Arts Flanders Performing Arts

Swiss première for An Old Monk in Lausanne

vti — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:00:45 +0000

12 - 22 June 2013

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A joint venture by Kris Defoort and Josse De Pauw is an old idea. Their work schedules have never previously allowed it, but now we have it: An Old Monk. Josse De Pauw performs a piece he wrote himself, with music by Kris Defoort inspired by Thelonius Monk. About wanting to live at all costs.. A new dramatic concert to follow The Soul of the Ant and Weg.

We have wanted to do it for a long time and now we are. About the body and the mind and how impossible it is for them to be in tune with one another. Except perhaps during a little dance. Josse De Pauw

1 Do a little dance. A man does a little dance. Body pressed against a dream-body.

2 A man doesn’t dance anymore or far too rarely. Vain attempts to become a monk. The great yearning is for silence and solitude.

3 And then from nowhere the fancy for a little dance comes upon him. Curious whether the pleasure of living is still part of it.

More info
LOD - An Old Monk
12 - 22 June 2013
Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
www.lod.be
www.vidy.ch

Performing Arts

International première for LOD in Rotterdam

vti — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:00:27 +0000

25 May – 1 June 2013, Operadays Rotterdam

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During the Operadays in Rotterdam Patrick Corillon, Pieter De Buysser & Lieselot De Wilde will be performing 'The incredible changes of mister Afzal (his glass leg will not be mentioned)' a production of LOD.

Mister Afzal is a reliable man. For years he worked as a servant in Brussels. But the last months it's been a bit noisy outside. People are hitting the streets. While he is filling the tables they are shouting stuff he can't quite understand. Mister Afzal wants to know what's going on, he want to understand why these people are sticking together underneath his window, what they are asking, against whom or what they're resisting, what they stand for.

Mister Afzal is born at the moment of his resistance. He rolls his chair back, goes to the window and puts his ear through it. An unexpected flurry smacks the window: his ear gets stuck. He resists the pain, goes to steps backwards and to his own astonishment stretches his ear until it becomes a giant lap of 40 to 70 centimetres. It buzzes and resouds as never before. He hears sharper than ever. He takes a deep breath and walks outside with his head high, his ear draped as an exquisite shawl.

A comical series begins, a grotesque serial, a slapstick, a political fairytale, an aptitude of broken European mythology.

More info
LOD - The incredible changes of mister Afzal (his glass leg will not be mentioned)
25 May – 1 June 2013, Operadays Rotterdam
http://www.operadagenrotterdam.nl

Performing Arts

Malta Festival Poznán hosts Flemish performing arts

vti — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:51:09 +0000

24 June – 20 July 2013

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The Malta Festival has released the first names that will perform during the month-long festival. Among them are four Flemish productions: 'Mush-Room' by Grace Ellen Barkey/Needcompany, 'Market Place 76' by Needcompany, 'Nora' by tg STAN and 'Built to Last' by Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods.

Over the years, the Malta Festival has successively and consciously been losing its "theatrical" connotation, attracting its spectators with diverse arts. Such an approach was based both on an assumption to show the world from a broader perspective, and to treat the spectator-observer as a partner in a dialogue. The "Idioms" project results from Malta's maturity, but at the same time from its readiness to take risks and reject the well-known, safe formula. The festival should be something more than an overview of works. It should create the space for competition, for sharing experiences. It should be challenging and should try to meet the demands of spectators.

In 2013 Castellucci will be present at the Malta Festival Poznań in an exceptional role – that of the curator responsible for the programme of the idiom entitled oh man, oh machine / człowiek-maszyna. The event is all the more momentous in that Castellucci rarely becomes involved in curating projects.

More info
Malta Festival Poznán
24 June – 20 July 2013
www.malta-festival.pl

Performing Arts

International Kunstenfestivaldesarts Brussels

vti — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:45:38 +0000

03 – 25 May 2013

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The Kunstenfestivaldesarts takes place in May every year. For a three-week period, it takes over around twenty theatres and arts centres in Brussels, as well as various other venues in the city, which kindly open their doors to the festival.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts comprises a selection of artistic work created by Belgian and international artists: remarkable new works which convey a personal vision of the world today that the artists would like to share with audiences who are prepared to challenge and broaden their perspectives.

Artists performing at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts include Sarah Vanhee, Kris Verdonck, Claude Schmitz, Joris Lacoste, Markus Öhrn, Tiago Rodrigues, She She Pop, Sarah Vanagt, Mariano Pensotti and many more.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts is a cosmopolitan city festival. We are part of a complex network of communities that makes territorial, linguistic and cultural divides increasingly porous. The city is the environment “par excellence” in which this cosmopolitan society can be seen.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts takes place in Brussels, the only city in Belgium where the country’s two largest communities live together. Several Flemish- and French-speaking institutions are involved in the project. Fundamentally conceived as a bilingual undertaking, it contributes to encouraging dialogue between the communities living in the city.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts, in addition to its main programme, also runs a series of encounters and workshops aimed at putting its artistic project at the heart of the city and the people who live there.

