Expo with Re:collect / Archive Stories / Body of Work podcast

Re:collect - Collective archive of the audience

In the history of dance, the voice of the audience is remarkably absent. What dance history lies hidden in the cupboards, drawers and basements of all those dance lovers – from the occasional visitor to the die-hard fan? What memories linger after a special evening out? The stamina of a performer, a subtle streak of light, a moving hand gesture?

With Re:collect, we give the memories and archive pieces of our audience a central place in the festival. In the run-up to and during the festival, we call on our visitors from the past and present to contribute to a collective archive. You can donate or lend a tangible artefact, such as a ticket, a poster or a diary entry, but also a memory that we document and add to our audience archive. This growing collective memory – or should we say: this alternative dance history? – is presented as an exhibition in the STUK Studio and can be visited throughout the festival.

Archive stories or Dancing Neurons, Laughing Cells! / Denise Luccioni

Since the mid-1970s, Denise Luccioni has worked as an assistant, tour or production manager, curator, and translator, and been both a firsthand witness and a close collaborator of some of the key figures in an evolving performing arts scene on both sides of the Atlantic.

Luccioni’s home-made video series retraces how she was first drawn into a world she didn’t know existed, and how a life accompanying artists in various capacities finally led her to investigate “why.” At the start was a low-key cutting-edge music and dance festival in Provence, then came legendary Bénédicte Pesle’s Artservice International in Paris. The other episodes each focus on one of the artists or groups she worked with: from Steve Paxton and Trisha Brown to Merce Cunningham, and from Richard Foreman to Grand Magasin and Big Art Group.

These are stories told in the first person singular, by a professional who has become an explorer, in an attempt to capture the artistic work and spirit of the artists and personalities she accompanied. This tour de force demonstrates the importance of storytellers who, using archival material, sound knowledge, and personal memories, can weave a web of meaning between artists, archives and audiences.

On Wednesday 29.04 Denise Luccioni will have a conversation with Michel Uytterhoeven about her work.

Body of Work podcast - Doing dance heritage

The Body of Work podcast explores the questions that arise when working with repertoire through interviews with dancers. All too often, their voices and expertise are missing from dance history and archives. Through their vivid stories, extensive experience, and insightful reflections, the series dives into dance repertoire from the reality of the dance studio and the stage.