre de Poitiers (FR), Salzlager Innsbruck (A), Théâtre de la Ville de Paris (FR), Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand (FR), Lieu Unique Nantes (FR),Ecuries de Charleroi Danse (B), Festival Parcours de Danse dans le Domaine de Chamarande (FR), Stoa Helsinki (FINL), La Raffinerie Bruxelles (BE), La Maison de la danse de Lyon (FR), Théâtre Mansart Dijon (FR), Théâtre de Cavaillon (FR), Festival IN d’Avignon (FR), Le Cuvier Artigues (FR), Centre Pompidou Metz (FR),Festival Ìnternational de Carthage (TU), Festival Sommerszene Salzburg (A), Burgtheater Vienna (A), Eaux-Vives Genève (CH), Festival International de Carthage Tunis (TU), Théâtre de la Ville de Paris (FR), Lieu Unique Nantes (FR), Stoa Helsinki (FIN), Maison de la danse de Lyon 2008 (FR) Le Cuvier, Bordeaux 2009 (FR), Théâtre National de Chaillot Paris (FR), Lantaren Venster Rotterdam (NL), Théâtre de la Bastille Paris (FR), Festival IN d’Avignon (FR), Centro Culturel de Bélem Lisbon (PT) Festival temps d’Images ARTE, Paris, 2010 (FR)Tanzhaus Düsseldorf (G), La Ferme du Buisson Paris (FR), Les Halles Bruxelles (B) Monty Antwerpen (B), Brigittines Bruxelles (B), Galerie Komplot Bruxelles(B) Arsonic Mons (B), Cité Miroir Liège (B), Festival de Wallonie (B), Espace Senghor Brussels (B), Festival Musiq3 Flagey Brussels (B), MRBAB Fine Arts Museum Brussels (B), MAD Brussels (B), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK), Charleroi danse (B,) Wild Gallery (B), Concertgebouw Brugge (B), Festival Artonov (B), Fondation blan (BE)…
Profirst Wild Gallery (BE) - Hugues Bultot H&B Management (BE) - COBRA Films (BE) - Wallonie-Bruxelles International (BE) - Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre Danse (BE) - Direction des arts plastiques contemporains de la Fédération Wallonie -Bruxelles - SPFB-COCOF - The City of Brussels - Flemish Minister for Culture, Youth, Sport and Brussels (BE) - Flemish Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region (BE).
Sara Tan, a native of Singapore, is a contemporary dancer living and working in Europe. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP) in the United States of America, she went on to attend the contemporary dance school in Brussels- Performing Arts Research and Training Studios (P.A.R.T.S). She then worked with the French company, Kubilai Khan Investigations for several years, and has also been in the works of Eszter Salamon, Thierry de Mey, Anne-Linn Akselen (Human Works), Isabella Soupart and t.r.a.n.s.i.t.c.a.p.e. She now continues to work with Michele Noiret and David Drouard on their future creations.
Michel François is a conceptual artist rooted in contemporary reality, producing sculptural, performance, video, photo- graphic, painting and installation work. From the early stages of his career, he displays his work in Europe, USA (New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio), Mexico, Brazil and Japan. Living and working in Brussels, his participation in two key contemporary art events (Dokumenta IX in Kassel, and the 48th Venice Biennale, where he represented his country next to Belgian artist Ann Veronica Janssens) gained him international recognition. His art also brought him to work on three shows with Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker: The Song (2009), En Attendant (2010) and Partita 2 (2013). www.xavierhufkens.com
Kurt D'Haeseleer studies audiovisual arts at the Brussels Sint-Lukas Arts Institute before joining Filmfabriek in 1999, an artists' work group situated at Bierbeek in Belgium. Filmfabriek concentrates on artistic projects which include graphic design, video and theatre. Kurt D'Haeseleer's production takes the form of experimental video and video installations, such as File (2000), Lullaby (2003), Another Dress Code (2003), S*CKMYP (2004), Fossilisation (2005) and Pop Steroids (2005). He has also produced videos for several theatrical productions, for dance and operas by Guy Cassiers, Georges Aperghis, Ictus, de Parade, Isabella Soupart, Johanne Saunier…Since 2010, he is the creative director of WERKTANK (a factory for new and old media art) and is in charge of video design for Guy Cassiers and Daniel Barenboim's Ring de Wagner performed at the Scala of Milan, as well as at the Berlin Staatsoper. He has worked with Inne Goris and Dominique Pauwels on the creation of Hautes Herbes, performed at the Kunstfestivaldesarts in May 2012, premiering at the French Temps D'Images in 2012. www.kurtdhaeseleer.com
Jim Clayburgh is a founding member of the Wooster Group of New York, reputed to be “one of the most influential avant-garde theatrical organizations in the world” and his set design recently won an award for Best Design in the first Irish Theatre Festival in NYC. Jim has previously designed at the Salzburg Festival and at the Monnaie in Brussels. His work is often cited in theatre textbooks, the New York Times, and literature surrounding avant-garde theatre, and he was the architect scenograph for La Maison de la Radio, Flagey in Brussels. In addition to his work with The Wooster Group, Jim Clayburgh has designed theater pieces at the Pepsico Festival, The New York Shakespeare Festival, The Ontological-Hysteric Theater, Creation Company, Mabou Mines and Second Stage including work directed by Richard Foreman, David Rabe, Des McAnuff, Wilford Leach, Matthew Maguire, Hal Hartley, Isabella Soupart, and Jeffrey M. Jones. He has designed lighting for dance pieces by Rosas (Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker), Michele Anne de Mey, Pierre Droulers, Joji Inc, Wim Vandekeybus, Isabella Soupart, The Musical Ensemble, Ictus and Walpurgis all Belgian companies, and as well for the Ballet de Geneve (Suisse), EN-KNAP (Slovenia). www.jojiinc.org
