Dansand!
Flanders, as we know, has an uncomfortable relationship with Brussels. The latter might be the official capital of the former, but, to many residents of both, that is neither particularly evident nor relevant.
then Brussels will come to you
Dansand understands this and, every two years, invites the abundant dance and choreographic talent that resides in Brussels to Ostend for a long weekend. If the Flemish will not come to Brussels, a rich and rewarding part of Brussels will come to them.
Performers at Dansand work, live or have studied in the capital, and the festival is curated by Kathleen Van Langendonck, programmer at Brussels’ Kaaitheater. Former editions have found Wim Vandekeybus’ powerful dancers climbing ladders straight into the air, against the backdrop of the open sea; Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui tumbling around, rubbing sand into his hair; and dancers coupled along the beach, their energetic pieces made all the more difficult in the soft sand.
Charlotte Vanden Eynde, meanwhile, who studied at P.A.R.T.S dance school in Brussels, took her performance straight into the water four years ago (pictured). She has been asked back this year, where she forms one of the performances in a new Dansand initiative called First Dates, in which dancers and musicians play on the beach stage together, in a performance that is largely improvisational on both sides.
The beach stage is a hard surface but covered in sand. Performers can only practice on the stage a few days before their performances, where they are also at risk of being hampered by the wind and weather. That’s part of the inventiveness of Dansand – to embrace the challenges posed by a coastal environment. Even if it rains, says Vanden Eynde, “we’re supposed to carry on. We have to try to imagine how it will be”.
The Flemish dancer is performing with Ghent jazz pianist Christian Mendoza. The pair have practiced very little to make the performance more spontaneous, but Vanden Eynde knows essentially how she wants to dance – in a way that works specifically with the outdoor environment. “I work a lot with my hands,” she says. “I will move them in such a way that it looks like I’m touching or feeling something.” The entire performance, she says, will reflect a journey, “like a trip with music and movement”.
The other First Date is between dancer Samuel LeFeuvre of Brussels company Peeping Tom and the marvellously eclectic Stef Kamil Carlens of the Zita Swoon Group.
Another must-see at Dansand, meanwhile, is Meg Stuart’s Damaged Goods in Atelier II. Even if you’ve seen the original Atelier – in which the audience sits on scaffolding that encircles the dancers – you’ll want to sign up for this adapted version; bulldozers are working now to dig out our seats in the sand.
The final night headliner spot, though, belongs to Needcompany’s 25 Moves, a celebration of a remarkable 25 years of success for co-creators Jan Lauwers and Grace Ellen Barkey, who have set trends in dance/theatre fusions both at home and abroad.
Every night of Dansand closes with a DJ-hosted after-party, where you can show off your own personal moves.
Many performances at Dansand are free, though most on the Beach Stage require a ticket. Tickets can be purchased for individual performances; a festival pass is available for €50 in advance
28 June to 1 July
Along the boardwalk of Ostend
About the author
Lisa Bradshaw is the editor-in-chief of Flanders Today. She worked as an editor and journalist in her homeland, the United States, before moving to the awesome city of Ghent in 2004. If she’s not in the office, she’s probably at a film festival.
