Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui leaves Ballet Flanders for Ballet de Genève

[Angela]

The Belgian choreographer will succeed Phillippe Cohen at Geneva: 

https://www.gtg.ch/actualites/sidi-larbi-cherkaoui-futur-directeur-du-ballet/

 

I'm bit confused, as Ballet de Genève has currently 22 dancers - I remember when Flanders did Sleeping Beauty or Onegin, the company must be so much bigger than Geneva. What a strange move.

[LACAD]

Flanders has downsized considerably in the last few years. Since the merger with the opera company I imagine this was a financial choice.

I’m not too surprised by this move since Cherkaoui’s work has long been in the repertoire of Geneva, the best of luck to him in Switzerland!

[Angela]

10 hours ago, LACAD said:

Flanders has downsized considerably in the last few years.

 

Do you know how big the company is now? I can't find the number on their website.

[LACAD]

I can’t either with it’s current layout, but the last time I saw it was maximum 30 dancers, perhaps less.

[Angela]

9 hours ago, LACAD said:

I can’t either with it’s current layout,

 

A strange thing that they won't show their ensemble.

I'm still bewildered by Cherkaoui's move - he IS Belgian, his Eastman Company is in Belgium, so why move to a smaller company and leave what he has built in Flanders? Well, we will see.