teachback Brussels 2015

From November 2 to 6, 2015 (daily from 10 to 17h) a teachback series of sessions took place at the studios of Ultima Vez in Brussels. This teachback activity was defined as research activity at the interface between creation and education. Together with the participants, current forms of teaching and producing dance and theatre with children and teenagers were explored. The research activity was all about exchanging relevant skills and individual knowledge. Its aim was also to question methods and to introduce new approaches in working with young non-professionals. Participants were engaged in a research process through peer- to-peer discussions, but also in actual workshops with children and youngsters from the local community Ultima Vez is part of. The participants were highly skilled professionals with a lot of experience in working with children and youngsters

The teachback sessions were led by Seppe Baeyens, a young experienced artist and teacher, and by Wim Vandekeybus himself. The international team of participants (dancers/choreographers/artists/dance teachers) consisted of Larisa Navojec, Tala Dance Centre (Zagreb), Tamara Curić, Tala Dance Centre (Zagreb), Karolien Verlinden, Tuning People (Belgium), Jorge Guevara Larrotta, Mus-e (Belgium), Ricardo Ambrozio, Ultima Vez a.o (Portugal)., Rob Hayden, Ultima Vez a.o. (USA), Eduardo Torroja, Ultima Vez a.o. (Spain) and Gala Moody, Ultima Vez a.o (Australia).

During morning sessions, the professionals worked on their own. In the afternoons, methods , approaches and (new) formats were put in practice with a group of nine children and youngsters: Julian, Ischa, Briek, Nino, Chisom, Bassam, Leonie, Prince and Selma. All of them children and youngsters from Brussels and Ghent, with a certain experience in artistic projects or having been involved in previous workshops of Seppe. 

At the beginning of the first session on the first day, participants introduced themselves and their practices to each other. Sources of inspiration and actual work and practices were demonstrated and explained through books, photos, videomaterial, talking.

For the whole duration of the week, a ‘living’ library was installed with lots of material that covideo collected, exchanged and borrowed for the duration of the week. This table became a collective inspiring library for all participants.

Every new day started with an evaluation of both the discussed methods and approaches as well as the actual practices of the afternoons with the children and youngsters. As such, participants were able to both enrich and widen their own methods as learn and get in touch with new approaches and practices.

At the end of the week, an evaluation moment took place with all participants.

The aim is to further explore and develop the exchange and refinement of teaching and creation methods with children and youngsters in a second phase in the autumn of 2017, whereby practices and methods will also be documented and disclosed.