More info
Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2013
3 – 25 May 2013 all over Brussels
www.kfda.be

Performing Arts

Royal Ballet Flanders wins National Dance Award in London

vti — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:38:18 +0000

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The Royal Ballet of Flanders receives the prestigious Award for Outstanding Company by the Critics’ Circle at the National Dance Awards in London. The Royal Ballet of Flanders was nominated alongside some of the most illustrious dance companies performing today: the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

The Royal Ballet’s nomination was an acknowledgement of the performances of William Forsythe’s Artifact, performed at Sadler’s Wells, London's temple of dance, in April 2012. The receipt of this award is a recognition from the British critics of the excellent performance and the artistic talent of the dancers of the Royal Ballet.

More info
www.balletvlaanderen.be
www.criticscircle.org.uk

Performing Arts

12 Flemish (co)productions during Tweetakt Festival

vti — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:36:30 +0000

22 March - 7 April Utrecht

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Tweetakt is an annual international youth festival in Utrecht at various venues throughout the city, with a focus on theatre, dance, music, games and installations. Apart from its wide audience, the festival also attracts a lot of international programmers. During the 2013 festival no less than 12 Flemish (co)productions will appear on various stages in the city:

Ontroerend goed / Laika – All that is wrong
KOPERGIETERY – De (on)mogelijke vriendschap van Augustijn en Stef
luxemburg – De 11 minuten van mevrouw Olsen
Benjamin Verdonck / Toneelhuis & KVS – DISISIT
fABULEUS – Girls
4hoog – HUT
fABULEUS / Krokusfestival – Kijk ver genoeg achterom en je kijkt weer naar voor
Zonzo Compagnie – Listen to the Silence
Miet Warlop / CAMPO – Mystery Magnet
KOPERGIETERY / Het Lab Utrecht – t Is mijn smaak niet
Compagnie Cecilia / KVS – Vorst/Forest
ZOO / Thomas Hauert - Danse étoffée sur musique déguisée

More info
Tweetakt Festival
22 March - 7 April Utrecht
www.tweetakt.net

Performing Arts

Guy Cassiers premières with Götterdämmerung in the Berlin Staatsoper

vti — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:32:36 +0000

3 March 2013

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With Götterdämmerung, Guy Cassiers completes Wagner's four-part opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which he directed for La Scala in Milan and the Staatsoper in Berlin. The conductor of the cycle is the world-famous Daniel Barenboim. Cassiers made this opera cycle with the artistic team that had previously worked on his other productions: Enrico Bagnoli, Arjen Klerkx and Kurt d'Haeseleer. The Belgian fashion designer Tim Van Steenbergen is responsible for the costumes, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for the choreography and Erwin Jans for the dramaturgy.

After the première of Das Rheingold (2010) and Die Walküre (2010) at La Scala in Milan, Götterdämmerung, the fourth part of the opera, will première at the Berlin Staatsoper. The opening night of Siegfried was also in Berlin, in October 2012 . On 18 May 2013 Götterdämmerung will open at La Scala in Milan. This tetralogy will also be shown in Milan in June.

More info
Götterdämmerung – Guy Cassiers & Daniel Barenboim
3 March 2013 – Staatsoper Berlin
18 May 2013 – La Scala Milan
www.staatsoper-berlin.de
www.teatroallascala.org
www.toneelhuis.be

Performing Arts

International booklet 'Perspective:Artist'

vti — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:08:04 +0000

The position of the individual artists in the performing arts in Flanders

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Since the early 1990s, the position of artists in the performing arts in Flanders has changed significantly. Organisations have transformed into flexible and interdisciplinary production centres with a semi-permanent relationship with artists. These artists go their separate ways in different organisations, often in various disciplines and in an international environment. The artistic results of these changes are remarkable. The last decades, international recognition has made Flanders and Brussels into an interesting hotspot for performing artists worldwide. Still, the position of theatre and dance makers is becoming more precarious. In order to survive in the ‘performing arts jungle’, they are forced to profile themselves as networkers and entrepreneurs.
In recent years, the research of VTi, the Institute for the Performing Arts in Flanders, has strongly focused on the position of artists in this changing landscape. Perspective: Artist brings together the most interesting results of this research. Download this publication here.

