PASSAGENS

Choreographic work — 2023
Commissioned by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo
Presented by Vanessa Isaac Dance Company
Premiered at F(ê)aites de la Danse, Monaco

Passagens is a choreographic work by Vanessa Agle Isaac created for live performance with music direction by Brazilian musician Marcus Santos. The work was developed through a transatlantic process in California and Europe, and commissioned by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo for presentation in Monaco.

Performed by an international cast of dancers from the United States, Brazil, France, and Belgium, Passagens unfolds through movement and live music, articulating transition, continuity, and transformation within a contemporary choreographic framework.

Context

In Portuguese, passagem refers to a passageway or bridge — a corridor that connects one place to another while remaining open in both directions. The work draws on this idea as a structural principle, framing choreography as movement between past and future, origin and projection.

Credits

Choreography & Direction: Vanessa Agle Isaac

Music Direction: Marcus Santos

Production Assistant: Samia Charlesia

Commissioned by: Les Ballets de Monte Carlo

Presented by: Vanessa Isaac Dance Company

Dancers:

Clarissa Anderson
Luana Bandeira
Romina Cabello
Lucile Delliere
Lea Firouzi
Vanessa Agle Isaac
Valentine Kirszbaum
Katia Nouichi
Audrey Jeannnot

Musicians:

Manfredi Caputo
Claire Dagnan
Fine Gomis
Clara Noll
Julien Machet
Gustavo Neiva de Paula
Ayrald Petit
Marcus Santos
Weslly Godinho Rodrigues
Toby Russell
Bendiaf Zouaoui

Media

Excerpt Footage from IG

Acknowledgments

Passagens, Europe was commissioned by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.

The Vanessa Isaac Dance Company gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Starr Siegele.

Additional Thanks:
The company extends thanks to the U.S.-based dancers who contributed to the development of Passagens:
Melanie Johnson
Leida Tolentino
Franchesca Marisol Cabrera
Jessica Brown
Adele Shafer-Kurstin
Kendra Fong
Vanessa Rabatin
Dorrie Tames Powell