Ne.Sans

Ne.Sans (also styled Ne.Sans Opera & Dance) is a Vancouver-based performing arts company founded in 2017 by Artistic Director Idan Cohen. The organization describes itself as a home for the research and creation of work that seeks to deepen and re-connect opera and dance, and its stated ambition is to forge a natural hybridization of the arts by directing opera through contemporary dance. This approach brings together singers, dancers, musicians, visual artists and designers in collaborative, multidisciplinary productions. The company operates primarily in Canada, with its base in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its programming combines world-premiere contemporary dance works with opera and music-driven theatrical experiences. A representative production is "Bach Dances," a world premiere conceived by Idan Cohen that reimagines Bach's first three cello suites as a theatrical experience of live music and contemporary dance, performed live by cellist Elinor Frey and featuring dancers including Will Jessup, Alexis Fletcher, Emma Galvin and Lazaro Silva. The production was co-produced by Ne.Sans Opera and Dance, The Dance Centre and Early Music Vancouver, with support from a Dance Victoria residency and a range of foundations and cultural grants. Ne.Sans also develops touring and music-themed projects, such as "Take This Waltz," celebrating the music of Leonard Cohen, staged by Idan Cohen and featuring Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch. The company presents its work at venues including the Scotiabank Dance Centre in Vancouver and engages a network of collaborators, resident artists, a board of directors, and a donor community that includes individual patrons and foundation support. As a not-for-profit-style arts organization, Ne.Sans relies on a mix of ticket sales, grants, and philanthropic giving. Its donor structure includes named giving circles such as the Creators' Circle, Innovators and Movers, and it acknowledges support from entities including the Hamber Foundation, Deux Mille Foundation, Metro Vancouver cultural grant, and The McGrane-Pearson Endowment Fund held at Vancouver Foundation. The company positions itself as an artistically challenging, community-oriented producer that aims to strengthen and inspire its audience while sharing Vancouver's creative energy with the world.

Ne.Sans was established in 2017 by Artistic Director Idan Cohen in Vancouver, Canada. From its founding, the company set out to re-imagine and re-connect opera and dance, describing its mission as directing opera through contemporary dance to open a new world of collaborative opportunities involving singers, dancers, musicians, visual artists and designers. The organization frames its work as a natural hybridization of the arts, developed through experimentation and the continuous expansion of knowledge across multi-disciplinary forms. The company's early identity centered on research and creation, with a stated ambition to produce exciting, thought-provoking and artistically challenging work while strengthening and inspiring its community. Over time, Ne.Sans built a structure that includes collaborators, resident artists and a board of directors, alongside a donor community that supports new work. A major recent project is "Bach Dances," a world premiere contemporary dance production conceived by award-winning choreographer and opera stage director Idan Cohen. The work reimagines Bach's first three cello suites (BWV 1007-1012) as a theatrical experience of live music and contemporary dance, with the suites performed live by cellist Elinor Frey. It features dancers Will Jessup, Alexis Fletcher, Emma Galvin and Lazaro Silva, with costume design by Rafaella Rabinovich and lighting design by Victoria Bell. The production is a co-production between Ne.Sans Opera and Dance, The Dance Centre and Early Music Vancouver, supported by a Dance Victoria residency, and it was presented at the Scotiabank Dance Centre in Vancouver on August 1 and 2, 2026, with the August 1 performances reported as sold out. Ne.Sans has also developed "Take This Waltz," a production celebrating the music of Leonard Cohen, staged by Idan Cohen and featuring Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, described by Opera News as "flat-out brilliant." Canadian tour dates for January-February 2027 were announced as forthcoming. The company operates with the support of foundations, cultural grants and individual donors. Acknowledged supporters include the Hamber Foundation, Deux Mille Foundation, Metro Vancouver cultural grant, and The McGrane-Pearson Endowment Fund held at Vancouver Foundation, with performance patron Linda Blankstein and design patron Jill Bodkin. Its donor circles include the Creators' Circle, Innovators and Movers, reflecting an ongoing reliance on philanthropic and grant funding alongside ticket revenue.

• 2026

  World premiere of Bach Dances at Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver, on August 1-2.

• 2017

  Ne.Sans established by Artistic Director Idan Cohen in Vancouver, Canada.

• Canadian tour dates for Take This Waltz announced as forthcoming for January-February.

A Vancouver-based performing arts company that re-imagines and reconnects opera and dance through contemporary, collaborative and multidisciplinary productions.

• Bach Dances

  World premiere contemporary dance production conceived by Idan Cohen, reimagining Bach's first three cello suites as a theatrical experience of live music and contemporary dance, with cellist Elinor Frey.

• Take This Waltz

  Production celebrating the music of Leonard Cohen, staged by Idan Cohen and featuring Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch.

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