More info
Perspective:Artist. The position of individual artists in the performing arts in Flanders.
Authors: Delphine Hesters, Karel Vanhaesebrouck, Femke Snelting, Michael Murtaugh, Maarten Bresseleers, Lien Van Steendam, Geert Opsomer
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No derivative Works 2.0 Belgium License

Performing Arts

Ultima Vez' What the Body Does Not Remember revived

vti — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:28:15 +0000

Premiere 12 February 2013, Royal Flemish Theatre

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What the Body Does Not Remember was the compelling 1987 debut production by Wim Vandekeybus and his company Ultima Vez. In New York Wim Vandekeybus and the
composers Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch received the renowned Bessie Award for its “brutal confrontation of dance and music: the dangerous, combative landscape of ‘What the Body Does Not Remember’.” 25 years later Wim Vandekeybus and Ultima Vez will be touring a revival of What the Body Does Not Remember in many different countries all over the world.

“The intensity of moments when you don’t have a choice, when other things decide for you, like falling in love, or the second before the accident that is bound to happen; suddenly they appear, with no introduction, and they are important to me because of their extremeness rather than for the significance to be given to them. The decision to use this as the basic material for a theatrical composition is at the very least a paradoxical challenge, because a theatrical event is considered to be repeatable and controllable. But when all is said and done, perhaps the body doesn’t remember anything either and everything is a subtle illusion of what is lost, which helps to define or exhaust the action.”
Wim Vandekeybus

More info
Ultima Vez - What the Body Does Not Remember
Originally created in 1987 - Revival 2013
Premiere 12 February 2013 at the Royal Flemish Theatre (Brussels, BE)
www.ultimavez.com

Performing Arts

International Krokusfestival for young audiences

vti — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:11:17 +0000

Hasselt, 8 – 14 February 2013

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The international Krokusfestival is on from Friday 9 till Thursday 14 February 2013 and brings artists working for young audiences from all over Europe to Hasselt. The festival presents lots of new performances with premieres by the Belgian companies keski.e.space, Laika and Maandacht. The Krokusfestival itself is presenting an energetic dance performance by Manon Avermate (production with fABULEUS) and premieres a new dance performance by Joke Laureyns for the over-6s. The festival supports new and young artists on their way to creating performances for children. So it’s a good opportunity to discover new artists and companies.

The festival is hosting performances by TPO (Italy), Aben Dans (Denmark), tanzfuchs (Germany), Fet a Ma (Spain), trickster-p (Switzerland) and Cie Ramodal (France), as well as several Dutch companies.

Krokusfestival 2013 is also focusing on performances and installations for young audiences: a soundscape-concert by Hans Beckers, a challenging installation on Hansel and Gretel, and an interactive video-installation by Swiss artist Camille Scherrer.

Finally the festival is also a professional meeting place with round-table discussions, a symposium and the presentation of the results of the European dance network FRESH TRACKS EUROPE.

All this and much more. Full programme will be available on 21 December: www.krokusfestival.be

Performing Arts

DANCE international dance festival focuses on Flemish artistic creation

vti — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:17:15 +0000

25 October till 4 November 2012, Munich

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DANCE is one of the oldest and most renowned dance festivals in Europe. The focus lies on the artist and less on a theme or subject. The programme consists of work by internationally celebrated choreographers, new discoveries and risky attempts by young artists. This year the spotlight is on Flanders. For 30 years several Flemish performers have stunned neighbouring countries with works that have set the standards worldwide.

Together with the ‘first’ generation of choreographers such as Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Wim Vandekeybus and Jan Fabre and their heirs Hans Van den Broeck, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Erna Ómasdóttir and graduates from P.A.R.T.S., DANCE will try to find answers to questions like: What are the causes of these artistic creations and what can others learn from them? Is quality related to money? Or is it rather the dialogue between artistic personalities and their environment?

The festival's parallel programme brings together people who were important in the development and spread of artistic creation in Flanders. Three panel discussions will deal, respectively, with Flanders as a creative environment, the training of dancers and choreographers, and the cultural policy of the region.

More info
DANCE, Munich
25 October till 4 November 2012
www.dance2012.de

Performing Arts

EXPORT/IMPORT international youth theatre festival

vti — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:05:25 +0000

9 > 11 November 2012

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In November BRONKS will host a lot of internationally renowned companies during EXPORT/IMPORT, an international youth theatre festival in Brussels.

EXPORT signifies exchange and aims to launch performances from Flanders and the Netherlands beyond their borders. How? By performing them in other languages: French, English or Arabic.

IMPORT brings exceptional performances from abroad to Brussels. Performances that are otherwise put on a day’s journey away will now be presented in your backyard. All performances are ‘language no problem’ or surtitled.

