BRUSSELS BELGIUM EUROPE
FEB 10-23 2012 ISSUE 11 €4.95
AGE AND THE BRAIN
Belgium’s work in geriatric care
CULTURE
Guy Vanhengel talks Everyone’s dancing Brussels and its brand at the Bal Moderne new budget
INTERVIEW
Wittamer, maker of gourmet Belgian chocolates
TR AVEL
Carnival guide
9 771373 178016
11
DEPOT BRUXELLES X
POLITICS
5 THE BULLETIN
Contents
p20 Wittamer
1
p66 Superbodies Triennial
p29 Hotel Le Berger
2
3
Politics & Business
Lifestyle & Community
Culture & Events
9 News In Brief
29 Lifestyle In Brief
14 Interview – Guy Vanhengel Brussels’ budget minister on his unusual rise to manager of the city’s purse strings
34 Food – Love at First Bite Foodpairing expert Bernard Lahousse gives us the inside scoop on his foodie favourites
54 Focus – Bal Moderne How Belgium’s top contemporary dance choreographers are helping the public to put their best foot forward
18 Your Money 20 The Brand – Wittamer We catch up with one of Belgium’s bestloved family-run businesses, Wittamer, purveyor of fine chocolates 23 Know-how Four regional Belgian airports Cover story
24 Focus – Mental healthcare We look at what is being done to stimulate the minds of the country’s older citizens
36 Focus – Antwerp City Life The show that reveals there’s more to Antwerp than just fashion 41 Digital Our top technology tips 42 Up My Street Waterloo 44 Focus - Emery & Cie We call into interiors emporium Emery & Cie’s new site in Molenbeek 46 Travel Where to let your hair down this Carnival time 49 Behind the Scenes
57 Focus – Chantal Akerman Filmmaker and video artist Chantal Akerman’s work comes under the spotlight 60 14 Days The Bulletin’s cultural highlights for the fortnight ahead – in Brussels and beyond 68 Film Reviews and recommendations for not-tobe-missed cinema 71 Property 76 Classifieds 80 Jobs 82 Capital Life A member of the international community opens up her diary for The Bulletin
50 Community
Editeur Responsable /Verantwoordelijke uitgever: John Stuyck, A. Gossetlaan 30, 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden. Opinions expressed in The Bulletin are those of the authors alone. For reasons of space, street names in Brussels are given only in their French version.
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
Celebrating 50 years
Was it worth it?
When the European Parliament’s new HQ opened in Brussels, there was a general outcry. Is it any more acceptable today?
1993
The gleaming facade of the European Parliament featured on a cover of The Bulletin in 1993, over the rhetorical question ‘Was it worth it?’ Since it had only just been inaugurated, no one could really know the answer. But sceptics and cynics were out in force to question the cost, the architecture and even its raison d’être. The daily La Libre Belgique described the building as “cold, inhuman, pretentious”. Not to mention extravagant, bearing a price tag of some 40 billion Belgian francs (approximately 992,000,000 in today’s euros).
2012
But, then, worse things were said about the Eiffel Tower when it went up. Innovations in architecture always take a lot of getting used to. The EP may not be lovable, but it’s serviceable and a forum where 27 nations can haggle together in 23 languages. With its new high-tech Parliamentarium, the institution is inviting us outsiders to come in and learn how it has managed to keep the peace in Europe for longer than ever before in history. By Cleveland Moffett
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THE NEW
BELGIUM
New faces, new plans, new taxes and what they mean for you
At home Elio Di Rupo
Master chef Tintin’s in town
with would-be prime minister
Tasty tips from Goûter Bruxelles founder
Brussels goes Design
PROPERTY 001_001_cover di rupo OK.indd 1
Tips on renting and buying-to-let
001_001_cover new.indd 1
focus
LIFESTYLE
Meet the vintners: Belgium’s wine scene uncoveredS 6/09/2011 12:29:03
culture
His new film launches right How to navigate The life and times here where Brussels’ he wasschools bornmaze of swing maestro
Django Reinhardt
FOCUS
In conversation with the EU’s counter-terrorism czar
tr avel
Our guide to the best short ski holidays
lifestyle
Marrying in Belgium
up my street 9 771373 178016
09 INTERVIEW
TR AVEL
Ardennes adventures
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We meet football’s forgotten hero Jean-Marc Bosman 6/01/2012 13:37:35
14/10/2011 13:39:43
LIFESTYLE
Fancy a spin? Pole dancing in Brussels
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DENMARK
Highlights of the Danish EU Presidency
CULTURE
Diary dates for 2012 DEPOT BRUXELLES X
lIFeStyle
DepoT BruXelles X
Neville Marriner at the Klara Festival
Peter Goossens, the man behind Belgium’s top restaurant
FOOD
DEPOT BRUXELLES X
9/11, ten years on. Belgian victim’s parents remember
CUltUre
DepoT BruXelles X
FOCUS
9/12/2011 13:32:03
Published every two weeks, the new Bulletin is packed with exclusive interviews, expert analysis and your definitive guide to lifestyle & culture in Brussels and Belgium.From politics to culture, business to travel, food to fashion, if it’s happening and you need to know about it, you’ll find it in The Bulletin.
