Projects
Conservatorium and deSingel
The dance programme undertakes collaborations with the other departments of the Conservatoire for interdisciplinary projects and with art campus deSingel for workshops, lectures, performances and meetings with artists who perform in deSingel.
Artist from the working field
Next to the regular classes given by the staff team, the programme invites choreographers and guest teachers from the actual working field on a regular basis. Recent collaborations were set up with Jan Martens, Anton Lachky, Tijen Lawton, Tony Vezich, Maria (Masha) Kolegova, Inaki Azpillaga, Navala (Niku) Chaudari, Filip Van Huffel, Helder Seabra, Daniel Linehan, Renan Martins de Oliveira, Agostina D’Allesandro, Tuur Marinus, Claire Croizé, Jos Baker, Marta Coronado, Liza Penkova, David Hernandez, Ricardo Ambrozio, Lisi Esteras, Adam Benjamin, Said Gharbi, Leif Firnhaber, Vera Tussing a.o.
Companies
For repertoire and workshops, the programme collaborates with the companies Eastman-Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Peeping Tom- Gabriela Carrizo, Franck Chartier, Ultima Vez-Wim Vandekeybus, Rosas- Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker a.o.
Creations and own work
The programme encourages and supports students to develop their own creative voice and artistic identity as a dance artist. Improvisation, composition and choreography are important pillars within the curriculum.
Productions are created together with artists from the professional field and in dialogue with the students. Each year group works intensively with a choreographer and the pieces are shown in the theatres of the Conservatoire, deSingel and beyond. There are several times of presentation during the year.
Own work gets attention in choreography lessons. In the second bachelor year, students create a site-specific solo for themselves in which they are inspired by the many spaces in and around the art campus.
In the third bachelor year, students create a group work for fellow students from the first and second bachelor. In addition, they create a final solo for themselves, wherein the collaboration with a composer and musician is a central element for both the creation process and the execution. During these work processes the students are guided individually.
NextDoors
During one week during the academic year, all students of the conservatoire get the opportunity to work together on their own, process-oriented and interdisciplinary projects. The week is separate from the curriculum or any form of assessment and focuses mainly on the exchange between the dance, theatre and music students and the interdisciplinary dialogue and cooperation.
Inclusive Dance
Since 2014 inclusive dance practice has become an official part of the curriculum. Students of the dance programme and guest dancers with a physical or mental disability have classes together, do research, exchange, make performances and learn from each other. The project includes a labo-research group, a summer school at art campus deSingel and a yearly symposium with workshops, performances, debates, collaborations with international teachers and artists who are engaged in the social artistic working field and the integrated dance practice.
In 2018, the journalism students at the AP Hogeschool made a documentary for the Inclusive Dance Festival. Click here to watch the video.
Productions
Productions & tours
- The Weight of the Skin: Created by Tijen Lawton, performed by bachelor 1 students en dancers from Labo Inclusieve Dance (2019-2020).
- PIE created by Grace Ellen Barkey & Needcompany, performed by bachelor 2 students: premiered in December Dance 2019 in Bruges (2019-2020).
- In Lover's Eyes choreographer Renan worked together with Martins de Oliveira from bachelor 3 Dance. His choreography reflects the challenge the 14 graduating dancers will have to face soon. The performance was a part of Dansand, the Festival for Dance and Movement in Ostend (2018-2019).
- Mayday Mayday festival Campo Gent: an opportunity for young dancers to showcase their work. The bachelor 3 students performed their own choreography (2018-2019).
- Symposium Inclusive Dance: Common Ground by PlatformK and workshops with Vera Tussing, Said Gharbi, Leif Firnhaber, Adam Benjamin, Lisi Esteras (2017-2018).
- Nowruz Festival, an organisation by Nona, the art center in Mechelen: visit and exchange programme with artists from Iran (2017-2018).
- Choreographer Tuur Marinus resumed his Still Animals performance with bachelor 3 students during the 'Nuit Blanche' of the Natural History Museum in Brussels and the 'Bouge B' festival in DeSingel (2016-2017).
- Productions within the context of the final performance were performed in Cultuurhuis De Warande in Turnhout and at the Dansand festival in Ostend. (2017)
- A collaboration with Toneelhuis, Guy Cassiers and Maud Le Pladec for the performance Grensgeval led to an international tour for our Bachelor 2 students with the Avignon Festival in France as a highlight (2016-2017).
- Under the direction of Michel Yang and Staf Vos, the students produced site-specific work for the exhibition Zot Geweld/Dwaze Maagd in the museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen. (2016)
- The project Venn, based on the work of choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoi and Damien Jalet, was created under the direction of choreographer Iris Bouche. Together with students, musicians and the artistic team of the programme, this performance played a successful series at the Conservatory, deSingel and HETPALEIS (2015-2016).