Rosas

Thursday 20 February is the opening of the festival Body of Work! Body of Work is a festival for living dance heritage, organised by STUK Leuven. During this first edition of the festival, the performance Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich by Rosas is the focal point.

The opening night of Body of Work presents in a nutshell what the festival has to offer over the next two weeks. The chance to (re)discover the work Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich, danced and interpreted by different generations of dancers and unfolded in an exposition. A celebration and exploration of how a classic can continue to move and inspire young and old, dancers and audiences.

On the occasion of the opening, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker herself dances Violin Phase, the solo she created in New York in 1981 and that laid the foundations not only for this piece, but also for her metier and career as a choreographer. In 2024, Fase first entered the repertoire of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. Two dancers from Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Jasmine Achtari and Madison Vomastek, are bringing their Piano Phase to STUK. During a workshop, the dance and music students from the Kunsthumaniora Lemmensinstituut delved into the underlying principles of the music and movements of Clapping Music and Violin Phase. On the opening night, they share their own take on the work. Together they form a lineage of dancers who share the work while dancing, enabling it to be continually reborn over the span of more than 40 years.

The expo Unfolding Fase is a specially curated exhibition for the Body of Work festival, it allows the audience to dive deeper into the performance. Through archival materials, video works, photographs, and interviews with dancers from the different generations, one gains insight into the creation, structure, and resonance of the performance. The exhibition will be open from February 20 to March 9.

Finally, the film Leuven danst Rosas danst Rosas will be presented, in which a few dozen Leuven dancers of various ages and dance backgrounds dance the famous chair scene of Rosas danst Rosas - that other iconic piece from 1983 - at prominent locations in Leuven.

PRACTICAL

• 19:00 start reception in STUKcafé

•  19:30 Official opening Body of Work / Welcome by Saïd El Khadraoui and Delphine Hesters (STUK), Caroline Gennez (Flemish Minister for Culture), Mohamed Ridouani (Mayor of Leuven) and Luc Sels (Rector of the KULeuven)

• 20:30: Violin Phase - Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker - STUK Studio

•  21:00: Students in dance and music of De Kunsthumaniora Lemmensinstituut perform their version of Fase - Verbeeckzaal

•  21:30: Piano Phase - Jasmine Achtari & Madison Vomastek (Opera Ballet Vlaanderen) - STUK Studio

•  21:30 - 23:00: Film Leuven danst Rosas danst Rosas (Dansvloer en David Jacobs) - STUKcafé en Vitrine (in loop)

•  22:00 - … : Body of Work opening night - DJ Pastige

➤ Ongoing: Expo Unfolding Fase, with activation Pendulum Music (Steve Reich) - Expozaal

More information on the website of STUK Leuven