Take This Waltz: Celebrating the Music of Leonard Cohen

Take This Waltz is an operatic and contemporary dance performance inspired by the music of the Canadian legend Leonard Cohen.

Onstage, Daniel Okulitch, one of Canada’s most celebrated operatic voices, is joined by a classical chamber ensemble composed of violin/viola, cello and accordion. Dancer and musician Ted Littlemore—an artist of many talents—also performs, playing the accordion while dancing.

The work aims to broaden how vocalism, contemporary dance, instrumentation and the visual arts can be applied to well-established repertoire, without diluting its unique qualities.

The production received its world premiere on September 10, 2022, as a co-presentation by Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria and the Chutzpah! Festival.

ABOUT NE. SANS OPERA & DANCE

Established in 2017 in Vancouver, Canada, Ne.Sans is a home for the research, creation and presentation of interdisciplinary work at the intersection of live music and contemporary dance. Ne.Sans cultivates an artistic environment that opens a world of collaborative opportunities in re-imagining and reconnecting the worlds of live music and contemporary dance.

By experimenting and constantly expanding our knowledge of multi-disciplinary art forms, we are forging what we see as a natural hybridization of the arts and creating an environment that involves working in collaboration with singers, dancers, musicians, visual artists, and designers. 

Ne.Sans Opera & Dance is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver’s Cultural Grants Program, Metro Vancouver cultural grants, The Dance Centre, Hamber Foundation, Peter Bingham and the EDAM family, Deux Mille Foundation, Chutzpah! Festival & The Norman Rothstein Theatre, Vancouver Opera, Cynthia Ramsay- Jewish Independent, Ken Gracie and Philip Waddell: The Gracie Waddell Fund, and project support from New Works. 

Generously supported by Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Chutzpah! Festival and The Norman Rothstein Theatre, Vancouver, Jason Dubois and New Works.

Idan Cohen – Artistic Director

Born and raised in Kibbutz Mizra, Israel, Idan Cohen began his artistic journey as a classical pianist before studying theatre and fine arts at Israel’s “Art Colony” in the Negev Desert, graduating with distinction.

At 20, he joined the world-renowned Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC), performing for seven seasons under the direction of Rami Be’er and Yehudit Arnon.

Since 2005, Cohen has been creating, performing, and teaching internationally as an award-winning choreographer and opera director. His acclaimed productions—Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Teatro Massimo, Palermo, Sicily, 2023), Take This Waltz, celebrating Leonard Cohen’s music (Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Chutzpah! Festival, 2022), and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (Vancouver Opera, 2021)—showcase his signature fusion of opera and contemporary dance.

As Artistic Director of Ne.Sans Opera & Dance, a Vancouver-based company devoted to bold, human, interdisciplinary storytelling, Cohen continues to push boundaries. He holds BA and MA degrees in Choreography from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and is a member of Opera Canada and The Dance Centre, Vancouver.