Celebrating 50 years Find our offers on www.thebulletin.be/magazine-subscription
9 THE BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
1
Politics & Business
Tailback
SNOW CAUSES TRAFFIC CHAOS Heavy snow caused havoc on Belgian roads, with traffic grinding to a crawl, and many drivers abandoning their cars and trucks on the roadside. The country’s gritting services worked to clear the roads, along with snow ploughs, after an initially gentle snow sprinkle on Friday, February 3 soon turned into a blizzard. In less than three hours, there were reports of record jams: traffic information service Touring Mobilis put it at 1,275km of the country’s 1,765km motorway network, smashing the previous record of 948km set on February 10, 2010. Satellite navigation manufacturer TomTom put the figure at more than 4,000km on all Belgian roads. Brussels was particularly affected, though the airport and the rail network maintained a relatively normal service. Meteorologists said that although the snow was on average only 5-6cm deep, its dry, fluffy character meant it stuck on surfaces. Temperatures fell to -13º C in Brussels, but dropped to -19.6 ºC at the weather station in Givry, near Bastogne.
20 POLITICS & BUSINESS
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Artisanal production of chocolate treats
21 POLITICS & BUSINESS
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
The Brand - Wittamer
Winning hearts and taste buds From baguettes to royal wedding cakes, the Wittamer family business is a success story firmly rooted in Belgium by nicholas hirst photos by bart dewaele
W
ith Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Belgium’s chocolates will soon be waging love’s war in thousands if not millions of households across the world. Yet connoisseurs may be surprised by the latest offering developed specially for Valentine’s Day by Wittamer, the century-old doyenne of Belgian gourmet confectionery: a chocolate containing ganache, tonka bean and Sichuan pepper. So far, so good… Except that the ‘Forever’ chocolate box has been subjected to the creative designs of a tattoo artist, the Brussels-based Emilie de la Perla. Because a tattoo, like love, is forever. This shows that Wittamer is not afraid to play ball with the more edgy chocolatiers on the Sablon, rather than just rest on its laurels as an official supplier to the royal court. Yet this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to anyone familiar with the company, which in the past has shown a remarkable ability to innovate and change. Each generation of Wittamers has left its mark on the family business. Henri Wittamer, who founded the business in 1910, was a baker; his son, Henri-Gustave Wittamer, was a pâtissier with a reputation for macaroons and cakes, whose wife, Yvonne, added the café to the original shop. Things continued in a similar vein with the next generation. Paul Wittamer left Belgium to study chocolate-making in Switzerland, returning to establish Wittamer’s now ebullient chocolate business. As for his sister, Myriam, who is now responsible for running the company, she saw an opportunity to expand into catering for businesses and private events. At the same time, after a full century of trading, Wittamer remains in the family’s hands and operates out of the same building on Place du Grand Sablon. “The company is 101 years old and, personally, I am very attached to it,” says Myriam. “It’s hard to see yourself as a Wittamer on a purely personal level, without the company. As a young girl, I was always in here.” Wittamer’s story is very much a Belgian one. “When my grandfather opened his bakery at 13 Place du Grand Sablon, the Marolles wasn’t really a chocolate kind of neighbourhood,” she says. Born at number 12, Myriam
recalls growing up in a building full of activity, especially after her mother created the café on the first floor. In the old days they used to watch the jeux de paume (‘real tennis’, played without racquets) in the square below. “Things started to change when the antiquarians arrived in the Fifties and Sixties,” she says. “Now the Sablon is a kind of art area, with its museums and antique shops, the conservatory and the galleries, and all the other artisans who pursue art in their own way.” As the area became more frequented, the range of people able to appreciate Wittamer’s artfulness increased. “Prince Albert used to come and queue here for his Christmas log just like everyone else,” Myriam says. So began an association with the royal court that saw Wittamer, among other things, serve the dessert at Prince Philippe’s wedding to Mathilde in 1999, and at Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz’s wedding 15 years earlier. Did this lead to Wittamer being recognised as an official supplier to the Belgian court? “No, that’s something that you apply for,” explains Myriam. “It doesn’t mean that we supply them all the time, though it’s seen as a mark of quality, in particular abroad.” At the same time, Myriam is careful to point out that Wittamer remains more than a royal supplier. “The court recognition is wonderful, but still it’s the clients themselves who matter. Each opinion is appreciated.”