The programme includes Chicks for money and nothing for free – KOPERGIETERY and the KIP (BE), Lacrimoso – Bruno Pilz (DE), Uit een doosje – Tal en The (BE), Talking about Kevin – Arend Pinoy (BE), Something Very Far Away – Unicorn (UK), Sasja et Natasja – BRONKS & Tom Dupont (BE), Mister More, Lady Less – Studio ORKA (BE) and Capas – La Compagnie de Cirque “eia” (ES).

More info
EXPORT/IMPORT
9 > 11 November 2012, BRONKS Brussels
www.bronks.be

Performing Arts

December Dance – Nordic Wave

vti — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:01:45 +0000

6 > 16 December 2012, various venues in Bruges

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This year December Dance is focusing on the Northern European dance world: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Alongside the established names from the region, a great many young talents will be presenting their latest creations.

Such clichés like fire and ice, light and dark, day and night, extravert and introvert, passion and reason will undoubtedly appear in the performances, but these opposites don’t capture the uniqueness of each performance and choreographer.

During the festival you can discover the musicality of Tero Saarinen (FI), the wilfulness of Jyrki Karttunnen (FI), the aesthetics and humour of Kenneth Kvarnström (SE/FI), the innovativeness of the Cullberg Ballet (SE), the sensual-theatrical wittiness of Ina Christel Johannessen (NO), the monstrous poetry of Erna Ómarsdóttir (IS), the maturity of Kitt Johnson (DK), the hypnotic cruelty of Carte Blanche (NO) and the grandeur of the Göteborg Ballet (SE).

As it does every year, the festival will present new work by beginning artists and a lot of live music.

VTi, the institute for the performing arts, will also be present with new research data providing the raw material for a debate – Omtrent DD|Mapping the performing arts – about policy instruments and about the role government can play in fostering current dynamics in the performing arts and in strengthening the position of both artists and organisations. In the light of the evaluation and possible revision of the Arts Act, this debate is highly topical.

More info
December Dance
6 > 16 December 2012, various venues in Bruges
www.decemberdance.be

Omtrent DD|Mapping the performing arts
11 December 2012, Concertgebouw Brugge
www.decemberdance.be
www.vti.be

Performing Arts

ETC launches 10th edition of European online catalogue

vti — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:13:23 +0000

Over 100 best plays for the stage from 41 countries

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20 years ago, the Theaterbiennale was founded, showcasing new plays from Europe. The European Theatre Convention (ETC), the leading European network of public drama theatres, launched at the same time the Book of Plays – European Theatre Today, the biannual catalogue showcasing and presenting the best new plays for the stage. The 10th edition of 'European Theatre Today' was launched last weekend at this year’s Theaterbiennale in Wiesbaden to German ITI delegates. Already for the 3rd time the publication is available online, whereas the first seven editions appeared as books.

Selected by reading committees initiated by ETC member theatres, over 100 most remarkable plays for the stage from 41 are presented in the 2012 catalogue depicting a diverse scenery of European Theatre Today. Per country a maximum of three plays were selected which must have had its premiere within the last two years. With the aim to help circulate those plays, the catalogue offers not only a synopsis in English and French of each play, but also information about the cast, about the playwright, existing and planned translations, its premieres and last but not least contact information of the playwright and its publisher.

2012 tendencies strongly show, that collective writing procedures continue to produce a growing number of contemporary theatre plays. Astonishing few of the selected plays deal with current events, nor do they treat the economic and financial crisis. On the other hand, war is still a recurring theme, chosen by 10 playwrights, whether it is the 2nd world war or the Balkan war. Favorite topics remain stories based on families and relationships. Pure comedies are rare and compared to the 2010 catalogue, less plays for young people were chosen. Last but not least, the age of selected playwrights is striking: more than half of them were born in the 70ies and 80ies and are under 40 years. A sign, that contemporary theatre playwriting continues to matter!

Access the online catalogue: www.etc-cte.org/bop_2012

Note for editors
The ETC is a pan-European non profit-making organisation representing the publicly funded theatre sector with over 40 members in 25 countries whose aims are: To create, protect and promote the art of theatre and its linguistic diversity in Europe and beyond; to act as transnational theatre collaboration network to foster cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; to act as platform for professional exchange, development and capacity building of theatre makers in an international context; and to act as representation and advocacy network of the public theatre sector on EU, Member states and local level. Based in France, the ETC has opened in summer 2011 new offices at the Deutsches Theater Berlin in Germany and at the European House for Culture in Brussels, in Belgium.

