The Joyce Theater to Host U.S. Premiere of Noé Soulier's THE WAVES
Noé Soulier's THE WAVES makes its U.S. debut at The Joyce Theater
The Joyce Theater Foundation will present The Joyce Theater debut of choreographer Noé Soulier with The Waves, receiving its U.S. premiere for two performances only, March 4–5, in the Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium.
Drawing inspiration from Virginia Woolf's landmark modernist novel, The Waves unfolds as a richly immersive choreographic and musical composition by choreographer Noé Soulier that heightens perception and sensation. Rooted in the exploration of physical memory and attention, the work invites audiences to experience movement as a continuous flow of impulses, rhythms, and shifting intensities, where gestures emerge, dissolve, and reconfigure in real time. Six dancers share the stage with two live percussionists, Tom de Cock and Gerrit Nulens, whose intricate, driving score shapes the work's momentum and phrasing, creating a vivid dialogue between sound and motion. The result is a mesmerizing, multisensory experience that blurs the boundaries between dance and music, body and environment, echoing the visceral power and emotional resonance of Woolf's writing.
This engagement is presented as part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival.
Born in Paris in 1987, Noé Soulier develops a choreographic language nourished by the history of dance and philosophy, rooted in the exploration of practical goals—striking, avoiding, catching, throwing—which he displaces toward absent or imaginary objects. This singular vocabulary generates kinesthetic and affective experiences, embodied in works such as Little Perceptions (2010), Faits et gestes (2016), The Waves (2018), and Close Up (2024). In parallel, he conducts theoretical research, notably in the book Actions, mouvements et gestes (2016), which seeks to transform the way movement is perceived by overturning hierarchies between practice and theory. He has choreographed for the Nederlands Dans Theater, the Trisha Brown Dance Company, the Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon, L.A. Dance Project, and the Ballet de Lorraine. Since 2020, he has directed the Cndc – Angers, a unique institution that combines creation, higher education, and international programming. Winner of Danse Élargie (2010), he was named Choreographic Personality of the Year (Syndicat de la critique, 2024) and received the SACD Choreography Prize (2025).
Founded in 2020, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is guided by the values of creation, transmission, and education. Its mission is to support artists and institutions in sharing choreographic heritage while encouraging new productions. Since its launch, Dance Reflections has accompanied numerous companies in their creations as well as multiple institutions in the presentation of their works on the international stage. The program is reinforced each year by major events, such as the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival. In addition to supporting the creation and promotion of choreographic works, Dance Reflections places increasing importance on issues of transmission and education. With its partners, the initiative organizes residencies for professional dancers as well as actions to raise awareness of choreographic culture open to all. Its network, now consisting of more than 60 partners from 17 different countries, continues to grow with each project.
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