Mere seconds

Easter break isn't in Piet Van Dycke's (27) vocabulary. This week, he is rehearsing in Destelheide in Dworp with his "glorious bodies" (also the title of his new show), a group of circus artists between 53 and 67 years old who still perform somersaults and handstands as if they were nimble youngsters. It’s also a busy time due to the many circus festivals that will soon usher in spring. With the humorous balance duet On point, Van Dycke is heading to Hopla! in Brussels, and during the MAD festival in Antwerp, Exit will be performed with Park Spoor Noord as the backdrop.

With that last show in particular, Van Dycke—previously dubbed "the best acrobatic dancer of his generation" in this newspaper—proved he is here to stay. At first glance, the installation for Exit—a gray, two-story apartment building—seems rather colorless. That is, until the doors begin to float and one of the walls transforms into a life-sized balance board that the four circus artists, who specialize in dance acrobatics, teeterboard, and aerial straps, slide down like monkeys. "Whenever we perform for schools, that’s invariably the moment all the kids pull out their smartphones," Van Dycke laughs. "Afterward, they mimic the choreography on the playground and send us videos."

In Exit, the acrobats must constantly keep each other in balance, which is almost a matter of life and death—or at the very least, of injury or no injury. If someone balances their weight a little too confidently, the rotating wall shifts, and the whole group goes crashing to the ground. "I've seen the piece about eighty times now, but the tension is still just as high," says Van Dycke. "So much can go wrong; sometimes it comes down to a few mere seconds. Or a dancer gets so much energy from the audience that they shift into a higher gear, but then the rest of the group is put at risk." It is precisely because of that togetherness that circus is the ultimate medium for Van Dycke. "It’s about connection; you are dependent on one another. In solo disciplines, like Chinese pole or trapeze, the relationship to the object is central. But I prefer to play with the relationship between people. For every show, I do extensive preliminary research. For me, the work only makes sense if there is a personal connection and the group enjoys themselves outside of rehearsals, too. The performers call me the bossman, but also 'Papa Piet,' because I want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin." (laughs)

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Tightrope walking

Just like Alexander Vantournhout, Van Dycke has one foot in the circus world and the other in dance. Between the ages of six and eighteen, he learned the ropes at Circusatelier Salto in Tienen. Van Dycke started with tightrope walking, developed a taste for trapeze and silks, and ended up in partner acrobatics. "I didn't like the first lesson, but my parents made me try it three times. Later, the spark finally caught, because in circus—unlike competitive sports like soccer or basketball—you can just move freely. Working hard and having fun go hand in hand. That is still my motto." Through Fabuleus, the Leuven-based production house for young people, Van Dycke also discovered his passion for dance. "At circus school, we mainly learned tricks, but I always found the journey toward them more interesting. From choreographer Karolien Verlinden, I learned that dance can be something other than the narrative show dance seen in *So You Think You Can Dance*. She worked with everyday actions. In *Exit*, too, my biggest source of inspiration is my street in Leuven, where I live with my partner. Every day, my neighbors and I leave the house and come home in the evening, yet we remain strangers. Don't we share more with each other than we think?" After his dance training at the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts in Tilburg, Van Dycke made the reverse move: he founded the company Circumstances, with which he primarily collaborates with circus performers. "They are so used to challenging themselves and pushing all the limits within a certain framework. Dancers are a bit too well-behaved; they rarely get me on the edge of my seat as an audience member."

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Rat race

Just as he weaves different genres together—from acrobatics to dance, circus, and slapstick—Van Dycke feels at home in many contexts and with many audiences, including in the Netherlands, where he won the BNG Bank Dance Award in 2021. "My company is called Circumstances because we seek out different circumstances every time: one time we perform in a classic theater, the next in a sheep shed in the countryside, or on location in the city. We use various circus techniques, create shows with young people and seniors... That way, it stays interesting for me, and as a creator, I have to reinvent myself every time."

Anyone looking at the performance schedule can see that things are moving fast for Van Dycke. Next season, no fewer than three shows will premiere: *Glorious Bodies* with circus artists over 50, *Beyond the Edge* with young people at Fabuleus, and *Foon*, a project with his collective dOFt (read: dance or theater) which he co-founded. International opportunities are also beckoning. "I'm a 'yes man,' so sometimes there’s little breathing room left," Van Dycke admits. "My schedule is full until 2026. That stability is nice, but equally frightening. *Exit* is also about that rat race of life. Still, I keep both feet on the ground because I know how fragile art is. You never know how something will be received. But as long as everyone on my team is happy and gets recognition for their hard work, I am happy."

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