Dan Mussett & Margot Masquelier - Backstage Dancer: a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of freelance dancers

Backstage Dancer: a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of dancers, is a research project into the lives of freelance dancers living and working in the Belgian field. During this research, we interview dancers at various stages of their careers, from those just starting out, to those who have had long careers already, to those on the verge of giving up or switching function in the field. Our intention is to attempt to map how different people navigate their way in this profession, and how much they resonate with the ideas of resilience or withdrawal. What does it take to keep going and when do you decide that enough is enough? This research is carried out by both Dan and Margot together, as a way to feed different outcomes. In 2025, Dan is creating a dance show called Fully Automated Luxury Dancing! whilst Margot is in the initial stages of making a documentary about dancers.

On Thursday 16th January from 2-5pm, Dan and Margot will facilitate a workshop around the themes of their research, which is open to anyone in the performing arts world - artists, technicians, audience, programmers, producers etc. The workshop is called Many Mouths, One Voice. It is a writing practice in which participants respond to 6 different questions about their lives. The answers to these questions are then collected together to make texts which incorporate the responses of all participants. At the end of the session, we read out the texts.

Margot Masquelier started dancing at the age of 4. She studied dance at the Conservatoire of Toulouse from 2003-2013, before training in the junior company of Cobos Mika from 2016-2017. In 2017, she moved to Belgium where she continued her training at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. She has worked as a dancer and performer with Samuel Baidoo, Tuur Marinus, Ruben Mardulier, Micha Goldberg and is currently touring in the performance After All Springville - Disasters and amusement parks.

Dan Mussett is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in Brussels. He has worked with Jan Martens (Rule of Three (2017), any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones(2020)) and Ayelen Parolin (WEG (2019)). He also makes his own work (ddddddduettttttttttttt (2019), THE DATING PROJECT(2022). He is currently making a new show called Fully Automated Luxury Dancing!, a documentary performance about what it takes to keep going as a freelance dancer and choreographer in today’s performing arts machine.