teachback Brussels 2018

From May 14 to 18, 2018 (daily from 12 to 18h) a teachback series of sessions took place at the studios of Ultima Vez in Brussels. The teachers started with exchange and informative sessions daily from 12h till 16h. From 16h till 18 they were joined by a group of children and youngsters.

Ultima Vez – imprinting since 30 years the files of modern dance, is increasingly reconnecting its global artistic activity of dance productions with local participation projects in which it collaborates with a range of social organizations and schools across generations, ethnicities and language groups.  Being located in one of the most controversial neighbourhoods of Brussels, the company searches for ways of responding tot he challenges of diversity, discrimination and inequality by developing a participatory infrastructure.  This allows diverse and heterogeneous actors to interact constructively over prolonged timespans. 

The realization of artistic projects is embedded in a long-term trajectory through which relations and collaborations are initiated with intermediary organizations that represent weak societal groups.  Relations with these diverse partners are maintained through not only setting up open workshops, but also by offering series of regular encounters and involving participants to take part in artistic productions like Tornar or Invited.

This teachback session was moderated by Seppe Baeyens, who is the key person in the participative work of Ultima Vez and the choreographer of Tornar (2015) and Invited (2018, currently touring).  It focused on research activity at the interface between creation and education. Current forms of teaching and producing dance and theatre with an intergenerational cast were explored and relevant skills and individual knowledge exchanged.  Existing methods were questioned and new approaches in working with young non-professionals introduced.

Participants were engaged in a research process through peer-to-peer discussions, as well as in actual workshops with an intergenerational cast from the local community that Ultima Vez is part of. 

The participants were highly skilled professionals with a broad experience in working with a diversity of people: different ages, physical and mental abilities, etnicity. The international team was composed by Seppe Baeyens (BE), Imola Nagy (Hungary), Tamara Zsofia Vadas (Hungary), German Jauregui (Spain), Julie Declerck (BE), Fanny Vandesande (Mus_E, BE), Rebecca Lenaerts (Mus_E, BE), Aymara Parola (Argentina), Yassin Mrabtifi (Morocco/Belgium), Adnane Lamarti (Morocco/Begium), Oihana Azpillaga (Spain/Belgium), Roel Faes (BE), Ine Vos (BE).

Part of the day was dedicated to exchange of methods and visions. Each afternoon, the results were put in practice with a group of children and youngsters from Molenbeek and other communes of Brussels.

As a consequence of the 2 Teachback meetings that took place in the last 4 years, Ultima Vez will develop further formats, meeting days, practices, activities and forms of teaching and producing dance and theatre with intergenerational casts, children and youngsters and people with mental or physical limitations.