Nimble

With a bold choreography, Alexander Vantournhout explores the tension between individual expression and collective cohesion. Nine dancers share the stage: they leap together and alone, come together to form a fleeting collective body, pulsing as one yet remaining distinct entities. Always in motion, never at rest.

Inspired by boxing footwork, the movement vocabulary focuses primarily on the lower body, exploring rhythm, balance, strength, and dissonance. Nimble searches for a delicate equilibrium between unison and disruption, in a choreography driven by a rhythmic soundtrack. The dancers’ individual bodily rhythms guide their movements, which are then merged into a single collective pulse — a utopian unison that resonates with the precision of Japanese synchronized walking.

With Nimble, Vantournhout takes an important step in his choreographic development. Whereas his previous work often focused on partnering (with objects and/or other bodies), here the attention shifts toward a broader relationship with the space itself. Designed for larger stages, this production aims to amplify the dancers’ physical intensity and the vibrating energy of a shared rhythm. At the same time, Nimble represents the next stage in Vantournhout’s ongoing exploration of the counterpoint between music and movement, featuring a newly composed soundtrack that can — if desired — be performed live on stage.

choreography Alexander Vantournhout created with and performed by Chia-Hung Chung, Axel Guérin, Emmi Väisänen, Esse Vanderbruggen, Dimitri Landoz, Hendrik Van Maele, Alexander Vantournhout, 2 more tbc artistic assistants Emmi Väisänen, Esse Vanderbruggen Musical score performed by Esse Vanderbruggen, Dimitri Landoz costumes Patty Eggerickx dramaturgy Rudi Laermans musical analysis & dramaturgy Katherina Lindekens Musical advice Geoffrey Burton rehearsal director Miguel Do Vale light design tbc technic Bram Vandeghinste, Bert Van Dijck Photos Bart Grietens, Arnaud Beelen coproduction Concertgebouw Brugge (Bruges, BE), Arts Centre VIERNULVIER (Ghent, BE), Charleroi danse - centre chorégraphique de Wallonie (Brussels, BE), Les Halles de Schaerbeek (Brussels, BE), STUK Arts Centre (Leuven, BE), LOD Muziektheater (Ghent, BE), Maison des Arts de Créteil (Créteil, FR), more tbc residencies Wood Cube (Roeselare, BE), Peeping Tom (Brussels, BE), Arts Centre VIERNULVIER (Ghent, BE), le CENTQUATRE (Paris, FR), Charleroi danse - centre chorégraphique de Wallonie (Brussels, BE), STUK Arts Centre (Leuven, BE), Studio Thor (Brussels, BE)