Laura Neyskens & Raphaël Vandeweyer - GAZE

In the visual dance-theatre performance GAZE, choreographer Laura Neyskens and dramaturge Raphaël Vandeweyer explore the power of our bodies. Together, they explore how dominant stories shape us and determine our bodies and what impact that has in a world where, above all, we want to be seen and loved.

In GAZE, three women are exhibited in a gigantic terrarium. Trapped in a world where looking and being looked at are the yardstick, they explore what role their bodies can, will and may play in their quest for recognition. Should the women resist stereotypes, however attractive or dangerous the game of watching and being watched may be? Or is role-play too dear to them?

This residency is a preliminary study for the creation of this production in summer 2025. The project is supported by Inter:Action, the new maker project of Action Zoo Humain. During their residency at STUK, Laura and Raphaël will begin work on the basic structure of the performance.

TEAM / CREDITS

concept Laura Neyskens, Raphaël Vandeweyer choreography/direction Laura Neyskens by and with Audrey Apers, Isıl Bıçakçı, Zoë Chuangong dramaturgy Raphaël Vandeweyer music Koben Sprengers costume Alexandra Hoàng Gilbert scenography Giovanni Vanhoenacker technician Bennert Van Cottem

Laura Neyskens (Ghent, 1985) started her professional career as an 11-year-old in a theatre production by Arne Sierens and Alain Platel (1996). She continues her path as a dancer with Platel's contemporary dance company Les Ballets C de la B (1998). There, she meets Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, resulting in a long-term collaboration (2000-2019). In between, she performs in productions by Guy Cassiers, Olympique Dramatique, Lisi Estara and Koari Ito, among others. Since 2017, Laura has been working regularly with Chokri Ben Chikha. Within his company Action Zoo Humain, she collaborates on several projects and productions (2017-2023) as choreographer, assistant director, coach and rehearsal director. She is currently taking steps to develop her own signature as a dance theatre maker alongside her work as a performing choreographer.

Raphaël Vandeweyer (Diest, 1991) obtained his master's degree in Theatre Studies (dramaturgy) from Utrecht University and his bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies from Maastricht University. After working for various cultural organisations in Brussels, Raphaël worked for a long time as a dramaturge at Action Zoo Humain . He currently works as a freelance dramaturge and writer for various artists. In that context, he worked with, among others, Muziektheater Transparant, artists' collective Het Verbond (NL) and youth theatres Tint and fABULEUS and with artists such as Chokri Ben Chikha, Maxime Waladi, Renée Goethijn, Jelle Stiphout, Jan Sobrie and Wouter Deltour.