The Flemish Wave Revisited
THE FLEMISH WAVE REVISITED: TOWARDS AN INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUE WITH DANCE HERITAGE
Two year research project
Promoters: Nienke Reehorst and Timmy De Laet
Image: Tine Declerck
In this research, I question from my practice as choreographer and dancer what dance repertoire, and more specifically the work that emerged from the so-called ‘Flemish Wave’, means for younger generations today.
The project focuses on the legacy of influential choreographers (such as Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Wim Vandekeybus, Alain Platel, etc) who played a crucial role in the development of the contemporary dance landscape in Flanders.
The core themes of this research are the embodied transfer and critical rethinking of dance repertoire through innovative choreographic methodologies that reinterpret existing material in collaboration with new and diverse generations of dancers.
The artistic approach of this project is to reinterpret the work of pioneers by establishing a dialogue between their old choreographies and younger generations of dancers with diverse profiles (in terms of age, education, or background). The aim is to facilitate intergenerational encounters and enrich the transmission of movement vocabulary through the dancers’ personal and reflective transformation of the material. The aim is, on the one hand, to explore the extent to which existing methods aimed at the transmission of established repertoires leave space for new additions by dancers from diverse backgrounds and bodies, and, on the other hand, to develop new approaches that enable just this re-actualisation of the repertoire.
With this research, I aim to critically question the canonical status of the ‘Flemish Wave’ through a dialogue between different generations. This setup not only fundamentally enriches my interest in the body as a medium for the transmission of dance, but also engages with broader debates concerning the sustainability of dance heritage by developing new approaches to repertoire and archiving.
Zoë Demoustier
researcher
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Image: Tom Herbots
Zoë Demoustier (1995) is a performer and choreographer. She graduated in Mime at the Academy for Theater and Dance Amsterdam and Directing at the RITCS Brussels
Zoë made her debut with the solo Unfolding an Archive. In the same year she became ambassador of Dance Day trying to bring dance to and with the people and supporting other starting dance makers. Since 2022 she is connected to Ultima Vez as choreographer, resulting in the big-stage production What Remains, selected for the Belgian Theatre Festival. Last year she premiered in Montréal with Choeur Battant/Beating Choir, a co-production between BRONKS (Brussel BE) and Le Carrousel (Quebec CA). In 2025 she’ll make a new production with Ultima Vez; Heart The Silence.
Zoë worked as performer and assistant with, among others, Kabinet K, David Weber Krebs, Marcelo Evelin, Michiel Vandevelde and Alma Söderberg/ Manyone. She teached at Royal Conservatorium Antwerp, Academy for Theater and Dance Amsterdam and Kunsthumaniora Brussels.
The body is always the starting point for her strong visual performances. From movement she makes links with current and committed topics and creates documentary, choreographic work. As a choreographer she aims to make work that speaks to a broad audience, bringing different bodies, ages and abilities on stage.