"They did not know it was impossible, so they did it" – Mark Twain
With this punchy one-liner we can best describe the driving forces behind Junior Ballet Antwerp: Alain Honorez & Altea Nuñez. Two artists with an impressive portfolio. With their years of stage experience on national and international stages, they are now the guide and inspiration for emerging talent. Belgium has developed over the past decades into an international crossroads of dance, an ideal basis to build on, and they are doing so with vigor. This tandem has delivered outstanding work over the past seasons with their strong and inspiring leadership. Their starting point with this experience-focused program for dancers is to facilitate the complex transition from student to professional. Excellence and performance are central. Equally important: understanding and respect between dancers, teachers, dance coaches and choreographers. In the meantime, JBA has grown into an organization that stands out nationally and internationally with a record of no less than 80% of alumni who found work within and outside Europe after the two-year program.
Previous productions were impressive: Cinderella, James, Furore… so expectations are high. 'FLOW' is a triptych of contemporary creations, inspired by the fluidity of dance and brought to life by three diverse makers: Altea Nuñez, British choreographers Douglas Lee and Ihsan Rustem. Each chose a different soundscape.
'Horizon'
Choreography Altea Nuñez, music Hans Zimmer and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
The talent of in-house choreographer Altea Nuñez has had time to mature. She also does not get stuck in past successes, but continues to develop. Adapting and innovating is an ongoing process for an artist. In this choreography, she no longer pins herself down to a predetermined framework, a creation that has taken a different path and has developed stylistically. She chose the music of Hans Zimmer for the film 'Dune' as a catchy hook, which evokes images of deserts, rituals and colors. The beautiful lighting by Gloria Montesimos creates atmosphere, makes the whole complete. In improvisation sessions with the dancers, a creative group, she found the images she was looking for. Feeling, experimenting, without being emphatic. The movement process unfolds almost organically. With each creation it comes down to being able to find and let go of each other in time.
The opening image shows the dawn: an orange-red background, colors that transform to gray and blue in the course of the work. Colors that embrace and show the change of action. The scene is empty, like the immense expanse of the desert. Deep on the stage right back there is a wriggling mass of bodies in dark outfits on the ground. Standing in the middle of it is a figure in white, a messiah. They crawl diagonally forward, undulating like the ever-changing sand dunes. The movement is displayed by the men, with bare torsos, in all its muscular beauty; the girls show girl power. In addition to groundwork there is also much spatial work. There are beautiful and intimate partner moments in it: man/woman, man/man and trios alongside ensemble scenes. A group of 21 dancers moving simultaneously or in canon makes an impression. Nuñez has studied the musical score, its utmost refinement. Carried by the strong signature of the composers, a beautiful artistic symbiosis emerges. All possible variations are covered, including often technically difficult lifts. The young dancer in white outfit, Italian Ludovic Gallo, impresses with his featherlight jumps; he moves through space almost like a tuft.
This choreography by in-house choreographer Altea Nuñez is surprisingly distinctive, testifying to professional maturity and development.
'Double Future'
Choreography Douglas Lee, music Mika Vainio, Peter Scherer, Nicolas Sàvva
For this assignment, Douglas Lee wanted to create a choreography that establishes a kind of relationship between human impulse and mechanical logic. Humans and machines are not opposites, but intertwined systems that rewrite each other's contribution in a new reality. With AI on the rise, a very timely issue. This also fits with the versatile perspective and broad range of dance forms at JBA. The performance starts with thirteen sharply defined silhouettes at the back of the stage. Douglas Lee uses robot-like movements to completely overturn the usual codes, blurs visual boundaries and developed a complex narrative language peppered with subtle humor. Human and mechanical movement compete in repetition and tempo. A shifting of standing like a monolith, slow motion, uniform steps, intense movements to turbulence in a visual play of lines. Everything fits together precisely; the group of bodies sometimes works like a mechanism, then again like an organism. The message is clear: beauty lies in imperfection, cracks tell stories, and music forms the bridge between vulnerability and strength.
'The Winding Road'
Choreography Ihsan Rustem, music Johann Johannsson, Ezio Bosso, Caetano Veloso
Ihsan Rustem is an extremely original choreographer who is currently in demand worldwide. A man with expansive ideas. JBA was able to collaborate with him in 2023 for his version of the iconic Bolero by Ravel.
When the curtain opens, the scene is shrouded in a dark, misty universe. The dancers wear a purple/brown outfit; only their hands and head stand out pale against it. The movements the group makes are not spectacular, but due to perfect synchronization they are visually powerful. The compelling concentration is fascinating. The dancers dive, glide tirelessly across the scene. Again, beautiful lighting here, playing with shadow and light, negative and positive, constantly giving a contrasting color. Towards the end, the gray fades and is replaced by a warm glow. Ihsan Rustem lets the music turn multiple times from fast to slow, contemporary classical and towards the end the playful, warm song by Brazilian singer and composer Caetano Veloso from the tropicalia movement, where the dancers move groovy and looser and where you as a spectator instantly feel happy.
FLOW can be summed up as a physical tour de force full of dedication and commitment, unadulterated dance lust, an extremely varied soundtrack and atmospheric lighting.
This young group of dancers makes an impression. They are omni-talented and deployable, have excellent technique and overwhelming stage presence. It was in one word: enjoyable.
After the last performance of the season on Sunday afternoon, an entire class spreads its wings. Wonderful all-round dancers to whom we wish a brilliant future. A whole series of new candidates from all corners of the world are now ready to join JBA during the season '26/'27.