★★★★

“Fase remains a compositional marvel, its ideas fully manifest in its material, a tribute to the choreographer, composer and their respective fields – disciplines, rather – of dance and music.”

– The Guardian

★★★★

“its precise, lineal routines have ensured its continued popularity into the 21st century.”

– The List

★★★★

“spellbinding artistic alchemy…”

– Bachtrack

“a mesmerizing Minimalism map to Steve Reich’s music.”

– Los Angeles Times

Witness one of the most important works of 20th-century contemporary dance, which brings together the artistry of two living legends: choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and composer Steve Reich.

Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich premiered in 1982 as choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s very first performance when she was only 21 years old. Fase comprises three duets and one solo, created and directly named after four repetitive compositions by American minimalist Steve Reich: Piano Phase (1967), Violin Phase (1967), Come Out (1966), and Clapping Music (1972).

De Keersmaeker used the structure of Reich’s music to develop an independent movement idiom that does not merely illustrate the music but also adds a new dimension to it. Both the music and the dance start from the principle of phase shifting through tiny variations: movements that are initially perfectly synchronous gradually start slipping and sliding, resulting in an ingenious play of continuously changing forms and patterns.

Precise, rigorous in execution and hypnotic in movement, Fase made an immediate impact upon its debut and was swiftly lauded as a groundbreaking work by audience and critics alike. This landmark piece also set the trajectory for De Keersmaeker’s career and her company, Rosas. Most recently in October 2025, she was awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale, also known as the Nobel Prize for the Arts, in Tokyo, Japan.

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker had always danced Fase herself. In 2018, she passed it on to a new generation of dancers for the first time in the work’s history.

Recognised as the blueprint for choreographing movement in dialogue with music, the work has been performed consistently for more than 40 years on major stages and festivals worldwide. Now, 20 years after Rosas’ performance of Rain at Singapore Arts Festival 2006, Esplanade is proud to present the Singapore debut of Fase on the Singtel Waterfront Theatre stage, offering a rare look at a foundational pillar of contemporary dance history.

Fase is presented as part of da:ns focus 2026 – On Loop: a spotlight on the living heritage of one of the most compelling artists of our time, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

Production Credits

Choreography: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

Danced by: Laura Bachman, Yuika Hashimoto

Created with: Michèle Anne De Mey, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

Light design: Remon Fromont
Costumes (1981): Martine André / Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

Rehearsal Director: Tale Dolven

Assistant to the Artistic Director: Martine Lange

Artistic Coordination and Planning: Anne Van Aerschot

Technical Director: Thomas Verachtert

Technicians: Pieter Kint, Bennert Vancottem

Assistant Technical Director: Bennert Vancottem

Costumes Coordinator: Veerle Van den Wouwer

Costumes Coordinator assisted by: Els Van Buggenhout and Chiara Mazzarolo

Sewing: Maria Eva Rodrigues-Reyes en Gisèle Charles

Managing Director: Lies Martens

Music Credits
Steve Reich
- Piano Phase (1967)
- Come Out (1966)
- Violin Phase (1967)
- Clapping Music (1972)

World Premiere


18.03.1982 Beursschouwburg (Brussel/Bruxelles/Brussels)

Production 1982

Schaamte vzw (Brussel/Bruxelles/Brussels), Avila vzw (Brussel/Bruxelles/Brussels)

Coproduction Early Works
De Munt / La Monnaie, Sadler's Wells (Londen/Londres/London), Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Théâtre de la Ville (Paris)

Special thanks to

Ella De Vos, Stefano Scoli

This production is realized with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government, in collaboration with Casa Kafka Pictures.

Rosas is supported by the Flemish Community and by the Flemish Community Commission (VGC).