About the Company

Photo: Valerie Kosnevich

Le Ballet Fou creates original choreographic works based on our language, Cardinal Movement. Through movement, but also through music, dramaturgy, philosophy and history, we explore the different ways in which we exist in the world.

Cardinal Movement ©

Cardinal Movement © is a movement language derived from anatomical principles and dance, focusing on three key elements: alignment, coordination and investigation. It explores the sequence of minute actions the body must undertake to perform a movement in a sustained manner, focusing on the "first movement", when a body moves from "resting" to "doing". The method can be applied to everyday activities (walking, lifting, bending) as well as to complex forms of movement (dance, martial arts, partnering, acrobatics), helping to develop more refined coordination, connectivity, and enhanced movement performance (posture, stability, flexibility and strength).

Applied to the company's work, Cardinal Movement enables us to create innovative and relevant choreographic pieces. More than a language, it's a specific way of connecting to the world, and the basis from which Cardinal Movement and Company communicates, teaches and creates.

Who We Are


  • Artistic Director and Choreographer

    Assaf Salhov is a choreographer, performer, and therapist working in New York City. He is the Artistic Director of Le Ballet Fou and the founder and creator of Cardinal Movement ©. He began his career with Vertigo 2 Dance Company and later studied Choreography and Performance at SEAD Salzburg and SNDO Amsterdam. Following his studies, Assaf performed at the Cameri Theater and was assistant to the director/choreographer Yehezkel Lazarov.

    In 2015, Assaf moved to New York, where he joined Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and created Cabaret evenings for The McKittrick Follies. He performed with Sleep No More through their closing shows in 2025. As a director and choreographer, he has developed over fifteen works showcased in Israel, Europe, and New York. With Cardinal Movement and Company, Assaf’s work has been presented at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Shed in NYC, LA Dance Festival, Fondation Etats-Unis (Paris), Suzanne Dellal Centre (Tel Aviv), and on international tours to Sweden, Denmark, and Spain. He also choreographed for Grammy-winning artist Silvana Estrada.

    Recently, Assaf premiered an immersive theater show at the former Beaux Arts Studios in New York City and completed a residency with Cardinal Movement and Company for their newest piece at the Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium in Denmark. Recently, the company premiered two new works at Movement Research at Judson Church and Arts on Site in NYC.


  • Managing Director and Performer

    Nikki Holck is a dance artist, educator, and director from Honolulu, Hawaii. She is the Managing Director at Peridance Center in New York City and the Director of Peridance’s Certificate Program. Nikki studied at Queen Emma Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Canada's National Ballet School, after which she began her dance career with the National Ballet of Canada. Upon moving to New York, she joined Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Nikki has been a collaborator with Kaimera Productions (Paris/NYC), Superhero Clubhouse (NYC), and Company RAu (Istanbul). Nikki is currently working in collaboration with choreographer Assaf Salhov as Managing Director and dancer for Le Ballet Fou.

    *Photo: Kuo Heng-Huang