European Theatre Convention - Convention Théâtrale Européenne
Executive office
c/o Deutsches Theater, Schumannstr. 13 a, 10117 Berlin, Germany
T +49 (0)30 28441 460
F +49 (0)30 28441 488
E convention@etc-cte.org

EU office
c/o European House for Culture
Place Flagey 18, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Head office
c/o La Comédie de Saint-Etienne
7 Avenue Emile Loubet, 42048 Saint Etienne cedex, France

www.etc-cte.org

Performing Arts

Needcompany premieres with Marketplace 76 in Bochum, Germany

vti — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:25:02 +0000

7/9/2012 – Ruhrtriënnale, Bochum (Germany)

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“She dusts everything off, gives the curtains another shake, beats the carpets and polishes the floor but doesn’t put the dustbags out yet because it’s Wednesday and people might start wondering. She takes another look at the 76 notches she has made in the doorframe with a kitchen knife. They are all exactly the same length. The space between each successive notch is exactly the same too. She has always been very neat and precise. She touches them with her fingertips. The small differences in relief give her a cold shiver. For 76 days she has waited, searched. She has been both laughed at and listened to with understanding. Her decision is final. 76 notches. Neat and tidy. The way she has lived. Now she’s going to make a rotten mess of it.”

Marketplace 76 is the story of villagers startled by an explosion in which 24 people lose their lives, including 7 children. The tragedy of the dead children weighs heavily on the surviving villagers. Too much grief dominates their lives. Until one day a boat falls from the sky: ‘A lifeboat fallen from the sky’.

Jan Lauwers has written Marketplace 76, a new, kaleidoscopic epic story composed of four seasons. It is a meticulous report on villagers who have been overtaken and driven forward by time, and in spite of everything are able to survive heroically. Marketplace 76 reconciles such dark themes as mourning and sorrow, incest and abduction, paedophilia and suicide with excessive love, friendship, happiness and survival.

More info
Needcompany - Marketplace 76
7/9/2012 – Ruhrtriënnale, Bochum (Germany)
www.needcompany.org
www.ruhrtriennale.de

Performing Arts

Crossroads – about the diversity and durability of collaboration in the performing arts

vti — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:19:08 +0000

30/8/2012 - deSingel, Antwerp

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On 30 August 2012 VTi, deBuren and Het Theaterfestival are organising a conference on the diversity and durability of collaboration with partners in and outside the performing arts. International collaboration and networking are buzzwords in cultural policy and in artistic practice. Flemish performing artists are skilled networkers, but many questions can be asked about their way of handling things. Collaboration is often fragile, because they are limited in duration. The issue is often a financial one, and the same partners are asked over and over again. We have to raise the question of how we can help our artists strengthen and enrich their position. The idea is that collaboration becomes more durable if there’s more diversity. And above all if it succeeds in connecting local with international networks.

Several talks will be given on this subject in the morning, followed by workshops in the afternoon. The workshops deal with arts legislation, strategies to enrich relations between art and politics, networking and alternative economic models. The day ends with a debate moderated by Chris Keulemans (Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam).

The keynote speech will be given by Henk Oosterling, professor of philosophy at the University of Rotterdam.

More info
Crossroads – on the diversity and durability of collaboration in the performing arts
30 August 2012
deSingel, Antwerp
www.vti.be

Performing Arts

Theatre Festival in Antwerp

vti — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:37:24 +0000

23 August – 1 September 2012

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In 2012 the Theatre Festival will once again be hosted by deSingel. The festival, which is held alternately in Brussels and Antwerp, is the dream opening for a new and exciting performing arts season.

The main programme in the festival is a 'best of', consisting of last season's ten most interesting productions, carefully selected by a professional jury. For the 2012 festival the jury consists of Bert Anciaux, Kristien De Proost (Tristero), Eddie Guldolf (C-mine, Genk), Geert Overdam (Festival Boulevard) and Wouter Hillaert (The Standard).
Together they watched more than five hundred performances, representing the widest possible range of genres in the performing arts. Apart from text theatre and performance there is also dance and music, and children's and youth theatre. From all this the jury selected ten productions which everyone can now see again just before the start of the new theatre season.

The jury also selected two pieces from the selection made for the Dutch Theatre Festival (www.tf.nl) and five productions for Circuit X (www.circuitx.be). This series of performances by young artists is given extra attention at the Theatre Festival and will then tour the cultural centres of Flanders.
The Theatre Festival is also a place for encounters, reflection and debate. The kick-off for the festival is traditionally the State of the Union speech delivered by an opinion-maker. In collaboration with the Flemish Theatre Institute, the Theatre Festival will be organising a conference on 'collaboration in the performing arts'. An exhibition will also highlight the history of theatre from the fifties onwards. And finally there is the annual presentation of the Flemish Community's Culture Prize for the Performing Arts.

The full festival programme is available on www.theaterfestival.be.

