Take part in the Venus Parade

Playground, an annual festival of STUK and M Leuven, welcomes artist duo Clédat & Petitpierre with their Venus Parade, a procession of life-sized Venus statues. They refer to the Venus statues of the Palaeolithic, one of the earliest prehistoric artworks, and traditional Breton pardons.

The Venus Parade combines that tradition with song and percussion into a joyful ode to femininity. That ode is written by author Yousra Benfquih in the form of a libretto that will be performed during the procession by an occasional choir. And that choir needs you : we are looking for thirty singers of all ages, genders or backgrounds. You just need a lot of enthusiasm, a clear loud voice and a passion for language : you will be guided by theatre maker, actor and writer Sarah Bekambo.

We also need some physical support: statues carriers and banner carriers for the Venus statues and accompanying banners. Carrying five kilograms around a 2 kilometre long route, that's no issue, right? More details on the statues can be found below.

WANT TO TAKE PART?

Do you feel like joining, either by singing or carrying? Check the dates below and make sure you're available, and fill out this form before November 6.

We 02.11 FIRST ENCOUNTER
Mo 07.11 & Mo 14:11 EXTRA REHEARSAL, CHOIR ONLY
Fr 18.11 FINAL REHEARSAL
Sa 19.11 VENUS PARADE

PRACTICAL

The Venus Parade takes place on Saturday 19 November from 11:30 to 12:30.
It's a 2km tour through the car-free streets of Leuven centre. The tour takes 60'.

We start and finish on the inner courtyard of M Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28, 3000 Leuven. Please be there at 9:30 for a cup of coffee and final arrangements. After the parade, around 12:30, we invite you for a little snack. The end will be around 13:30.

Before the real parade, there are a couple of gatherings: a first encounter to get to know each other, two rehearsals for the choir singers, and a final rehearsal the day before the actual parade.

The first encounter takes place on Wednesday 2 November from 19:30 - 21:30, in the presence of Clédat & Petitpierre, Yousra Benfquih and Sarah Bekambo.
Location: STUK Studio in Manhattan, Kol. Begaultlaan 21, Leuven.

The artist duo will introduce you to the Venuses and the idea behind the Venus Parade, Yousra will explain her newly created text and Sarah does a first short rehearsal with the choir singers - all with a nice little drink, of course.

In order to fine-tune the vocal performances, allowing you to parade through the city with enough self esteem, we organise two extra rehearsals (only for choir members): Monday 7 November and Monday 14 November, from 19:30 to 21:30.
Location: STUK Studio in Manhattan, Kol. Begaultlaan 21, Leuven.

On Friday 18 November from 19:30 to 22:00 we get together for a final rehearsal.
Location: M Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28, 3000 Leuven

That night you get a demonstration on how to carry the statues and banners, and there is a last choir rehearsal.

EXTRA INFO CARRIERS
The Venus statues each weigh 20kg and are carried by four people. This means that every statue carrier holds 5kg on their shoulder, walking a parcours of 2km. We group the carriers by length, you receive a foam shoulder piece for comfort, and there are backup carriers if you need a break. Banner carriers receive a banner holder (a belt around the shoulder with a holder for the banner's foot at the bottom) so they can each carry around a 5kg banner.

If you have any more questions, please contact Ilse Van Essche: ilse.vanessche@stuk.be or by phone for urgent matters: 0486 10 83 31.

We look forward to hearing from you.
THE STUK TEAM