Thomas Vantuycom — Petty Bison © Bart Grietens
Bodies at Work. Thomas Vantuycom
Writing dance to music: from the structure of a musical piece to a simple movement score.
We all dance to music now and then—it feels intuitive, almost automatic. But when you want to turn movement into a written choreography, where do you begin? Do you rigorously study the score, intuitively groove to the beat, or moonwalk through the song because Michael Jackson did—and that seemed to work pretty well?
This workshop by Thomas Vantuycom will present a range of tools and approaches for setting movement to music. Using examples from existing dance pieces, we’ll get a taste of putting these tools into practice. Throughout our explorations, one thing will remain constant: we’ll discover a structure in a piece of music and use it as a foundation for a simple movement score. We’ll take short bites to explore different approaches, without dogma—after all, a tool is just a tool, not the truth. Along the way, we’ll encounter all kinds of music, from Stravinsky to Dire Straits.
Designed for both the musically curious and the dance enthusiast, this workshop requires no prior dance experience or musical training.
Practical
➤ language: NL- supplemented with English in case of a multilingual group of participants
➤ Open to anyone who wants to move. No dance experience necessary. Age: 14+
➤ People with physical disabilities are very welcome, but please send us a message in advance so that we can take this into account as much as possible (fien.aerts@stuk.be).
➤ Recommended: comfortable clothing
© Anne Van Aerschot
Thomas Vantuycom is a dance and performance artist drawn to the infinite complexity of movement and the beauty of thinking bodies. Where dance and music meet is where he feels most at home—in choreography that gives music a body and makes movement deeply musical.
His path to dance wasn’t straightforward. He first studied economics, then graduated from P.A.R.T.S., where he arrived a bit of a late bloomer and left with a network of artists who became long-time collaborators. Thomas began his career freelancing, exploring a wide range of approaches before joining Rosas for four years, deepening his sense of musicality and the dynamics of ensemble work. Around the Covid pandemic, he returned to freelancing, drawn again to the variety and unpredictability of independent projects.
In 2021, Thomas created his first choreographic work, Electric Life, with Elisabeth Borgermans - a leap straight into large-scale choreography. Set to Stravinsky’s Petrouchka and performed by nine young dancers, the piece was met with critical acclaim and performed on several occasions with a full symphonic orchestra. In 2025, he created Petty Bison, a true “love letter to dance”, which exudes the joy of dancing to contagious music.
Thomas is also part of Youngsters, an artist collective working to connect Brussels youth with dance and the wider arts. Outside the studio, he feeds his curiosity building websites, studying mathematics, and generally embracing his inner geek.
Location
Price
Pay what you can (€0 / €5 / €10)
Additional info
Max. 20 participants
