The Cliniques Dramaturgiques are coming to Ghent!

From 29 September to 2 October 2022, les enfants du garage will organise the first edition of the Cliniques Dramaturgiques on Belgian soil, in Ghent.

Originally developed by Jessie Mill within the framework of the Canadian Festival TransAmériques (FTA) as a basis for inspiring support for local arts practices on the one hand and the development of an open dramaturgic platform on the other, the Cliniques Dramaturgiques are evolving into an intercontinental collaboration with a first Ghent edition in collaboration with Belgian partners arts centres CAMPO and NONA and Canadian partners FTA and LA SERRE – arts vivants.

For this project, les enfants du garage brings together eight international dramaturgs for a conversation on dramaturgical practices in support of various artistic processes. Not “what is dramaturgy” forms the subject of this four-day event but “how do we do it”.

Moreover, based on this focus, for the Ghent edition the Cliniques invite several local artist-dramaturg duos to give an insight into their dramaturgical dialogue during An abundance of dramaturgical voices on 29/9/2022. And on the same day, Jeroen Peeters will present his new book And then it got legs: notes on dance dramaturgy.

In addition, at scheduled moments, the dramaturgs present will make their expertise available to local artists free of charge. They can sign up for a 90min dramaturgy tête-à-tête during which an intensive and enthusiastic listening and reflection around their specific practice will be offered.

invited dramaturgs: Bart Van den Eynde, Émilie Martz-Kuhn, Jessie Mill, Riccardo Fazi, Sara Vanderieck & Yohayna Hernandez joined by Audrey Apers & PAX.

An abundance of dramaturgical voices

On Thursday September 29th, les enfants du garage oragizes An abundance of dramaturgical voices as part of the first Belgian edition of the Cliniques Dramaturgiques, a full day of dramaturgical practice in which duos will give an insight into their dialogue. Dive into the universe of Kopano Maroga & Jan Wallyn, Kristof Van Baarle & Kris Verdonck, Esther Severi & Einat Tuchman, Riccardo Fazi & Benno Steinegger, Bart Van den Eynde & Charlotte Bouckaert and Sara Vanderieck & Lisi Estaras.

When? 29 September from 10am to 4.30pm – Where? Campo Victoria Fratersplein 1, 9000 Ghent – For whom? anyone with an interest in dramaturgical practice – Language? English – How much? Free – How? By registration, subject to availability. Register here.

And then it got legs: notes on dance dramaturgy

Book launch by Jeroen Peeters, with oral annotations by Heike Langsdorf and Kristof Van Baarle

Drawing on his experience in the field of contemporary dance, in And then it got legs: Notes on dance dramaturgy Jeroen Peeters discusses principles, methods and practices that contribute to an understanding of dramaturgy as an experimental, collaborative practice and a material form of thinking. How do you set up conditions for the work to come about? How do you create a shared ground for exploring the unfamiliar in pursuit of making sense? The book is written from practice and reflects a particular history of collaboration and conversation with various dance-makers.

            And then it got legs is published by Varamo Press and will be launched in the framework of Cliniques Dramaturgiques. Dance-making and dramaturgy thrive on embodied knowledge, oral transmission and a culture of commoning. This spirit guides the presentation too: performance artist Heike Langsdorf and dramaturg Kristof Van Baarle will respond to the book with oral annotations, followed by a conversation with Jeroen Peeters.

Jeroen Peeters is an essayist, dramaturg and performer based in Brussels. He has published widely on contemporary dance and on issues such as ecologies of attention, readership, embodied knowledge, material literacy and sustainable development. Publications include a book on Meg Stuart’s work, Are we here yet? (2010), the essay collection on spectatorship in dance Through the Back: Situating Vision between Moving Bodies (2014) and an essay on Mette Edvardsen’s work, Something Some things Something else (2019). Peeters is currently a research fellow at Hasselt University, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, and PXL-MAD School of Arts.

When? 29 September from 6pm to 7.30pm – Where? Campo Victoria Fratersplein 1, 9000 Ghent – Language? English – How much? Free – How? By registration, subject to availability. Register here.


this edition of the Cliniques Dramaturgiques is possible thanks to the financial support of Stad Gent – Cultuur Gent and the grant for cultural collaboration Flanders-Quebéc 2021-2023

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