More info

Theatre Festival
23 August – 1 September 2012, deSingel, Antwerp
www.theaterfestival.be
www.desingel.be

Performing Arts

Eastman premieres during Festival d’Avignon

vti — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:32:50 +0000

10-20 July 2012 – Festival d’Avignon

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In Puz/zle Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui turns in a more abstract fashion to the notion of the multiple and multiplicity that is rooted in our thought processes and the added question of how things fit together to create a new and distinct identity (like a jigsaw puzzle). Cherkaoui is intrigued by why certain connections succeed in coming together as an organic whole while others fail. And by whether they actually fail or is it that the failure lies in our perception of order and disorder. He questions the seeming importance of order and unity and explores whether there can be more than one way of solving a puzzle, telling a tale or living in time.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui questions and highlights the puzzles that underlie human relations (emotional, intellectual, sexual). And also the morphology of the body and such intangibles as musical traditions inspired by and woven together from separate and multiple strands and traditions (e.g. a liturgical composition sung in Spain might have Arabic roots, buried in the sands of time).

The Avignon Festival is made-up of performances selected by the artistic directors. Every year since 2004, the Festival has taken shape with the collaboration of an artist who maps out an artistic territory. It is the Associate Artist's own questions, techniques and enthusiasm rather than his own creations that inspire the overall programme. The Festival management has so far chosen the following associate artists : Thomas Ostermeier in 2004, Jan Fabre in 2005, Josef Nadj in 2006, Frédéric Fisbach in 2007, Valérie Dréville and Romeo Castellucci in 2008, Wajdi Mouawad in 2009, Olivier Cadiot and Christoph Marthaler in 2010 and Boris Charmatz in 2011. The adventure of the Avignon Festival will continue in 2012 with Simon McBurney and in 2013 with Dieudonné Niangouna and Stanislas Nordey.

More info

Eastman – Puz/zle
10-20 July 2012 – Festival d’Avignon
www.east-man.be

Festival d’Avignon
7-28 July 2012
www.festival-avignon.com

Performing Arts

Les Ballets C de la B premieres in Amsterdam

vti — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:29:20 +0000

Miguel Moreira / Romeu Runa - The Old King

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‘A man has been abandoned by God and all the saints. He is standing on a stage covered with mines, reflecting upon himself and the world around him. While struggling with his thoughts, he decides to build a platform from which he can address the crowd. We try to unfold the thoughts of one man and the way he relates to society. A man thinking about his place in that society, looking for a solid identity that tells him more about his “raison d’être”, a man looking at society, desperately wanting to intervene and to show some kind of collective behaviour.’

INSPIRATION

For The Old King Les Ballets C de la B and Miguel Moreira gathered material as a basis on which to build the performance, such as a photograph by Daniel Blaufuks of a depressed man smoking with a book on his lap; books such as 'The Idea of Landscape' by Ana Francisca de Azevedo and 'Sexual Personae' by Camille Paglia, and a distorted body. During the creative process for the production - which was specially created for Romeu Runa - they were inspired by many more people, including Catarina Félix, Sandra Rosado and the entire team of The Old King.

WORDS

The process prior to the completed performance focussed on the different roles of the performers and how they thought about what they were doing. In these modern times people need more than ever to confront personal and collective thoughts. They have to reflect on the body, dance, theatre and drama. Moreira took the word ‘idea’ from the book by Ana Francisca de Azevedo. He has always been searching for those movements that would lead ‘the idea’ onto a stage. Moreira wanted to figure out when and why things collapse or disintegrate, when does language fail and make us reconsider meaning and significance?

In society today, the idea of movement is fully linked to the idea of progress, of moving on. “When you are sad or depressed, move on. Yes, that’s the spirit. Move on in order to stay alive, to survive, to avoid being left behind, to avoid reaching your final destination. Be like the sportsman who will not quit although he knows he will not rank best. Participation gives him a feeling of ‘mission accomplished’, a feeling that is directly linked to his efforts and sacrifices. In the tug-of-war between him and life, it feels necessary to take part, to be part of a group.” Moreira disagrees totally with this concept. Progress does not make any sense unless people give in to their feelings of restlessness, unless they jump into the unknown. If you dare to take that leap into the unknown, you take a leap towards life itself.

More info

Les Ballets C de la B/Miguel Moreira – The Old King
13-14 July 2012 – Julidans, Amsterdam
www.lesballetscdela.be
www.julidans.nl

Performing Arts

Six Belgian performances at Schöne Aussicht

vti — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:00:53 +0000

16 - 24 June 2012

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Every 2 years the SCHÖNE AUSSICHT (Bright View) festival in Stuttgart focuses on international and Baden-Württemberg children's and youth theatres for one week. Extraordinary performances from Europe and abroad are presented to the public, both theatre people and young audiences, to show the amazing variety of theatre arts for children and adolescents. Since 2004, the festival has been organised and curated by Junges Ensemble Stuttgart (JES), the city’s children's and youth theatre, since its opening one of the most renowned theatres for young audiences in Germany.

