To close the academic year we will dance into the summer at the DANSAND! festival in Ostend. DANSAND! is a festival for dance and movement. This year the focus is on encounter and connection with a three-day program full of performances at special locations. P.A.R.T.S. is a regular and welcome guest at DANSAND!, in the past there have been numerous creations with guest choreographers, site-specific performances and graduation works. This year, the Training students present a series of solos.

"This is not a form of resistance unless you dance, make a risky move to stand a chance".Using the song "The World As It M$$$F Is" and its quote from John the Houseband as a starting point we will venture out into the city of Brussels for two days. Finding a way on how we as dancers can relate to the state of the present world. On the first day we will visit several nursing homes in Forest transforming their daily view on the outside world into spectacle. The next day will be an invasion of 35 dancers moving through brussels, always on the move, with colourful costumes, filling the public space with derailed corona-proof activities aspiring to create a brief sense of liberty. During the week, they will also be working on a video performance outdoors, you can find all the videos here.

Over the last five weeks the students from our Bachelor programme Training got to work on the repertory of Trisha Brown’s Son of gone Fishin’ (1981). They immersed themselves in the material under the guidance of two company members, Samuel Wentz and Leah Ives. Our tutor Diane Madden, who has a rich history with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, curated the workshop project and prepared the students for this block by transmitting the phrase material and in depth technical knowledge throughout her contemporary technique classes.

Today is the official launch of Generation XIII, a documentary podcast about 5 dancers, 3 years, 1 school: a portrait of a generation at PARTS.Generation XIII drafts a portrait of the generation that has been studying at PARTS since September 2019, through the experiences and voices of five students following the Bachelor program Training.Sociologist Delphine Hesters follows Eleni from Greece, Kia from New Zealand, Marllon from Brazil, Renátó from Hungary and Zoé from France, all through their studies, until the Summer of 2022.

Last week, STUDIOS students had a residency in the workspace wpZimmer in Antwerp, as part of the course 'Contextual labs': an intensive but fulfilling week of interactive learning, sharing and exploring.They followed a work programme in which various wpZimmer employees shared their expertise with the students. The programme included discussions with the artistic team about the mission and functioning of the house, a master class on communicating about artistic work, a master class on setting up and managing one's own productions, and a two-day introduction to stage techniques (light and sound). Herewith some pictures of their work and studio experiments.

Our students come from all over the world, they are diverse in ethnicity, gender, cultural environment. And their parents hold different positions in society. Some of them can easily take on the study costs of their daughter or son, for others this is an impossible hurdle.PARTS selects students solely on the basis of talent. In order to ensure access to the school for all those selected, the P.A.R.T.S.FOUNDATION was set up. It has only one goal: to raise funds for scholarships for our students. And you can help us! Read more here

Last week Diane Madden concluded 3 weeks of teaching contemporary technique to the 2nd year students of the Training Cycle. In her class, Diane Madden is building up material and skills towards a longer Trisha Brown repertoire workshop in Spring 2021, in which students will be creating their own version of Brown’s “Son of Gone Fishin’” 1981.Diane has been giving workshops at PARTS based on Trisha Brown’s repertoire for many years. Since 1980 Diane has been an integral part of Trisha Brown’s work: as a dancer, rehearsal director and Associate Artistic Director.It is a special honour for PARTS that Diane Madden is associated with the school for the entire Training Cycle, from 2019-2022.

Last October, philosopher Ben Woodard gave a seminar to the students of STUDIOS. We also invited him for a public lecture. In this lecture, he talks about the concept of the Anthropocene and the questions that this raises.

We are happy to announce that, on Monday August 31st, we opened the new academic year 2020-21 with live programs for Training (2nd year) and STUDIOS (2nd year).Of course we are talking about a lot of safety measures, smaller groups, bubbles, extra space to guarantee social distancing, timeslots, facemasks, sanitizers and circulation plans, but we have made it work.

On the first day of the new academic year 2020-21, Theo Van Rompay, co-founder of P.A.R.T.S., stepped down as Deputy Director of the school. He will retire on September 1st, 2021 and during the last year of his employment he will focus on a number of special projects.Charlotte Vandevyver, previously coordinator of the STUDIOS program, took up her position as the new deputy director of P.A.R.T.S. With Director Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, a new female duo will now lead the school. As an addition to the team we also welcome Yannick Roman as the new Financial and Administrative Manager.