I
ndeed, just as Wittamer has been astute in keeping with the times, it has not been shy of promoting its women. “My father decided that I should inherit equally with my brother as he thought I could handle being a female company head,” says Myriam, smiling broadly as she announces that her daughter, Leslie, is also now involved in the company. Shortly afterwards, a granddaughter arrives to kiss her hello, before retiring for teatime, perhaps still unaware of the luxury and prestige of the setting. For in the meantime, Wittamer has become quite an institution. In keeping with such a role, it can claim to have formed a string of successful dessert chefs, including the chocolatier Pierre Marcolini, and to have seen
22 POLITICS & BUSINESS
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various chocolate shops and delicatessens move into This picks up on the fine line that Wittamer has so far the square to capitalise on a reputation that owes much trodden between being a supplier to the royal court while to number 13, which remains Wittamer’s flagship shop remaining open to all. “Our success also rests on our and is a cornucopia of all things gourmet. Quite literally, only having two shops,” she says. “We remain artisanal there’s something for everyone. Once you’ve eaten your and have not industrialised, so even if we offer a lot we way through the range of ganaches, pralines, truffles, haven’t lost our focus.” alcools, fresh cream or pâte d’amandes chocolates, try the This sounds like a vindication of the family business house’s famous macaroons. The deli-style model, a set-up that is highly favoured in fish and lasagne may also tempt prolonged A TASTER Belgium where, by some estimates, more attention and repeat visits, while the house’s FOUNDED than half of all businesses are family-owned. rich ice-creams and cakes and delicate teas 1910 Indeed, if Belgium’s high streets appear to and coffees finish off a delightful display FOUNDER have resisted the rampant restaurant, bar Henri Wittamer catering to all indulgences. and shop chains that have afflicted other SHOPS IN BELGIUM countries, such as the UK, that may be due 2 in Brussels et for all the breadth of its of- LOCATION to Belgium’s consumers and tradesmen’s fering, Wittamer has only two 12-13 Place du greater attachment to continuity, tradition Grand Sablon shops in Belgium, a fact that 6 Place du Grand and the personal aspect of commercial relacontrasts with the expansion Sablon tions. Certainly, these values are an intrinsic seen by other independent Belgian choco- SHOPS WORLDWIDE part of the Wittamer model. “I feel a great 15 in Japan latiers. As a result, it has retained the arti- www.wittamer.com sense of responsibility for the family’s busisanal ethic that has sustained the company ness,” says Myriam. since it was founded. By comparison, Wittamer’s one And when asked for a cherished memory from her international adventure comes as something of a sur- business life, the boss of this most Belgian of businesses prise. Having expanded into Japan in the early 1990s, provides a most Belgian response: “In the summer, I it now boasts 15 branded shops across the country and remember overhearing a Flemish couple, who were the family maintains close relations with its Japanese speaking among themselves, call Wittamer a national partners, via numerous visits, exchanges and training pride. You see, we try to avoid being categorised as a programmes, again showing the same determination Flemish or a Walloon business.” Which goes to show to keep a close grip on those products that bear the that it’s not just the cabinet that strives to be apolitical. family’s name. “The secret of our success? First and foremost, we were brought up to worship quality and customer service,” says Myriam, adding, “though quality did not mean luxury, which was something that my father hated.”