At the 8th Schöne Aussicht international children's and youth theatre festival in 2012, selected ensembles from Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary and South Africa show theatre and dance productions, performances and installations of high quality and in this way give an overview of the state of the art in children’s and youth theatre in an international context.

The Belgian companies performing at Schöne Aussicht are Nevski Prospekt, Studio ORKA, Compagnie Ea Eo, Nat Gras, KOPERGIETERY and Campo/Gob Squad.

Over the last 10 years SCHÖNE AUSSICHT has become the major international festival for children’s and youth theatre in Germany.

Along with the international programme, ten theatre companies from Baden-Württemberg show their latest productions and discuss them with other theatre professionals. The week's programme is completed with workshops and open discussions about children’s and youth theatre, its aims and latest developments. This festival is also distinguished by the fact that the encounters and conversations between the participating groups are an integral part of the programme. These kinds of “work meetings” enable exchanges that are inspirational and valuable to all.

More info
Schöne Aussicht
16 - 24 June 2012
Several locations in Stuttgart, Germany
www.schoene-aussicht.org

Performing Arts

Open House Brussels

vti — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:14:48 +0000

17-18-19 May 2012

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For the first time in Brussels 24 artistic laboratories and alternative management offices have joined together to show their practices and research in an Open House event dedicated to both public and professionals. Focusing on artistic research processes rather than on final products, these organisations provide national and international artists with time, space and tools to develop their work. In Open House these multi-disciplinary organisations take the opportunity to strengthen their bonds and show once again that Brussels is more than ever a creative and dynamic artists' city.

The Open House event will include two morning debates: the first one focusing on Slow Art, the second on the position of the artist in the contemporary artistic sector, and Brussels in particular. It will be completed by afternoon guided tours and artistic circuits offering the public a chance to get to know the organisations’ working process and the artists who bind them together.

With: Architecture Workroom, Atelier de Création sonore et radiophonique, Atelier Graphoui, Atelier Jeunes Cinéastes, Auguste Orts, Bains Connective, blancasa, Caravan Production, Constant, Danscentrum Jette, FoAM, iMal, Komplot, Maison d’Art Actuel des Chartreux, Margarita Production, MediaRuimte, Mokum, nadine, okno, Passa Porta, Pianofabriek kunstenwerkplaats, Q-O2, Soundimageculture, Vrac / L’Escaut, Workspace Brussels

The Open House event is integrated into Kunstenfestivaldesarts.

More info
Open House
17-18-19 May 2012
www.openhousebrussels.be

Performing Arts

17th International Kunstenfestivaldesarts

vti — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:59:52 +0000

4 - 26 May 2012

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Over a three-week period, some thirty works – mostly new creations – are discussed and shared with a diverse and enthusiastic audience in Brussels. It is a celebration, a moment of coming together, revealing the possibility of potential connections between different voices, aesthetics and realities. Artists based in Brussels and from all over the world, embracing a variety of disciplines, offer something concerning the world they live in and which they animate in the present. The festival supports their creations and offers a dynamic, lively and positive context where it is possible to share viewpoints without creating categories or exploiting practices or ways of looking at things. The Kunstenfestivaldesarts establishes a platform for reflection centred on a choice of works and individuals in whom it has great faith. What are they telling us? Where are we now and where should we be heading?

On the bill this year is a subtle balance between established and unknown artists, between generations, and between cultural and geographic landscapes. Leading figures in today's arts world such as William Forsythe, Claude Régy and Jérôme Bel rub shoulders with up-and-coming or unknown creators. They offer us direct and profound works that testify to the frailty of the human condition. Many of the works presented this year will astonish with their directness and immediacy: the artists literally address the audience from the stage and in our everyday environment.