On September 4th 2020, PARTS had its 25th anniversary.After an inspiring journey of 25 years we are very proud that both cycles, Training and STUDIOS, are recognised by the Flemish government as a Bachelor in Dance (since June 2019) and Master in Dance (since July 2020).

Just before the official start of the school year we organized a three day program BACK. CURRENT: a come together between the students, teachers and staff as a transitioning from the lockdown into the new school year. To reflect on what happened, focus on the present and look into the future.

On August 31st the normal programmes for Training (2nd year) and STUDIOS (2nd year) will restart. On this first day of the new academic year 2020-21, Theo Van Rompay, co-founder of P.A.R.T.S. who is retiring soon, will step down as Deputy Director of the school. Charlotte Vandevyver will take up her position as the new deputy director of P.A.R.T.S., to lead the school together with director Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

The academic year is running towards its end, the Summer holiday is just around the corner.On Saturday June 27th we organized the last open-air class in Duden park with David Hernandez.Since May 18 - when the National Security Council decided that training outdoors for group sports was allowed again – we have organized a weekly 90’ outdoor dance class in the park for a group of maximum 20 people. A very welcome relief for all the students that have been locked up in small Brussels spaces with no access to flowery backyards, mountain-view meadows or sunny beaches. Luck was on our side, the weather was always very nice.

The school management has decided to suspend all classes until the end of the academic year. The safety of students and teachers cannot be guaranteed as social distancing is in many cases not an option for a dance school. Moreover, our studios are not big enough to work with groups of 20 students, while a permanent distance of 1.5 meters should be kept between all dancers.The online classes for the students will continue until the end of June. Many PARTS teachers have made great efforts to adapt their teaching practice to online teaching, including technique teachers for ballet and contemporary dance. The majority of the students of the Training Cycle have now returned to their home country.

During an X-Week, the normal operation modus of the school is suspended.The invited artists can work a whole week with the students, in or outside school. The subject may be composition or improvisation, but also politics or visit museums and exhibitions. We ask the artists to unveil their way of approaching art towards the students. For this week of artistic practice PARTS invited the artists Stina Nyberg & Zoë Poluch, Diederik Peeters and Ula Sickle.

'About birds and other animals'Philosopher Vinciane Despret enters into conversation with Bojana Cvejic about her work, following a seminar for the students of the Studios programme.After philosophical and psychological studies, Vinciane Despret specialized in ethology, the study of animal behavior, and became fascinated by the humans who work with animals. Borrowing a path from philosophy of sciences, her work combines ethological and psychological research with the goal of understanding and explaining how scientists build their theories, how they interact with historical and social contexts, and what relation is established between them and animals.

Throwback to the public presentation "Exchanges" of last Friday, a final sharing of the 5 weeks during exchange project between Ecole des Sables and PARTS.Thank you Ecole des Sables for your hospitality!Thank you Ogutu Muraya (Kenya), Faustin Linyekula (Congo), Panaibra Gabriel Canda (Mozambique), Nadia Beugré (Ivory Coast) and Qudus Onikeku (Nigeria) for sharing your artistic practice so generously.Thank you to Ise An Verstegen (Netherlands), Patrick Acogny (Senegal/France), Mamadou Baldé (Senegal), Ntone Edjabe (Cameroon), Saky Bertrand Tchébé (Ivory Coast) and the musicians for transmitting your technique and insights on African dance.And thank you all participants for your curiosity and hard work!

You are very welcome to join us for the public presentation of the theatre workshops of the 1st year Training students.Free entrance – no reservation is needed.Doors open at 14h45 (program 1) and 17h45 (program 2), the performances start at 15h and 18h sharp (latecomers are not admitted).Each program consists of 2 pieces, 4 in total. There is a short break between the 2 programs. You are welcome to watch both of the programs !Program 1 at 15h :Group of Carly WijsGroup of Thomas RyckewaertProgram 2 at 18h :Group of Eva SchramGroup of Scarlet Tummers

Ise chose Acogny and Acogny chose her.In her work as a dance artist Ise Verstegen interweaves worlds with an inclusive, transcultural vision and body language. Since 2008 she has been working closely with Germaine Acogny, the mother of modern African dance. Acogny technique is a dance technique and philosophy based on West African and Western dances. Ise's work and transmission start from embodiment, connection, collectivity and the respect, possibilities and natural strength of each body through rhythm and movement. From here she addresses social issues.