British visual artist based in Brussels, Jonathan Sullam has developed a visual language making paradoxical use of objects that appear as oxymorons suspended in time and space. The pieces all present a state of ambiguity as to their status or function and reveal a precarious equilibrium capturing the tensions preceding a fall or an ascent. The artist is also co-founder of the Mobile Institute, a creative platform producing performances and installations in the public space. His videos and sculptures belong to the Wonderful Fund Collection alongside well-known figures from the Young British Artists group. Jonathan Sullam frequently partners with Belgian choreographer Isabella Soupart : Get A Grip (2013), Steve Reich Project (2014), After Words (2015), I Love My Family (2015), Stretch in Museums (2019). www.jonathansullam.com
Eléonore Valère-Lachky has a degree in Philosophy, and graduated from P.A.R.T.S, where she worked with William Forsyth for "Humanwrite", "Clouds after Cranah" and Thomas Hauert for "Lobster Caravan". As an interpret she worked for Ultima Vez / Wim Vandekeybus for « Les porteuses de mauvaises nouvelles", Charleroi Danses / Michèle Anne de Mey for "Synfonia Eroica", Kristian Smeds / KVS for "Mental Finland", Emanuel Gat for the creation of "Brilliant Corners", Ballets C of the B / Lisi Estaras for "Bolero", Needcompany / Jan Lauwers for "The deerhouse" and "The art of entertainement", Louise Vanneste for "Gone in a heartbeat", Isabella Soupart for "C'est ici que le jour se lève" / Sam Touzani, "Slow down" and "STRECH". As a choreographer, she creates solos that she interprets "Lands", "Army", and group pieces ("The darling scenes", "Bleu"), "Whirling" (Trafo Theater / (HU) for wich she was nominated as best author by the SABAM AWARDS in 2014, "FAM »The Staatheater de Mainz (DE)," Pledging foot "/ Liberdance (CR). She creates many pieces for young dancers in Hungary (BKTF / BCDA), Spain (Deltebre festival), and Austria (SEAD). This season she's touring her solo "Lands", creates "When you brush a form clean, it becomes truly what it is" for the ZSIGET (HU) Festival, and "The possible lightness of being" in SEAD (AU). In addition she leads a research project "Le Mouvement " supported by Contredanse and Charleroi Danse. Along with her artistic activities, she is a producer of Anton Lachky Company, supported for three years by the FWB.
Bérengère Bodin graduated from the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers. She joined the choreographer Raimund Hoghe and worked with Joëlle Bouvier. In 2004 she joined the Nod Dance Cy and worked with Carolyn Carlson and Euan Burnet Smith, and in 2006 became a member of Kubilai Khan Investigation. In 2007, she joined the Belgian choreographer Isabella Soupart for K.O.D. (2007), Collision(s) (2010), Words Film (2012), After Words (2015). In 2009 she joined Robyn Orlin for her museum series with Babysitting Petit Louis at the Louvre, and Babysitting Tête de Cire at the Museum Fine Arts Lille. She joined Les Ballets C de la B with Alain Platel for several creations Primero (2010), C(h)leurs (2012), Tauberbach (2014), Nicht Schlafen (2016). And plays for the first time in the cinema in Un homme à la mer (2016) by Géraldine Doignon.
Thomas Turine is a composer, musician and sound engineer. He was a member of the Major Deluxe rock group and practices electronic music. He composes scores for electro-acoustic instruments merging traditional melodic sound with contemporary sound. He is also a dedicated researcher of sound language and writings and collaborates with different choreographers, performers and film directors, starting up a series of productive partnerships with contemporary theatre and dance groups. He works with choreographer Pierre Droulers, in Inoui (2004), Flowers (2009), director Claude Schmitz, Melanie Daniels (2013), Darius, Stan et Gabriel contre le monde méchant (2015), the film Le Mail (2015); he works with Belgian choreographer Isabella Soupart on In The Wind Of Time (2005), K.O.D (2007), the film Words (2012), with the Mossoux-Bonté Company in Whispers (2015), with Philippe Eustachon, la Cie Anomalie, Kris Verdonck, Michèle Anne de Mey. He has composed musical scores and sound effects as well as produced the electronic acoustic devices for the broadcasting of around forty theatrical productions, all requiring equal rigour. Over the years, he has worked on merging contemporary music within the scenic space, going beyond pure music, inventing his own musical theatre where 'quantum' musical experimentation releases more than adequate images and visions of the world. www.thomasturine.com