While the Kunstenfestivaldesarts attempts to encompass a broad view both aesthetically and geographically, this year it has been important to focus our choices on the European continent, also through the eyes of artists from elsewhere. Brett Bailey, Faustin Linyekula and Rimini Protokoll disconcertingly reverse the situation between Europe and Africa. The profound divisions within the eastern half of the continent lie at the heart of the works by the Croatian Oliver Frljic, the Hungarians Kornél Mundruczó and Árpád Schilling, with the latter’s work embodying a fascinating reflection on the possible links between art and society. Today’s social and political Europe is echoed most pertinently in Guy Cassiers’ trilogy dedicated to Robert Musil. The artists re-evaluate the past and open up a path to the future. Drawing from Schiller, andcompany&Co.foments a future uprising. Among many of the young choreographers (such as Eleanor Bauer and Pieter Ampe & co), the watchword seems to be the formation of possible communities, hypothetical assemblies and new forms of life. The younger generation, well represented this year, has been given a heavy legacy: people who have gone hand down a great social, cultural and natural imbalance which has to be fundamentally re-thought and re-invented. Worth noting again this year is the presence of children and their delicate malleability, which is at the heart of Boris Charmatz’s magnificent new work and Inne Goris’ creation.

More info
Kunstenfestivaldesarts
4 – 26 May 2012
www.kfda.be/en

Performing Arts

tg STAN premieres in Portugal

vti — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:25:06 +0000

8 June 2012

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'Fräulein Else' was written by the Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler (1862 - 1931) in 1924. The protagonist is a nineteen-year-old woman from the well-to-do Viennese bourgeoisie who is holidaying with her aunt at a fashionable spa in San Martino di Castrozza in the Dolomites. Her days are spent in an insouciant, listless but slightly restless atmosphere, until a telegram arrives from her mother informing her that her father, a lawyer, is in financial straits. The mother is aware of the presence at the spa of Mr. Von Dorsday, a prosperous art dealer who once saved the father from financial ruin. She asks Else to approach the gentleman and urge him to help her father out of difficulty once more. Von Dorsday agrees, on condition that he can see Else naked…

Written as a monologue intérieur, this novella is an uninterrupted stream of ideas, emotions, observations and memories. We experience Else’s whimsicality at first hand, we view the people she encounters from her standpoint and we are with her as her mind wrestles with the events that befall her. As an important representative of psychoanalytical thinking – he was a personal friend of Sigmund Freud – Schnitzler always took great pains to portray the inner world of his characters as accurately as possible. In 'Fräulein Else' he capitalizes on this stream of consciousness technique to achieve his goal. With discernment and elegance, he succeeds in presenting an Else who is frivolous and sensual, headstrong, spoilt, fickle and egocentric, but who is also an intellectually and emotionally isolated young woman who has to discover her sexuality for herself and, with little outside help, define her place in a world of stifling social convention and moral narrow-mindedness.

More info
Tg STAN – Mademoiselle Else
Teatro Sao Luiz, Alkantara Festival, Lisbon (PT)
www.alkantarafestival.pt

Performing Arts

Planet Flanders in Austria

vti — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:05:51 +0000

February > June 2012

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From February till June 2012 more than twenty Flemish theatre and dance performances for children will be shown in Austria. These ‘Planet Flanders’-performances will take place during the Szene Bunte Wähne-Festival. In the spring several activities collaborate with Dschungel-Wien. On 4 April there’s a performance during the Osterfestival in Tirol. The following companies will perform in the context of ‘Planet Flanders’: Compagnie Monica (Roeselare), Kabinet K (Ghent), Tuning People en fABULEUS (Leuven), Les Ballets C de la B en Het Kip (Ghent), Nevski Prospekt (Merelbeke), Kopergietery (Ghent), Studio Orka (Ghent) en Ultima Vez / Wim Vandekeybus (Brussels).

Performing Arts

International Dance Day 2012, UNESCO – Sidi Larbi Charkaoui

vti — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:17:35 +0000

22 March 2012

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Since 1982, by the initiative of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), Dance is celebrated throughout the world every year on 29 April. In 2012, ITI will organize the celebration of the 30th anniversary of International Dance Day on 25 April at UNESCO in Paris, honoring one of the most talented dance artists of our time, the Belgian-Moroccan Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Named by UNESCO in 2011, "Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue between Arab and Western Worlds", Mr.Cherkaoui will deliver a message on the impact of Dance in society and everyday life, and will also perform at the event alongside many other artists from Japan, Norway, and Great Britain, showcasing several productions from his repertory including “Origine” and « Rein » from « Tezuka », and « Sin » from « Babel »”. Excerpts of two documentaries dedicated to the artist "Zero Degrees, Infinity" and "Rêves de Babel" will also be projected during the event.

The intention of the International Dance Day Message is to celebrate dance, to revel in the universality of this art form, to cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers and bring people together with a common language - dance.

Together with the World Dance Alliance, ITI and its Dance Committee celebrate International Dance Day at UNESCO in Paris.

More info
International Dance Day 2012
Free entrance, RSVP subject to availability: info@iti-worldwide.org
22/3/2012 at 7:30 pm
Hall I UNESCO Fontenoy, 7 place de Fontenoy, 75007 Paris
www.international-dance-day.org

Performing Arts