Eastman / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

What Eastman / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui does

Eastman is a non-profit performing arts production company founded in January 2010 by choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium. The company operates as the central vehicle for producing, coordinating, and touring Cherkaoui's choreographic work, with its operational base at DE SINGEL International Arts Centre. Its portfolio spans contemporary dance, theatre, ballet, opera, and music, and includes more than 80 productions such as Babel(words), Play, TeZukA, Sutra, Puz/zle, 4D, Fractus V, genesis, Shell Shock, Satyagraha, Boléro, and the Cirque du Soleil show Michael Jackson ONE. Creative methodology is described as a non-hierarchical approach to movement, body language, and cultural exchange.

The company's revenue model is built around performance production: ticket sales from live performances, co-production agreements with presenting venues and festivals, and commissioning fees from cultural institutions. Distribution is event-driven, with works reaching audiences through international touring, festival appearances, and residencies at major European venues. The company does not publicly disclose pricing for productions; performance fees and co-production terms are negotiated directly with venues and presenting partners. Core presenting and co-producing partners include Sadler's Wells (London, where Cherkaoui holds an Associated Artist position), La Monnaie/De Munt (Brussels), Grande Halle de La Villette (Paris), Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, DE SINGEL (Antwerp), Festival d'Avignon, and the Shaolin Cultural Communications Company. Geographic reach spans Western Europe, broader Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

Eastman is supported institutionally by the Flemish Government and the BNP Paribas Foundation, and operates with a team of approximately 31 employees under the leadership of founder and artistic director Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, general manager Gert Van Overloop, and artistic advisor and co-founder Karthika Naïr. The company has maintained continuous operations since 2010, was designated European Cultural Ambassador in 2013, and has a forward calendar of productions extending into 2027. There is no parent company, no private equity or venture capital ownership, and no public listing indicated in the source material.

Name

Eastman / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

Legal name

Eastman

Website

https://east-man.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eastman is a Belgian non-profit performing arts production company founded in 2010 that produces and tours choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's contemporary dance, theatre, ballet, and opera works for international venues, festivals, and partner organisations including Sadler's Wells, La Monnaie, La Villette, and Cirque du Soleil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Contemporary Dance Production

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Dance Companies (71112), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Classical Ballet (Full-Length & Repertoire) (MPAGADAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance production
• Choreographic performance company
• Performing arts touring
• Opera and ballet production
• Live theatre productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Performance Production: Producing and promoting choreographic works for contemporary dance, theatre, ballet, opera and music performances. Revenue generated through ticket sales, co-productions with partner venues, and commissioning fees from presenting organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eastman is a performing arts production company that creates, produces and tours contemporary dance, theatre, ballet, opera and music productions conceived by artistic director and founder Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The company generates revenue through ticket sales, co-productions with international partner venues, and commissioning fees from presenting organisations and festivals. It operates from Antwerp, Belgium, and coordinates all of Cherkaoui's work for other organisations.

Product overview

Eastman is a performing arts production company founded in January 2010 to produce and promote the work of artistic director Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The company creates and tours a diverse portfolio of contemporary dance productions, theatrical performances, operas, and ballets. Key productions include Babel(words), Play, TeZukA, Puz/zle, 4D, Fractus V, Session, 3S, Sutra, and 生长genesis. Cherkaoui's non-hierarchical thinking on movement, body language and culture forms the basis of his artistic approach, offering audiences projects across contemporary dance, theatre, ballet, opera and music. The company operates from Antwerp, Belgium, and is resident at DE SINGEL International Arts Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sutra
• 生长 genesis
• Babel(words)
• Play
• TeZukA
• Puz/zle
• 4D
• Fractus V
• Michael Jackson ONE
• Boléro
• Shell Shock, A Requiem of War
• Satyagraha
• Faun
• zero degrees