Y
One hundred years in the business and still going strong
29 THE BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
2
Lifestyle & Community
Hotel Le Berger ROOM SERVICE After 18 months of extensive refurbishment, Hotel Le Berger is open once again. If you’ve never been, you clearly aren’t having an extra-marital affair; situated just off Chaussée d’Ixelles, it was originally built in 1935 as a hôtel de rendez-vous. Secret lovers will be relieved to know that the hotel’s most intimate features are very much intact: the double lifts, the open bathrooms, the little nooks and crannies. In fact, the atmosphere in this 50-room hotel is so filmic that you expect to bump into Alfred Hitchcock in the corridor with a bird perched on the end of his cigar. It isn’t surprising considering the interior was designed by sometime set designer Martina Nievergelt, who worked with architect Olivia Gustot and hotelier Jean Michel André (The White Hotel) to bring this 1930s icon into the 21st century. Rooms start at €120 per night. www.lebergerhotel.be
34 LIFESTYLE & COMMUNITY
THE BULLETIN
LOVE AT FIRST BITE The inside scoop on foodie favourites Bernard Lahousse
F
ancy banana with tomato ketchup and almonds? How about foie gras with raspberry and black tea, or chocolate with fried onions? These and countless other concoctions have been brought together by flavour specialist Bernard Lahousse and his colleagues at Foodpairing. Based in Bruges, they scientifically analyse flavour components in food to discover which ingredients go best together. Their work has inspired some of the world’s top chefs and barmen and they’ve just launched a Foodpairing app for the iPad. So, next time you’re at the supermarket, you can check whether cauliflower and custard really are the perfect match. www.foodpairing.com
DRINK
I’ve worked with chefs for a long time, but I’m quite new to the cocktail world. I’ve got huge respect for bartenders who are able to combine the expertise of mixing drinks with being a good host. The Corps Reviver #2 is a cocktail I tasted for the first time at Le Lion in Hamburg. It’s a wonderfully complex drink, perfectly balanced, combining the subtle finish of anise, the floral notes of Lillet and the orange peel flavour of Cointreau with a base of gin. We say: To make your own Corps Reviver #2, take equal measures of gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc (a French wine aperitif) and fresh lime juice. Mix together, add a dash of absinthe, shake with ice, strain and serve with a slice of orange peel
“Cocktails at Nine in Antwerp make a great cocktail with genever, seaweed and ketchup”
35 LIFESTYLE & COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
BAR
RESTAURANT
INGREDIENT
RECIPE
There is a young generation of bartenders coming through and one place supporting them is Cocktails at Nine in Antwerp. The bartender is a fan of Foodpairing and he’s pushing the boundaries of cocktails. He makes a great genever, seaweed and ketchup combination.
That’s really hard. I’d pick a restaurant with a chef from the younger generation, like Hertog Jan in Bruges (www. hertog-jan.com), In de Wulf in Dranouter (www.indewulf.be) or l’Air du Temps in Eghezée. If I had to pick one, I would choose l’Air du Temps, since it’s close to Brussels. When I go to a restaurant I always like to be surprised and the chef there is very active in new types of food experimentation. He’s really looking to the future of gastronomy.
Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit with a delicious flavour. Asian ingredients are coming up quite fast and are more and more available to consumers.
There are lots of recipes on our website but this one’s easy to make and is Belgian with a twist. As well as butter, we add white chocolate from the Dominican Republic to the sauce. It works really well but the chocolate can’t be very sweet.
