Assis Carreiro
Artist Management
International Arts &
Cultural Projects
photo: Marc Haegeman
Press
...dressed in costumes by François-Noël Cherpin that cleverly suggest the 1920s while allowing full neoclassical ballet movement," - Who Cares?
Susan Pond, Dance Europe, October, 2019
"Mata Hari is a timeless production and very strong in atmosphere. Everything from the costumes to the set designs to the music is harmonious and the modern and the traditional come together in a tasteful way. The stage sets are minimalistic, often just an empty spacious ballroom converted to different locations by adding a few classic pieces of Indonesian or Parisian furniture. The same goes for
the costume designs: Mata Hari’s dresses are made of classic white lace and red silk amongst others, but have a modern day cut…”
Bachtrak.com
“Mata Hari is an enterprise of epic proportions: a commisioned score from Tarik O’Regan (his first for a ballet), hundreds of stylish costumes by François-Noël Cherpin and a set designed by Clement and Sanôu that morphs from provincial Holland via Indonesia to the Paris of the belle époque and, finally, to war-torn battlefields. The scope is breathtaking…”
The Dancing Times, 2016
"The costumes designed by François-Noël Cherpin – from the strict black outfits of Magaretha Zelle’s aunts and uncles…, the light clothing in
the warm climate of the Dutch East Indies to the frivolous, intensely colorful costumes of Parisian night life – also accentuate the mood of
each scene…”
Theaterkrant, 2016
“…This production (Paquita) is alive, with movement bringing freshness to every detail, qualities complemented in François-Noël Cherpin’s filigree set designs reminiscent of Moorish Spain.”
Dance Europe 2012
“On the plus side were attractive designs from François-Noël Cherpin, whose colorful tutus stood out against the white Alhambra-inspired
backdrop.”
Dancing Times, October 2012
“…They are indeed magnificent costumes: the intensely colorful bodices on white tutus transforming the ballerinas into butterflies…
Het Parool, 2012
“In new designs from François-Noël Cherpin – with a look at the Alhambra and colorful, opulent tutus…”
De Volkskrant, 2012
"Paquita is exquisitely designed.”
Trouw- October, 2012
“…Who Cares? gets flattering costumes from François-Noël Cherpin…”
NRC, 2004
“…The black and white chic, highlighted by Coppelia’s trademark cerise pink, is celebrated in François-Noël Cherpin’s costumes. There is an
explosion of 60s excess and style icons in the huge beehives of brassy blonde hair and the assistants in A-line tents and thigh high leggings, with a touch of hippy rebellion sneaking in with ethnic scarves and bell-bottoms to counter the haute couture…”
Seeingdance.com
François-Noël Cherpin
Set and Costume Designer
François-Noël Cherpin is a costume designer based in Amsterdam whose imaginative costumes have received critical acclaim both in the Netherlands and internationally.
Before working as a designer, François-Noël started his career as a professional dancer. Born in Roanne, France, he took his first dance lessons at the age of seven. After studying ballet in Paris and graduating from Mudra International in Brussels, he joined the Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet). There, he performed and created roles in the entire classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoires and worked with internationally renowned choreographers.
Whilst still a dancer, François-Noël created his first costumes for choreographer and at present Dutch National Ballet director Ted Brandsen. To this day they maintain a long-standing collaboration with François-Noël designing the costumes for amongst many others Carmen, Romeo&Juliet, Pulcinella, Firebird, Coppelia and Mata Hari.
For Dutch National Ballet he has also created the costumes for the new productions of Balanchine’s Who Cares? and Ballet Imperial as well as Rachel Beaujean’s new version of Paquita for which he also created the set design. Beyond François-Noël’s extensive work for Dutch National Ballet, he has also designed costumes for numerous dance companies including West Australian Ballet, National Ballet of Portugal, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Semperoper Dresden and Théâtre National de Bordeaux.
A versatile designer who enjoys creative collaborations he has worked on several projects across fashion and the performing arts such as Nochera, a high-end dance wear label inspired by the world of Tango and the live action/animation film of Coppelia which was released in cinemas around the globe in 2021.
Most recently François-Noël was invited by Dutch National Ballet’s Young Creative Associate, Milena Sidorova, to create the costumes for her dance film Rose which premiered online as well as for Sidorova’s first large scale creation for Dutch National Ballet Regnum. He and Sidorova will collaborate again in 2024 on a new creation for Dutch National Ballet.
At the invitation of choreographer Raimondo Rebeck, he also designed the costumes for Astana Opera’s new production of Cinderella which premiered in Astana in October 2022.
In 2023 he designed the costumes for Ted Brandsen’s new creation Eroica Variations for Polish National Ballet and Brandsen's Chairman Dances for the Dutch National Ballet.
@francoisnoelcherpin