How does one dance Shakespeare? This question underpins this collection of six articles, which explore how choreographers have invested space and the playtext’s interstices to transpose them into ballet pieces – whether contemporary ballet, classical or neo-classical ballet, or works that fall under the umbrella term of contemporary dance. The authors delineate how the emotions translate into silent danced movement and highlight the physical, somatic element in music – beyond spoken language. Through the triple prism of dance, music and a reflection on silence, this special issue invites us to reconsider questions of embodiment, performance and eloquence in Shakespeare’s plays.