What's on this week: 11 December

Fortunately for Brussels, this December Dance highlight is making a second appearance before leaving the country. It’s the latest work by New Zealand choreographer Lemi Ponifasio and his MAU company, who were tapped by December Dance curator Wim Vandekeybus precisely because Vandekeybus is interested in “things that are furthest from my own work”. Where the Flemish choreographer often brings in a rock band to supply his soundtrack, Ponifacio relies on the raw human voice and percussive breathing. His work is also politically charged; his advocacy of human rights has made him a hot commodity in some circles and a persona non grata in others. Stones in Her Mouth features 10 Maori women who communicate their oppression through chant and dance. It’s powerful, otherwordly stuff.
13-14 December, 20.00 │ KVS, Brussels
www.kvs.be

’Tis the season for holiday decoration, and the first step in any respectable home is the acquisition of a Christmas wreath to greet visitors at the front door. Sure, you could buy one, but that’s no fun at all. Let your kids handle it. The National Botanic Garden of Belgium (which is soon to be administered by the Flemish government after years of regional wrangling) hosts a wreath-making workshop for kids aged six to 12. The garden supplies the all-natural materials as well as a drink and a cookie. For their part, the children supply the imagination and the elbow grease. Mum and dad need only supply a fee of €17.50.
14 December, 14.00 │ National Botanic Garden, Meise
www.plantentuinmeise.be

Adapted from Mandela’s own memoir, British director Justin Chadwick’s Long Walk to Freedom is an intimate look at the South African leader (played by Idris Elba) and his wife Winne (Naomie Harris). Chadwick (The First Grader) follows the young Mandela from a bucolic youth to his early law career in Johannesburg to his arrest and lengthy incarceration and finally to his release and landmark moment as the first democratically elected president of the Republic of South Africa. Critics anticipate Oscar nominations for the film and its lead. The upcoming Belgian premiere is especially poignant in light of Mandela’s death last week at the age of 95.
17 December, 20.00 │ Bozar, Brussels
www.bozar.be

Kundry: Three German singers channel Richard Wagner’s titular femme fatale in three different styles at three different locations. The (three-part) performance begins at the Kapellekerk, continues at the Brigittines and ends at the repurposed railway station Recyclart
19 December 19.00 at Kapellekerk, Kapellemarkt
www.goethe.org

The Animals: Like many rock groups from the ’60s, these British Invasion hit-makers have splintered into different units, each claiming the name and the fame of the original combo. The current line-up features founding drummer John Steel but not singer Eric Burdon or guitarist Hilton Valentine
14 December 20.15 at Liers CC, Aarschotsesteenweg 3
www.lierscultuurcentrum.be

Hamlet: The Brussels Opera stages a 21st-century version of French composer Ambroise Thomas’ 19th-century adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless 16th-century drama
Until 22 December at De Munt, Muntplein
www.demunt.be

The Lonesome Dreamer: Flemish singer/guitarist Paul Michiels climbed the international charts with his pop group Soulsister in the 1980s and has since remained active as a solo artist. This one-man show tells his life story through monologue and song
13-14 December 20.00 at Zwaneberg, Cultuurplein 1
www.zwaneberg.be

Shadows and Lanterns: Original shadow puppets, optical illusions, magic lanterns and an elaborate, Rube Goldberg-style praxinoscope show us what entertainment looked like before the advent of modern cinema
Until 26 January at Autrique-huis, Haachtsesteenweg 266
www.autrique.be

MK Čiurlionis: Dreaming of Lithuania: Last chance to see this unique sound-and-vision retrospective on the career of the 19th-century Lithuanian Symbolist synaesthete
Until 15 December at Museum of Fine Arts, Fernand Scribedreef 1
www.mskgent.be