COCKTAILS AT NINE 9 Lijnwaadmarkt Antwerp, 03.707.10.97 www.cocktailsatnine.be
We say: A classic cocktail bar with cosy leather armchairs and a warming fire in the heart of Antwerp’s historic centre. They pride themselves on the quality of their traditional cocktails, as well as their champagne, cognac, whisky and more adventurous mixtures. If you can’t stagger home, there’s a stylish hotel upstairs
We say: Somewhere between a grapefruit and a mandarin, the juice and zest of the yuzu are widely used in Japanese cuisine. Yuzus can be found in many specialist stores but if you prefer, you can also taste it in iKi beer, marketed in the Netherlands and made in collaboration with the Liefmans brewery in Oudenaarde. www.ikibier.nl SHOP
L’AIR DU TEMPS 181 Chaussée de Louvain Eghezée, 081.81.30.48 www.airdutemps.be
We say: Korean-born Sang-Hoon Degeimbre’s two-Michelin-star restaurant in the countryside north of Namur is one of Belgium’s great gastronomic temples. Highlights of the €120 winter menu include mackerel with courgette, pear and black garlic, and saddle of hare with quince
Jan Demonie is one of Belgium’s famous foodies. He delivers ingredients to the three-Michelin-starred chefs in Belgium and he has great spices and drinks from all over. His shop really is a foodie paradise. DE OLIJFBOOM 58 Smedenstraat Bruges, 050.34.16.39 www.deolijfboom.be
We say: Located just off Bruges’ ‘t Zand square, it sells 80 varieties of olive oil and 20 types of balsamic vinegar among a wide range of products
We say: The Just Chocolate range by Chocolaterie Duval includes Dominican Republic white chocolate WHITE CHOCOLATE BÉARNAISE (FOR STEAK) Gastrique: • 370g shallots • 25g tarragon • 20g crushed white pepper • 1 bottle of white wine • 260ml vinegar • 20g salt • 500ml water • 8g sugar Béarnaise: • 4 egg yolks • 55ml gastrique • 75g butter • 25g white chocolate • salt and pepper, tarragon to garnish
Mix the gastrique ingredients and bring to the boil. Leave to infuse according to taste. Strain and let it cool. Mix the egg yolks with the gastrique in a heatproof bowl and beat over a pan of simmering water. Chop the chocolate in small pieces and stir into the whipped yolks. Stir the butter into the mixture until it melts and the mixture forms a smooth sauce. Season to taste and garnish with tarragon. Serve with steak, fries and a tomato salad.
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Up my Street
Global village There’s a lot more to Waterloo than expats and a visit to the famous lion. Vanessa Marschner points out some of her favourite spots by katrien lindemans photos by ottomura
V
anessa Marschner is a half-Scottish, halfGerman entrepreneur from Waterloo who, two years ago, decided to convert her home into a lingerie store. The result is Félicité, a store that specialises in bras and fittings for D- to K-cups, as well as nursing and maternity bras in all sizes. Though Vanessa was born in Schaerbeek some 37 years ago, she straddles the line between expat and native: “I wouldn’t really consider myself Belgian,” she says. “But Belgium is definitely my home.” After several years in Rixensart and Ixelles, Vanessa and her son moved to the Joli-Bois area of Waterloo about seven years ago. “It might seem far away from Brussels, but technically it’s only one long street removed from the city: Chaussée de Bruxelles followed by Chaussée de Waterloo.” Waterloo is most famous for its statue of a lion on top of an artificial hill (even though the statue is actually in Braine-l’Alleud). According to legend, the lion was made from melted cannons, abandoned by the French on the battlefield of Waterloo in 1815, where Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by the Duke of Wellington. “People often forget how pivotal Waterloo is for the history of Europe,” Vanessa explains. “During the summer, I recommend getting on board one of those converted lorries that take you through Waterloo and tell you all about the battle.” Something else Waterloo is known for is its various international schools and, as a result, its large community of expats. “Not everybody living here is American, British or Swedish, though,” says Vanessa. “In my area of Joli-Bois for instance, nearly everybody is Belgian. Compared to a few years ago, I think the number of expats has gone down.” Some of the popular expat places include the British supermarket Stonemanor (8a Rue Théophile Delbar). “The shop is smaller than the one in Everberg, which makes it easier to choose,” Vanessa says. “Irish pub The Snug (129 Chaussée de Tervuren) is probably the most frequented expat bar, along with Oscar’s Café (200 Chaussée de Waterloo),
where they serve lovely cocktails as well as a speculoos hot chocolate to die for.” To eat, Vanessa has a few local favourites. “I love the Japanese restaurant Wataro (399 Chaussée de Bruxelles),” Vanessa says. “The place gathers people from all walks of life, from Japanese businessmen to Belgian families with their kids. The service is not necessarily friendly, but the food is delicious.” For some real Belgian food and atmosphere, there is only one place to go: “The fries at Friterie Joli-Bois on Place Emile Vandervelde are the best in the area. I sometimes go to local bar Le Ballodrome (538 Chaussée de Bruxelles), where the average age must be around 60 but it really has the vibe of a local village pub.” Another one of Vanessa’s tips is Irsi chocolate shop (176 Chaussée de Bruxelles). “The chocolate factory is just around the corner from where I live. I guess I like to eat locally,” she says with a laugh.
