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| Ballets C de la B | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ballets C de la B |
| Founded | 1980s |
| Founder | Alain Platel |
| Location | Ghent, Belgium |
| Genre | Contemporary dance |
Ballets C de la B
Ballets C de la B was a Belgian contemporary dance company based in Ghent associated with innovative choreography, experimental performance practice and socio-political engagement. Known for stage works that blended movement, theater and music, the company engaged with international festivals, opera houses and cultural institutions across Europe and beyond. Its network included collaborations with composers, visual artists, writers and civic organizations, and its legacy influenced companies, conservatories and festivals worldwide.
Founded in the 1980s in Ghent, the company emerged amid a European contemporary dance renewal alongside institutions like Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Rosas, and ensembles such as Les Ballets C de la B contemporaries. Early activity connected to venues like STUK and Vooruit and drew attention at festivals including Société de la danse showcases and Festival d'Avignon. Leadership by founders and directors linked the troupe to civic debates in Belgium and to touring circuits encompassing Biennale de Venezia, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Avignon Festival, Festival d'Automne à Paris, Salzburg Festival, BITEF, and Venice Biennale. Exchanges with institutions such as Royal Ballet of Flanders, La Monnaie, Opéra national de Paris, Komische Oper Berlin, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Teatro alla Scala and Berlin Volksbühne expanded its profile. Over time the ensemble intersected with cultural policy debates in Flanders and relationships with funders including Flemish Community arts councils, national ministries, and private foundations.
The company’s style combined theatricality, social narrative and movement influenced by choreographers like Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, William Forsythe, and contemporaries such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Wim Vandekeybus. Its repertoire juxtaposed minimalism and baroque references alongside popular music, folk song and experimental soundscapes from collaborators connected to Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Cage, and contemporary composers working with ensembles like Ictus Ensemble and Ensemble Modern. Works drew on texts or collaborations with writers and dramaturgs associated with Heiner Müller, Samuel Beckett, Tom Lanoye, and Elfriede Jelinek. Scenic and visual design collaborations referenced artists such as Jan Fabre, Anish Kapoor, Marina Abramović, Christian Boltanski, and designers linked to Sonia Delaunay legacies. The company presented productions that engaged with themes resonant in settings like Brussels, Paris, New York City, London, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Moscow, Istanbul, Cairo, Tokyo, and Beijing.
Signature productions toured extensively: pieces premiered at venues including Schaubühne, KVS Brussels, La Nacion Teatro Colón, Teatro Real, Royal Opera House, Teatro Cervantes, Festival de Marseille, Midem, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and presented at festivals such as Biennale di Venezia, Vancouver International Dance Festival, BAM Next Wave Festival, Performa, and Holland Festival. Tours reached institutions like Teatro alla Scala, Opéra de Lyon, DeSingel, Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, Cité de la Musique, Concertgebouw, Palau de la Música Catalana, Minsk Dance Forum, and regional festivals in Sicily, Catalonia, Bavaria, Scandinavia, Istria, and Bucharest. Collaborations and remounts engaged presenters such as Tate Modern, MoMA PS1, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and produced community projects in partnership with UNESCO, European Cultural Foundation, Goethe-Institut, British Council, Institut Français, and city arts offices in Ghent and Antwerp.
Choreographic leadership included figures associated with or emerging from the company: Alain Platel (founder), collaborators akin to Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Wim Vandekeybus, Jan Fabre, and guest creators from companies such as Hofesh Shechter Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Jirí Kylián’s lineage, Maurice Béjart influence, and links to artists like Crystal Pite and Akram Khan. Dancers and interpreters who worked with the company had connections to conservatories and ensembles including PARTS, Codarts, Conservatoire de Paris, University of Dance and Circus, SEAD, Trinity Laban and companies such as Batsheva Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Het Nationale Ballet, Royal Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and English National Ballet. Guest artists ranged from performers with backgrounds in Mikhail Baryshnikov’s circles to contemporary soloists trained under teachers like Mats Ek and Pina Bausch alumni.
The company commissioned music, set design and text from leading figures and organizations: partnerships with composers linked to Ennio Morricone, Giorgio Moroder-style producers, contemporary collectives like Ictus Ensemble and Arsenal, and sound artists from the scene around Mute Records and Warp Records networks. Visual commissions involved collaborators from galleries such as Galerie Zeno X, Wiels Contemporary Art Centre, Palais de Tokyo, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Hamburger Bahnhof, Stedelijk Museum, and theatre designers from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art projects. Institutional commissions came from bodies including Festival d'Avignon, Edinburgh International Festival, Berliner Festspiele, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Regio Torino, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, and international cultural agencies like Asia-Europe Foundation and Asia Society.
The company and its artists received accolades and nominations in circuits connected to awards such as the Laurence Olivier Award, European Theatre Awards, Bessie Awards, Prix de la Critique, Distinction of the Flemish Community, Golden Mask, Venice Biennale Golden Lion associations, and honors conferred by institutions like Kingdom of Belgium cultural orders, municipal citations from Ghent, and fellowships from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and Prince Claus Fund. Critical recognition appeared in periodicals and outlets including Le Monde, The Guardian, The New York Times, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Corriere della Sera, El País, La Repubblica, De Standaard, De Morgen, Trouw, NRC Handelsblad, and led to retrospectives at venues like MOMENTA Biennale de l'image and touring exhibitions supported by European Commission cultural programs.
Category:Contemporary dance companies