A Guide to the Captivating Choreography of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

"Few choreographers have defined minimalist dance like Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Trained at Maurice Béjart's Mudra School in Brussels and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, the Belgian pioneer burst onto the avant-garde scene in the early 1980s with a stark choreographic language built on repetition and precision. In 1983, she founded Rosas, her own dance company, and over the decades has created more than 40 pieces, from the seminal Rosas danst Rosas to daring later works like En Atendant and Cesena."

"The full version premiered on 18 March, 1982, at Brussels' Bourse Theatre. Set to four compositions by Steve Reich, Fase draws directly from the composer's process of 'phasing', in which repeated musical patterns gradually fall in and out of synchronisation. The piece immediately established her signature style: minimalist, geometrically driven choreography in which repetition generates both structure and emotional intensity."

"Today, De Keersmaeker's influence extends far beyond the stage. She collaborates with contemporary composers, stages performances in unexpected venues and relentlessly challenges how audiences perceive movement. Coinciding with her new exhibition at Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, this guide will help you navigate De Keersmaeker's austere yet captivating choreographies, unpack her headline-making controversies (Queen Bey, meet Baroness De Keersmaeker) and follow her ongoing mission to push dance into new artistic and social terrain."

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker trained at Maurice Béjart's Mudra School and NYU's Tisch School and emerged in the early 1980s with a stark, minimalist choreographic language. She founded Rosas in 1983 and has created more than 40 works, including Fase and Rosas danst Rosas, characterized by geometric patterns, repetition and emotional intensity. Fase used Steve Reich's phasing techniques to shape movement. De Keersmaeker collaborates with contemporary composers, stages performances in unexpected venues, engages in headline-making controversies, and brings dance into gallery settings such as the exhibition at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels.

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