A
nother thing you’ll notice in Waterloo is the space. The roads are wider and the houses aren’t packed together. “I let my son cycle around without worry, and around here, all the kids walk to school together. I don’t think that would be possible if I still lived in Ixelles.” Waterloo is home to many families with children, and there are plenty of things for them to do there. “The communal swimming pool (33 Rue Théophile Delbar) was recently renovated. It has a detachable roof, which is great during summer,” Vanessa says. “The Bowling Factory (29 Chaussée de Nivelles) looks like an old mill and you are always guaranteed a good afternoon or night out there. On rainy days, indoor playground The Kids Factory (63 Chaussée de Bruxelles) is a good option to keep the youngsters busy while their parents chat away in the bar overlooking the playing field. I also love to take my dog out for a long walk. There are lots of little paths leading to Lasne or Rixensart. In some areas you even get the impression you’re in the countryside – even if you live near a big chaussée,” says Vanessa.
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION PROPERTY
Mainly detached houses with big gardens. Prices start at about €3,000 per square metre. If you’d like to rent an apartment, expect to pay about €1,000 a month for two bedrooms (Vlan Immo) TRANSPORT
A 50-minute bus ride on TEC Bus W takes you from Brussels South station to Waterloo town centre. Or you can take the train to Waterloo station (on the BrusselsCharleroi line) MEET THE NEIGHBOURS
A diverse mix of lifelong Belgian residents and a large community of expats from the US and Europe
43 LIFESTYLE & COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
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1
Vanessa says: “Waterloo isn’t too far from the centre of Brussels, but you don’t actually need to go there as there’s everything for shoppers and foodies here. If you do need to travel down, traffic can be a nightmare on Saturdays.”
Brussels
2
Ch a u
Ring ouest
3 WATERLOO
ssée d e Bru xelles
4
1
BRAINE-L’ALLEUD
2
5
Charleroi
IN & AROUND
Waterloo 1.
4.
Vanessa in her specialist lingerie store. 22 Ave Valentin Tondeur www.feliciteonline.be
The best fries in the area, according to Vanessa. Place Emile Vandervelde
2.
STATUE OF NAPOLEON
FÉLICITÉ
LE BALLODROME
3
An old pub with a great atmosphere. 538 Chaussée de Bruxelles 3.
STONEMANOR
British store that stocks biscuits and other products to keep homesickness at bay. 8a Rue Théophile Delbar
More guides to Brussels on www.thebulletin.be
4
FRITERIE JOLI-BOIS
5.
At the foot of the Lion’s Mound
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55 CULTURE & EVENTS
FEBRUARY 10 - 23 2012
Focus - Dance
Give it a whirl Thanks to Bal Moderne, everyone, including you, dear reader, can get a kick out of dancing short works by today’s top choreographers by sarah mcfadden
“K
Old and young, dressed up or down, learning a dance at Bal Moderne
ung fu, recover; crab step, surf, squeeze, recover,” choreographer Randi De Vlieghe intones softly. He’s leading Oonagh Duckworth through a test run of the new dance he has just made for the big bal moderne that will be taking place this month in Bruges. Duckworth is the director of Bal Moderne, the small, non-profit outfit that organises these events, where people of all ages and from all walks of life mingle and have fun while learning short dances created by some of the best contemporary choreographers in the business. The atmosphere is as relaxed as at any knees-up, but the artistic challenges and rewards are higher. While she and De Vlieghe are dancing, Duckworth is evaluating the choreography for feasibility: will non-dancers be able to get the hang of it in a 45-minute training session? Are the movements too expansive to be executed simultaneously by hundreds of people in the designated performance space? Together they work out a few adjustments and run through it again. The dance takes two and a half minutes to perform; this test session will last two hours. After it’s over, the choreography will be fine-tuned before being presented to the dance professionals and volunteers who will help the public catch on to it during Bruges Concertgebouw’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Bal Moderne will celebrate its own 20th anniversary in 2013. Originated in Paris in 1993, the concept and the organisation grew out of a desire to give non-dancers the chance to experience physically the joy of being
a contemporary dancer – if only for the duration of a four-minute piece. Too popular for its own good in Paris, where it became trendy overnight and quickly flamed out, Bal Moderne made its Brussels debut at Kunstenfestivaldesarts in 1996. Soon after, under Duckworth’s direction, it relocated to Belgium. Since 2000, many of this country’s major public celebrations* have been accompanied by bals modernes. They’ve become part of the national fabric, and they come in all sizes and varieties. In its classic indoor format, a bal includes three choreographies taught by professional dancers on stage with the help of volunteer assistants on the dance floor. Forty-five minutes is devoted to each dance, followed by a 15-minute break. “We’re careful to give people a good balance of solo and partner dancing,” Duckworth says. The music is important too. At a bal moderne, you may find yourself dancing to an excerpt from Swan Lake, then to pieces set to tunes by Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Prince or Stromae. At the end, there’s a DJ party. The evening rarely winds down before two in the morning.
