FOUNDATION

KAIHO was founded in 2023 by artistic director Brandon Lagaert as a dance-theatre company dedicated to exploring the tension between movement, theatre and visual composition. What began as a way to bring coherence to his artistic collaborations has evolved into an interdisciplinary platform where dance, scenography, sound and lighting are inseparable components of one dramaturgical language.

While KAIHO is based in Brussels, Belgium it has developed and toured work throughout Europe in countries such as Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, The Netherlands, Cyprus and Lithuania as well as intercontinentally in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, building long-term artistic relationships and expanding its network of partners.

ARTISTIC PROCESS

KAIHO approaches each production as a total environment. A central concept acts as a red thread through every layer of creation, from movement vocabulary and narrative structure to lighting architecture, sound composition and spatial design. Light is not illumination but atmosphere. Sound is not accompaniment but tension. Scenography is not decoration but orientation. Each element shapes the rhythm and emotional landscape of the work as strongly as the performers and the material.

Themes of solitude and loneliness, and the subtle but crucial distinction between them, recur throughout the repertoire. The characters often struggle to connect, even in close proximity. They move through worlds that feel simultaneously surreal and painfully recognisable. While the imagery may distort reality, the emotional grounding remains deeply human, allowing audiences to anchor themselves within unfamiliar theatrical forms.

PRODUCTIONS

As director of KAIHO, artistic director Brandon Lagaert has created and directed productions for professional companies across Europe. Notable works include the award winning solo Subdued, award-winning Doggy Rugburn for the Lithuanian dance company Aura, Welcome To My Funeral for the Italian dance company Equilibro Dinamico and KAIHO’s own duet Facing Familiar Faces.

In collaboration with artistic assistant Sara Angelucci he is regularly invited to create performances for leading conservatories, including Next Stop for the Amsterdam University of the Arts, Oni Wa Soto for Civica Scuola di Teatro Paolo Grassi in Milan, Crossing Zebras for Fontys Dance Arts in Context, and Today is yesterday’s tomorrow for PERA. These commissions further expand KAIHO’s dialogue between emerging and established performers, strengthening its commitment to research, mentorship and artistic exchange.

KAIHO does not aim to deliver fixed messages. Instead, it constructs layered experiences — images, tensions, atmospheres and fragments of narrative — that invite interpretation rather than dictate meaning.

“Art reveals more about the spectator through their opinion of the work than it does about the maker. ”