Round-table conversation on crip, dance and choreography in Belgium

Belgium is internationally renowned for its vibrant contemporary dance scene. Since the advent of the so-called ‘Flemish Wave’ in the late 1980s, it has been home to not only renowned companies like Rosas, Les Ballets C de la B, Ultima Vez and Damaged Goods but also a thriving community of lesser-known choreographers. Additionally, the country also houses several important art centres for dance, as well as the internationally acclaimed school for contemporary dance, P.A.R.T.S. Amidst this dynamic scene, however, a silence looms – a scarcity of inclusivity, particularly the absence of disabled and crip performers. Even though trailblazing choreographers like Alain Platel and Wim Vandekeybus have long pushed against traditional bodily norms, integrating non-trained dancers into their works, Belgium’s disability-centred dance scene remains relatively small, lagging behind its UK and US counterparts. In this round-table, we – Jonas Rutgeerts and Leni Van Goidsenhoven – joined forces with Fanny Vandesande, Anna Dujardin, Saïd Gharbi, Lisi Estaras and Inge Blockmans to delve into the positioning of disabled dancers and choreographers in Flanders. Together, we explored the burgeoning recognition of disability and crip aesthetics in this vibrant dance landscape.