On a sunny afternoon, acrobat instructor Aurelia Brailowsky, dancer-acrobat Det Rijven, choreographer Janni van Goor, and juggler Sander De Cuyper gather in the courtyard of Limerick to discuss a sensitive topic: aging.
"People think you're crazy if you're still doing handstands at my age"
Det, you are currently working on Glorious Bodies by Circumstances. Could you tell us a bit more about that production?
Det: “It’s a movement and acrobatics show featuring six cast members who are all acrobats over the age of fifty-five. What was really funny was that Piet Van Dycke, the creator, originally wanted to make a show about the aging body, but after working with us for two weeks, he said: ‘This isn’t what it’s about at all; I need to come up with a different script! I don’t see older people, I see people who are still very eager and have so much energy.’”
To what extent do your experience and age impact what happens on stage?
Det: “When Piet asked me two years ago, I said: ‘Let’s first see if I’m still around by then! And if we’re touring in 2023-24, I have to wait and see if everything is still in working order.’ He has to be more mindful of certain things because of our age. If someone has pain in a knee or a wrist, we need to be able to swap that out for something simpler. And actually, Piet is wiser about that than the group is, because I think there are still a few of us thinking: ‘I can still do that, and I can still do that!’ Now, it also has to do with rehearsal time. As Sander mentioned, it’s very tempting to say: ‘We’ll learn that later, we have until October,’ while in reality, we can’t train together that much. In our imagination, we wanted to show everything we were still capable of in the performance, but I don’t think we’re going to get there.”
Read the full article by Mahlu Mertens in Circusmagazine #75 (June 2023).
EXIT has been selected for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and will be performed in Edinburgh in August 2026. An intense, physical performance about balance, risk, and connection.
In March 2026, our performance BEYOND toured throughout Switzerland as part of the Steps Dance Festival. With 19 performances, including the Swiss premiere, we played at ten diverse locations—from small mountain villages to urban settings. We reached a wide audience and were featured multiple times in the press and on the news. An intense and connecting adventure full of encounters.
The WijkJury at Zwolse theaters—a diverse group of local residents from Zwolle—attended and analyzed several performances. Ultimately, GLORIOUS BODIES was crowned the winner.
BEYOND had a fantastic first summer tour. Rain, wind, heatwaves, pigeons, wasps, barking dogs, and even power outages couldn't stop us – we proved to be Circumstances in every sense of the word.
For the 23rd edition of DansClick—a national theater tour for emerging dance and movement talent—Piet Van Dycke was interviewed by Hasan Gök. The portrait video was created by Conni Trommlitz and screened after the performance.
Circus dance, music theatre architecture, and global mime. Piet, Timo, and Elias. These are the names of the three new, completely original creators who are enthusiastically starting a three-year PLAN trajectory this spring.
ON/OFF premiered at Festival Boulevard and was performed at Festival Spoffin and Festival Circolo.
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BEYOND had a successful outdoor premiere at the Oerol Festival on Terschelling. We kicked off with the islander opening as a try-out, followed by no fewer than 14 sold-out performances during a radiant edition. It was an intense and unforgettable experience.
Rehearsals for our new production BEYOND are in full swing! This new creation will premiere in June at the OEROL Festival, followed by a summer tour across various festivals.
In December, the doors of EXIT traveled over 10,000 km and ended up in Hong Kong with our performers for an unforgettable experience: three weeks, twelve shows, special encounters, and a serious case of jet lag.
We are starting a new partnership with the international distribution agency Aurora Nova, which will support us from 2026 in the global distribution of EXIT.
As of 2024, Circumstances is part of deRUIMTE: a research and creation space at the Scheutsite in Kessel-Lo.
'I think this performance can be an encouragement for older people who might feel like their life is over.'
Rolls, somersaults, lifts, steps, handstands, up and down... GLORIOUS BODIES performed for the Wetteren audience. Hear what impression it left on the spectators in this Confessional video by De Zendelingen.
The jury considers EXIT the most exciting circus performance to be seen in Flanders last season. It is easy to understand why it became such a hit with the general public: as the tempo and music build, you find yourself increasingly on the edge of your seat. Wonder reigns, but it never feels superficial. This work leaves us genuinely curious about what else Van Dycke has in store as an up-and-coming circus maker.
Choreographer Piet Van Dycke doesn't care for labels. With his innovative blend of dance, circus, and acrobatics, Belgium and the Netherlands have gained a new audience favorite. "I'm not interested in tricks, but in the journey toward them."
Interview in De Standaard, by Charlotte De Somviele.
‘EXIT’ premiered at the Krokusfestival in Hasselt, immediately earning several glowing reviews.
At the Krokusfestival in Hasselt, a children's jury voted for their favorite theater performance. EXIT was chosen as the winner.
After two cancelled editions, the Oerol festival has lost none of its appeal. Once again, the Dutch Wadden Island is showing its best side, with site-specific theatre in dunes, forests, and barns (and sheep right next to the stage). On June 10th, we premiered the site-specific version of EXIT at this beautiful festival.
We’ve kicked off the year on a high note. At the beginning of January, we were in residence at Cirklabo, located in the iconic Predikherenkerk.
"Danshuis" is a program about dance that focuses on a different dance house in each episode. During the various lockdowns, these dance houses were the only places where dancers and creators could still work and come together. Hadassah De Boer meets the creators who, despite the lockdown, continue to create new work. Episode 4 focuses on Club Soda.