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Flemish GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Eastman is supported by the Flemish Government, which provides ongoing institutional funding and recognition of the company's cultural contribution to the region.
• DE SINGEL International Arts CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Eastman is resident at DE SINGEL International Arts Centre in Antwerp, serving as the central base for all of Cherkaoui's work.
• La Monnaie / De Munt (Brussels)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Major international partner and co-producer of Cherkaoui's works. Babel(words) premiered at De Munt/La Monnaie in 2010.
• Les Théâtres de la Ville de LuxembourgflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010International partner and co-producer of multiple Eastman productions.
• Grande Halle de La Villette (Paris)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010International partner and co-producer of Eastman productions including TeZukA, Babel(words), Fractus V, genesis, and others.
• Sadler's Wells (London)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Major international partner; Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is an Associated Artist at Sadler's Wells. Co-producer of Sutra, TeZukA, Babel(words), and numerous other works.
• Fondation d'entreprise HermèsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-producer of Babel(words) and Babel 7.16 through the foundation's international arts patronage programme.
• Fondazione Musica per RomamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010International co-producer of multiple productions including Babel(words), Sutra, Babel 7.16, mlonga, genesis, Play, Puz/zle, and Myth.
• Festival d'AvignonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Major festival partner; co-producer of Sutra and premiere venue for Babel 7.16 during the festival's 70th edition.
• Festival Grec (Barcelona)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-producer of Sutra; international festival presenting Eastman's work.
• Shaolin Cultural Communications CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Cultural partner for the Sutra project, facilitating collaboration with Shaolin monks from the temple in China.
• Theaterfestival BoulevardmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-producer of Babel(words), Play, Puz/zle, and Babel 7.16.
• Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival StepsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-producer of Babel(words), Fractus V, Babel 7.16, Icon, mlonga, and an Accident / a Life.
• Ludwigsburger SchlossfestspielemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-producer of Babel(words), Play, Fractus V, and Babel 7.16.
• Festspielhaus Sankt-PöltenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-producer of Babel(words), Puz/zle, mlonga, genesis, Babel 7.16, Vlaemsch (chez moi), Ihsane, and Dimokratía.
• Yabin StudioflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Commissioned and co-produced genesis; Chinese dance studio that partnered with Cherkaoui for the creation featuring Yabin Wang.
• Cirque du SoleilflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Cherkaoui served as choreographer for Michael Jackson ONE, a Cirque du Soleil show created in partnership with The Estate of Michael Jackson.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wayne McGregor Company: UK contemporary dance company led by choreographer Wayne McGregor, resident at Sadler's Wells and touring globally. Comparable as a choreographer-led company with strong institutional partnerships and technology-forward contemporary works.
• DV8 Physical Theatre: UK-based physical theatre company producing original dance-theatre works and touring internationally to comparable venues. Comparable as a small, choreographer-led company producing original contemporary works on the same European circuits.
• Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT): Major Dutch contemporary dance company with a large repertory of commissioned works and global touring. Comparable as a top-tier European contemporary dance company with international co-productions and a multi-choreographer repertoire model.
• Akram Khan Company: UK-based contemporary dance company founded and led by choreographer Akram Khan, who has a direct creative history with Cherkaoui through their co-created 'zero degrees'. Highly comparable as a small, internationally touring company built around a single artistic director's signature works.
• Hofesh Shechter Company: UK-based contemporary dance company led by choreographer Hofesh Shechter, touring internationally and presented at the same flagship venues (Sadler's Wells, La Villette). Directly comparable as a choreographer-led company producing large-scale theatrical dance works.
• Rosas (Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker): Belgian contemporary dance company also based in Flanders and operating at the same European top-tier venues. Closely comparable in scale, geography, co-production model, and international touring footprint, with an overlapping choreographer-led brand structure.
• BalletBoyz: UK contemporary dance company producing original works and touring internationally to similar European venues. Comparable as a small-to-mid-size company with a co-production and touring business model in the contemporary dance segment.
• Batsheva Dance Company: Israeli contemporary dance company with a large repertory of original works by multiple choreographers and extensive international touring. Comparable as a top-tier contemporary dance company with institutional funding and a global venue network.
• Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: German dance-theater company continuing the Pina Bausch legacy, producing and touring large-scale original works internationally. Comparable in producing original theatrical dance works for major European venues and festivals.
• Kidd Pivot (Crystal Pite): Canadian contemporary dance company founded and directed by Crystal Pite, producing and touring original works internationally. Comparable as a choreographer-led company with co-productions across major European venues and dance-theatre crossover productions.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user6419485
• Facebookfacebook.com/110462892305225
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastman_dancecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eastman-vzw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eastman / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui