Etude in Solitude

Feature image. Dancer in Etude in Solitude

Image Description: A dancer stands against a dark background dressed in only a white skirt and a mask. They are balancing on one leg with their other leg pointed and extended behind them. Both their arms are extended to their side. Feature image is a still taken from the exhibition video performance Etude in Solitude below.

This solo draws its inspiration from the myth of Orpheus, and the opera ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’ by Christoph Willibald Gluck. It is a contemporary comment on the myth of Orpheus as the mimesis of an artist, during these difficult times for the performing arts. “Orpheus: Etude in Solitude” explores the myth through a contemporary operatic lens, reinterpreting Orpheus’ history as one of ambiguous queer identity.

English audio response by Idan Cohen. Transcript available here.
English closed captions available. Music: ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’ by Christoph Willibald Gluck.

Ne Sans Opera and Dance

Idan Cohen was born and raised in Israel, kibbutz Mizra. After being trained as a classical piano player, Cohen received a scholarship to study theatre and fine arts at the “Art Colony”, in Israel‘s Negev (desert), and graduated in excellency.

At the age of 20 he was admitted to a video-dance project by Batsheva dance company dancer Lara Bersak (France) before joining, in 1998 the world known K.C.D.C (founder Yehudit Arnon, artistic director Rami Beer) where he danced for 7 seasons. Cohen holds a BA (2015) and an MFA (2017) in choreography from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.

Since 2005, Cohen has been creating, performing and teaching as a choreographer and opera stage director.

Since 2017, Idan Cohen is the artistic director of ‘Ne. Sans Opera and Dance’, a Vancouver based society that focuses on the fusion of opera and contemporary dance. Idan Cohen is represented by ‘Momentum Artists’ based in NYC, a member of the Israeli Choreographers Association, ‘Indie Opera West’ and ‘The Dance Centre’ in Vancouver Canada.


CMHC Granville Island Exhibition (May 24th – 31st)

Exhibition Access, Site Maps, and Audio Tours

Visit our accessibility page for information on how to access CMHC Granville Island and our on-site exhibition. Video tours are available in spoke English with English captions and subtitle files in: Tagalog, Hindi, Simplified Chinese, and Punjabi. Audio tours are available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tagalog.

Etude in Solitude Credits:

Music: C. W. Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice

Choreography and concept: Idan Cohen

Dancer: Ted Littlemore

Costume and makeup: Ted Littlemore

Video: Flick Harrison

Video editor: Doron Levene, Kino Kitchen

Supported by:
“Chutzpah!” festival – Norman Rothstein Theatre,
JCC Vancouver / EDAM Dance – Peter Bingham.

Ne. Sans Board of Directors:
Linda Blankstein- Chair
Erica Pinsky- Secretary
Yael Levy Morantz- Treasurer
Pamela Goossen- Board Advisor

Ne. Sans wishes to thank our wonderful circle of donors and supporters: Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver- Cultural grants program, The Dance Centre, Peter Bingham and the EDAM family, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts- City of Burnaby, Chutzpah! Festival & The Norman Rothstein Theatre, Vancouver Opera, Cynthia Ramsay- Jewish Independent, Indie Opera West- Joel Klein & Debi Wong, Re:Naissance Opera, Vancouver Academy Of Music, Prep-Arts Umbrella- Leslie Telford, Astrolabe Music Theatre- Heather Pawsey.

Individual donors:
Pamela Goossen, Linda Blankstein, Erica Pinsky, Val Brandt, Edelayne Westgate, The McGrane Pearson Endowment Fund (Ken Gracie and Philip Waddell), Leslie Dala, Mirna Zagar, Ada Decolongon, Marnie Carter, Joyce Ozier, Or Druker, Hadas & Itamar David, Bat-Sheva & Menachem Druker, Shira Malamud, Katya Pine, Colleen Humbert, Nancy Ferguson, Patricia L Ryan, Jane E Brindley, Robert W Collins, Vicci O’Neill, Emmy Mills, Benton Roark, Kathleen Allan, Tal Danzig, Yael Levy Morantz, Linda Hayes