Cacti by Alexander Ekman

Staged on Royal Swedish Ballet (2020), StaatsBallett Berlin (2023), Opera di Roma (2025), Ballet Nice Côte d’Azur (2025) and Cincinnati Ballet (2025) and Bayerische Staatsoper Ballet (2026)

Cacti is known to be one of Ekman’s masterpieces performed all over the world both by ballet and contemporary dance companies. It’s one of my favorite works to stage because it derives from such pure passion and madness, both in the way it was created and in the way it demands to be performed. It’s a very rhythmical and musical piece in which the roles of the dancers and live musicians blur and become one. Movement becomes music, music becomes movement. The energy in the studio is always so high, and the joy on stage is so vibrant. 

It was originally created for a cast of 16 dancers, but I was honored with the task of setting the XL version of it, recrafting it for a cast of 27 dancers. Although I’ve staged this piece the most and I know it’s in’s and out’s, I keep discovering new intricacies within it, keeping me in awe of its craftmanship, and all the energy it brings to the audience.