F
or those who turn in early, Bal Moderne organises free daytime bals in public parks during the summer, and they design bals for special occasions and specific populations. “We’ve done bals exclusively for Islamic women,” Duckworth says, “where the DJ and the technicians have been women. We’ve done a bal for people in wheelchairs and bals for schoolchildren. A couple of years ago we did a Bollywood bal at Bozar because that was their theme.’’
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THE BULLETIN
B
al Moderne has a repertoire of about 50 dances made expressly for them by some 40 choreographers, including the biggest names in Belgium’s booming dance world: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Wim Vandekeybus, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Michèle Anne De Mey... the list goes on. Others are by young dancers from De Keersmaeker’s renowned dance school P.A.R.T.S, with which Bal Moderne has long enjoyed close ties. “We used to give the choreographers rules like ‘Not too much touching’ and ‘You can’t make people go to the floor’,” Duckworth says. “But the dances were becoming a bit boring because they were being made to fit the guidelines. Then Anne Teresa [De Keersmaeker] made a dance where she had people hugging. Luckily, I didn’t dare say to her ‘This is never going to work’, because people went crazy for it. Since then, if choreographers come way out of the box of the guidelines, so much the better, as long as they’re prepared to work on the piece to make it danceable by the public. It’s that that makes the bal special and takes it beyond other projects. It’s the artist’s signature that has to be there, otherwise it’s just ‘Ok, let’s make a dance that everybody can dance’. “Sometimes I’ve had to convince choreographers to participate because they felt it might be degrading for their works to be danced by just anybody. But once they see three hundred people doing their dances, they suddenly become totally convinced – not just by the thrill of seeing their choreography giving so much pleasure to so many people, but also because they realise that these people now have an understanding of their work and might become part of their audience. “So it works two ways,’’ Duckworth continues. “Bal Moderne debunks the public’s preconceptions about contemporary dance being elitist or difficult or boring, and it helps choreographers realise that it’s important to touch a wide audience.’’ “Loads of people who feel too old or untrendy to go to discos come to Bal Moderne. Young and trendy people come as well, so it’s a really nice mixture,” she says. “The main purpose is to have fun. I’ve seen bcbg madamekes dancing with young hip-hoppers, both having a fantastic time. It’s okay to get the steps wrong or be creative with them. Nobody is watching and judging. It’s not like being on the disco floor, where you’re showing off your moves. At the same time, you aren’t just Club Medding. The choreographers are real artists, and you can sense the creative spirit behind the dance.” How can people with two left feet be persuaded to take to the dance floor? “We guarantee that they’ll be able to do the dance at the end of forty-five minutes or they’ll get their money back,” Duckworth says with a laugh. “Our most reluctant customers are youngish straight men. They usually get dragged along by their girlfriends, but often they’re the ones who end up
Bal Moderne director Oonagh Duckworth taking a spin, having a ball
being completely won over by it, because they realise they can let go.” Bal Moderne is catching on internationally. At the invitation of theatres and festivals, they organise bals all over Europe and as far afield as China, Australia and Brazil. “Sometimes we tour with our repertoire, and sometimes we develop projects with local choreographers, helping them to make their own bal moderne,” Duckworth says. While contemporary dance is universally appealing, local customs and personal preferences die hard. “In Dresden and Vienna, people came to the bal in evening gowns. In Brussels, they come in jeans and T-shirts,” Duckworth notes. The choice is yours. But by all means, dance!
