From 8 to 18 December 2022, the fifteenth edition of December Dance takes place in Brugge. The ten-day festival for contemporary dance has again lined up quite a few surprising dance performances by exceptional (inter)national talent. During this edition too, December Dance builds bridges between artists and audiences. Jan Martens, Aina Alegre (world premiere), Trajal Harrell and Christian Rizzo are just some of the names to look forward to. The arrival of Sigrid Janssens as new artistic coordinator is also worth mentioning.
Ten days of the best contemporary dance from home and abroad: powerfully strong choreography with social relevance; that is the success recipe of December Dance. The festival is an annual pivotal moment in the dance world. Established names clash with fresh talent and seasoned festival-goers meet new visitors. This edition will be a real dynamic explosion full of drive and risk-taking, and this is reflected in the December Dance programme because for many artists and choreographers, a new chapter is finally opening after a long period of pandemic-related standstill. "December Dance has really grown into an important festival with international reach," says Sigrid Janssens, artistic coordinator of Dans in Brugge since this season. "This is partly due to the city's long tradition of cultural tourism, but also to the high quality of the programme. The large and small players of the unique urban dance platform Dans in Brugge help guarantee that quality and make it possible to programme large international productions alongside more intimate small-venue productions."
December Dance opens explosively with the Belgian premiere c a r c a s s (Belgian premiere) by Marco da Silva Ferreira in which exuberant footwork serves as the motor and European folk dances are merged with the physical vocabulary of contemporary urban dance. This will be a crowd-pleaser par excellence.
A not-to-be-missed group choreography is Jan Martens' any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones. This is the deafening ode to civil disobedience by a seventeen-member ensemble, with dancers aged 17 to 70.
Those seeking intimacy can look forward to miramar by Christian Rizzo / ICI-CCN Montpellier and enjoy a poetic dance performance that immerses the viewer in the steady ebb and flow of the individual versus the group.
Also impressive is t u m u l u s by François Chaignaud & Geoffroy Jourdain. During this ritual procession, thirteen singing and dancing bodies move as one collective body across a landscape of burial mounds (tumuli).
Trajal Harrell brings with The Köln Concert a surprisingly tender 'vogue-choreography' set to the music of piano phenomenon Keith Jarrett.
promise me by laGeste & hetpaleis is a prime example of the drive that characterises this edition. In this recklessly physical performance, five children and two adults let go of control and stare risk straight in the eye.
Also Into the open – a cross-over between dance and concert – by VOETVOLK (Lisbeth Gruwez) promises a solid energy boost.
Katja Heitmann takes a new step with motus mori: reliquiem in her participatory project about archiving movement and focuses her gaze on the imitation of movements. What remains of your movements when another person becomes the 'heir' to them?
Discover for the first time c a r a c a s s (Belgian premiere) by Marco da Silva Ferreira, THIS IS NOT « an act of love & resistance » (world premiere) by Aina Alegre / Studio fictif and Eye, Lash! (Belgian premiere) by Kat Válastur.
In short, December Dance is a winter must-do for anyone who loves dance and is curious about what is happening in the contemporary scene.
More info and full programme at decemberdance.be & dansinbrugge.be