On a sunny afternoon, acrobat-teacher 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 when you still do a handstand at my age.
Det, you are currently involved in Glorious Bodies by Circumstances. Can you tell us more about that performance?
Det: "It will be a movement and acrobatics show in which all six cast members are acrobats over the age of fifty-five. What was very funny was that Piet Van Dycke, the creator, originally wanted to create a show about the aging body, but after working with us for two weeks, he said, 'That's not what it's about at all, I need to come up with a different text! I don't see older people, but people who are still very eager and have a lot of energy.'"
To what extent does 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 going on tour in 2023-2024, I have to wait and see if everything is still in place.' He has to take certain things into account because of our age. If someone has pain in a knee or a wrist, it should be able to be replaced with something simpler. And actually, Piet is wiser in that regard than the group because I think there are still a few who say, 'I can still do that, and I can still do that!' Well, it also has to do with rehearsal time. As Sander mentioned as well, it's very tempting to say, 'We'll learn that easily, we still have until October,' even though we can't train together that much. In our imagination, we wanted to show in the performance what we could all still do, but I don't think we'll achieve that."
Read the full article by Mahlu Mertens in Circus Magazine #75 (June 2023).
EXIT has been selected for the TheaterFestival 2023. For the jury, EXIT was the most thrilling circus performance seen in Flanders last season. It's not hard to understand why it also became a true hit among the general public: as the pace and music intensify, you find yourself on the edge of your seat. Wonder reigns, but it is never without purpose. This work genuinely piques our curiosity about what Van Dycke, as an 'up and coming' circus maker, has in store.
Choreographer Piet Van Dycke does not fit into pigeonholes. With his innovative mix of dance, circus and acrobatics, Belgium and the Netherlands have gained a new audience favourite. "Tricks don't interest me, but the way to get there."
Interview in De Standaard, by Charlotte De Somviele.
'EXIT' premiered during the Krokusfestival in Hasselt. This immediately generated some rave reviews in Focus Knack, Theaterkrant and Etcetera.
At the Krokusfestival in Hasselt, a children's jury voted for their favorite theater performance. EXIT is the winner of this edition.
The Oerol festival has not lost its appeal after two canceled editions. Also this year, the Dutch Wadden Island shows itself from its best side, with location theater in dunes, woods and barns (and sheep next to the stage). We premiered EXIT on the 10th of June at this beautiful festival with the location version.
Circus dance, music theatre architecture and worldly mime. Piet, Timo and Elias. Those are the names of the 3 new, completely original makers that will enthusiastically start this spring with a three-year PLAN trajectory.
ON/OFF premiered at Festival Boulevard and was performed at Festival Spoffin and Festival Circolo.
For the 23rd edition of DansClick, Piet Van Dycke was interviewed by Hasan Gök. The portrait video was shot by Conni Trommlitz and was shown on big screen after the performance during the DansClick tour.
“Danshuis” is a series about dance in which every episode a dance house is presented. During the various lockdowns, these kind of dance houses were the only places where dancers and makers could still work together. Hadassah De Boer meets the makers who continue to create new work despite the lockdowns. In episode 4, Club Soda takes centre stage.
Piet Van Dycke has won the BNG Bank Dance Prize 2021 and will be featured in the Netherlands next autumn during the DansClick23 tour. The prize for outstanding choreography talent was awarded on the 25th of June in Parkstad Limburg Theaters in Heerlen during the schrit_tmacher festival.