* During Brussels’ turn as European Cultural Capital in
2000, bals modernes were held in the city’s 19 communes; 30,000 people participated in ‘La Belgique Danse’, a vast bal moderne held simultaneously in 12 Belgian cities for the nation’s 175th anniversary in ’05; in 2010, the Belgian EU Presidency’s inaugural events included a bal moderne.
BALS NOT TO MISS FEBRUARY 10, MARCH 9 APRIL 27
La Tentation 28 Rue de Laeken Brussels, tel 02.223.22.75 To win a pair of tickets, be the first to send an email to balmoderne@gmail. com FEBRUARY 19
Choreographies by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Wim Vandekeybus, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Bruges native Randi De Vlieghe are featured in this bal celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Bruges Concertgebouw. Children are welcome. Concertgebouw, 34 ‘t Zand, Bruges, tel 07.22.33.02, www. concertgebouw.be Bal moderne is looking for assistants. To volunteer, contact balmoderne@gmail. com www.balmoderne. be
82 CULTURE & EVENTS
THE BULLETIN
CAPITAL LIFE Your city, your agenda Mei Lee, 45, is a jewellery and interior designer who runs the O and iii Galleries Tell us about your new exhibition, In the Beginning it is All About Love It’s an exhibition of contemporary jewellery and silver objects at the iii Gallery, which I set up with the artist Rob Thalen last July. February is the month of Valentine’s Day and because of the current economic crisis, we are all thinking about what’s really important in life. And one of those things is love.
My diary SATURDAY FEBRUARY
What can people expect to see there? It’s a small exhibition but we have designers who work with wood, silver and gold. Everything for sale starts at €99 and all the pieces are handmade by the artists. What is the philosophy behind the iii Gallery? The iii (three i) Gallery is a place for arts, craft and design. We may exhibit furniture, lights, objects or jewellery, but it is always made by designers and in limited editions. Our idea is that in a world with so much over-production, it is important to have something
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All you need is love, thanks to sculptor Admir Jahic
DON’T LOVE ME TOO MUCH
Opening party for the new exhibition by Swiss-Croatian sculptor Admir Jahic Harlan Levey Projects 37 Rue Léon Lepage www.hl-projects.com
MONDAY FEBRUARY
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You also run another gallery Yes, the O Gallery, which focuses on jewellery. This year it will be ten years old and to celebrate, we are making a book. It will feature some of my very special clients, who will be photographed with a piece of jewellery that they bought in my gallery. The very best thing about having a jewellery shop is that when people buy jewellery, it is always for a happy occasion.
MONDAY FEBRUARY
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FORÊT DE SOIGNES
Go for a walk in the park and get some fresh air
SUNDAY FEBRUARY
UNITED ARTISTS
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MARCHÉ DE BOITSFORT
Film lesson and screening. Must remember to book! Cinematek, 9 Rue Baron Horta, www.cinematek.be
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY
handmade because then you have someone’s emotions transformed into the object and it becomes more personal.
Sunday morning bioshopping at this nice little market in WatermaelBoitsfort 1 Place Wiener
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THURSDAY FEBRUARY
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FRIDAY FEBRUARY
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IZAKA-YA
GEDE-BOIS
TAI HON
Have a lunchbox with the kids at one of my favourite Japanese restaurants Izaka-ya, 123 Chaussée de Vleurgat, tel 02.648.38.05
I am making furniture, so I need to go and buy some black MDF Gede-Bois, 610 Chaussée de Wavre, www.gedebois.be
Dinner with friends at my favourite Taiwanese restaurant Tai Hon, 356 Chaussée de Wavre, tel 02.230.01.31
SATURDAY FEBRUARY
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IN THE BEGINNING…
Check in on the exhibition at my gallery iii Gallery, 40 Rue SainteAnne, www.iiigallery.com