La Chaleur starts from the longing to be one body, a choir of many. How can we be ourselves and the other at the same time? By connecting our voices and our breath, Madeleine Fournier suspects. In other words: by singing. On the basis of the iconic baroque music of Henry Purcell and the figures of the Muses, Fournier creates a unique form between opera and experimental dance. Spectacular and yet intimate, this performance celebrates the cycle of life and death, of bodies that cross each other, of people that pass on warmth.

Rain (2001) is one of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s most characteristic performances, set to Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. Seven women and three men allow themselves to be propelled by an unstoppable joined energy. They are connected by a lively network of breathing and speed, as well as the special comradery that forms when you are beyond fatigue. In 2016, Rain was reprised with a new cast, premièring at the Royal Circus.

Three performers spend three quarters of an hour turning around their own axis – a movement that in Sufi ceremonies is thought to lead to religious euphoria. In Miet Warlop’s version, it becomes an experiment on the fine line between maintaining and losing control. It is a combination of swirling dance, recital and concert. How can you find a balance between self-control and devotion?

This special repertory evening will present three early works by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, each of which is based on a piece of classical music. The programme features a combative choreography set to the layered rhythms and harmonies of Bartók’s Quartet n°4, a group piece that defies gravity and depicts the ingenious counterpoint in Beethoven’s Die Grosse Fuge, and a shamelessly romantic duet set to Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht. Ictus and the Brussels Philharmonic will accompany the pieces live especially for the Brussels series.

French choreographer and philosopher Noé Soulier is convinced that watching dance is just as creative as dancing itself. In this latest creation, he presents six dancers and two percussionists. The drum sounds add commas and full stops, punctuating or pausing a series of movements, or initiate new actions. Soulier explores the intersection of extremely precise dance writing and pure improvisation! 

What would happen if we were to abandon verticality after centuries of walking upright? This question is the starting point of Laurent Chétouane’s new creation. Two male and one female dancer search for new equilibriums in a disjointed setting. A violinist accompanies them live onstage with Bach’s Partita for Violin no. 1 in B-minor.