soirée d’études2021
“As if it were nothing, the dance simply happens.” Cláudia Galhós, Expresso
Soirée d’études was born out of Cassiel Gaube’s passion for the vocabulary of house dance, of which he explores the potential intersections with the compositional approaches of contemporary dance.
Conceived as a series of short, interconnected pieces, this choreographic soirée (evening) is a pas de deux for three, with the dancers passing the floor to each other to compose different duos.
Underpinned by a process of analysing and mapping out the kinaesthetic possibilities of this practice, Soirée d’études deconstructs the lexicon of house dance to better play with it. From its characteristic groove to the various forms of footwork, the different aspects of this style are successively examined, brought into light and honoured.
An étude, in the musical sense of the word, is a composition designed as an occasion to explore the possibilities of a particular technique and to experiment with them. Here, Cassiel Gaube, inspired in particular by the works of Bruno Beltrão and William Forsythe, explores the bodily and musical logics of his most beloved dance style.
Presented at Musée de l’Orangerie, Rockefeller Center, Villa Medici, Romaeuropa, Dansens Hus, Centro Cultural de Belém and CN D, among others, and in 2026–2027 at the Dance Reflections Festival by Van Cleef & Arpels in Shanghai and Sydney.
press
“One of the 10 best dance shows of 2023.” — “As if it were nothing, the dance simply happens… oscillating between house dance, footwork, the various modes of contemporary physical expression, and a subtle formal eloquence that binds it all together.”
“Hence Cassiel Gaube’s brilliant idea of creating pieces in which he hands over these reading keys and then invites you to read. Not theoretically, not with words, but through the dance itself. […] Right up to the final explosion, the reward, the pleasure. Terrific!”
“It is a rousing moment of pure euphoria and ecstasy, for dancers and audience alike. Perhaps that is the real core of these beautiful and excellent études: a deep longing to dance is hidden in us.”
“Riffing on the possibilities of house dance, Cassiel Gaube’s Soirée d’études feels anything but academic. Bringing the energy of the rehearsal room to the performance, three dancers – the choreographer among them – throw shapes and create them at the same time.”
“On stage, in the almost dazzling white, the formal and analytical rigour of his deconstruction of the language of house dance becomes a choreographic score.”
credits
- Choreography
- Cassiel Gaube
- Performance
- Cassiel Gaube, Alesya Dobysh, Adam Chado / Anna Benedicte Andresen / Waithera Schreyeck
- Dramaturgy
- Liza Baliasnaja, Matteo Fargion, Manon Santkin, Jonas Rutgeerts
- Technical support & sound
- Marius Pruvot
- Light
- Cassiel Gaube & Luc Schaltin
- Production
- Hiros
- Co-production
- La Ménagerie de Verre, Centre Chorégraphique National de Caen en Normandie dans le cadre de l’Accueil-studio, Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk), workspacebrussels, wpZimmer, C-TAKT, CCN-Ballet national de Marseille dans le cadre de l’accueil studio / Ministère de la Culture, KAAP, Charleroi danse, La Manufacture CDCN Nouvelle-Aquitaine Bordeaux – La Rochelle, Danse élargie 2020, CN D – Centre national de la danse, les ballets C de la B dans le cadre de résidence Co-laBo, La Place de la Danse – CDCN Toulouse / Occitanie dans le cadre du dispositif Accueil Studio, CNDC Angers, Le Phare – CCN du Havre Normandie, Le Dancing CDCN Dijon Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
- With the support of
- Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, Flemish Government, Kunstenwerkplaats, Teatro Municipal do Porto, Iaspis The Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s International Programme for Visual Artists, Tanzhaus Zürich, De School van Gaasbeek, Le Quartz Brest – Scène nationale de Brest, ONDA
- Selection
- Aerowaves Twenty22
- Performed
- 54 times in 37 cities, 13 countries (2021–2026)