From January 2nd until February 6th, 14 students from the STUDIOS program at P.A.R.T.S. and 10 young choreographers and dancers from the African continent meet and exchange at Ecole des Sables, the school initiated by Germaine Acogny in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal. This is the third exchange program and the collaboration between P.A.R.T.S and Ecole des Sables goes back until 2013.

PARTS@WORK#2 – Sunday 26/01, 15h.The performance is for free, no reservation is needed.Doors open at 14h45, the performance starts at 15h sharp (latecomers are not admitted).PARTS@WORK is a series of informal showings of work created by PARTS students.PARTS@WORK #2 consists in several pieces, all personal work of the 1st year Training students.Hope to see you there !!

From January 2nd until February 6th, 14 students from the STUDIOS program at P.A.R.T.S. and 10 young choreographers and dancers from the African continent meet and exchange at Ecole des Sables, the school initiated by Germaine Acogny in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal. This is the third exchange program and the collaboration between P.A.R.T.S and Ecole des Sables goes back until 2013.

PARTS@WORK is a series of informal showings of work created by PARTS students.PARTS@WORK #1 consists in a number of short pieces, all personal work of the new Training students, made in the first three months of the schoolyear. These performances are free, no reservation is needed.Hope to see you there !!

This lecture centres on the practices of African Diaspora art as archive, resistance and transformation. It adopts an Afrogenic approach, restructuring the “geographies of reason” and approaches the various timelines, genres and practices from the perspective of rhythm as a mobile institution. It seeks to move out of the realm of mysticism, obscurity and tropes over into access, right to opacity and approachability. The lecture seeks to courageously step into the uncomfortable and difficult conversation with the perspective of generous black rage.

From November 18 to 29, the Taipei Performing Arts Center and the Centre national de la Danse (Paris) organise the first edition of Camping Asia. It's an event where more than 100 students from 12 art schools from across Asia and the rest of the world gather to work and learn together.

We regularly organize semi-public talks with teachers at P.A.R.T.S. It is a way for our students to get a deeper insight in the teacher his/her personal practice, work as a performer, own artistic work, and anything else he/she might be busy with. On Monday, September 30 we had our first talk with David Hernandez.

This week, researcher Stephen Zepke is teaching a seminar in the Studios programme at PARTS. On Thursday evening 26/9 at 19h, he will give a public lecture in which he reflects on the possibility of art to reflect about the future, if anything 'new' can still be imagined and created.Free entrance, reservation is not necessary!

In 2019-20, PARTS starts with a new generation of students and a new programme!On September 2, the students of Generation XIII started the 1st year of the Training cycle 2019-2022. They are 40, representing 24 different nationalities from five continents.On September 23, the new Studios programme starts, with a program of 2 years with 14 participants from 11 different countries. Stay tuned to this website for news about our public activities!

Last week Somnia premiered, a performance by Anne Teresa and Jolente De Keersmaeker for the 44 graduating students of the Training Cycle, in the fairytale setting of the Castle Park in Gaasbeek. The press also came to watch and saw that it was good:De Standaard, Charlotte De Somviele: 'A tour de force in the castle park'. "Tons of energy must cost to master this boundless setting. But the 44 players throw themselves, and how. They walk around for miles, let themselves tumble down the slopes and climb like monkeys in the trees."La Libre Belgique, Guy Duplat: 'Somnia, a daydream mixing dance, nature and poetry': 'Somnia is a total artistic and ecological experience, which requires active spectators to research thousands and one small scenes; this is a moment that connects us back with nature and with the love games so dear to Shakespeare'.Le Soir, Jean-Marie Wynants: 'A great experience of nature': "There will be many other magical moments: the fire on the water, the dancers spiralling among the spectators, the slow ascent of the stairs by the spectators, and this fully danced final sequence where the 44 students of PARTS flow between dream and reality like these thousands of young people marching in our streets to protect the planet."www.pzazz.theater, Pieter T'Jonck: 'In the magic forest': "The real protagonist of this piece is the castle park: The De Keersmaeker sisters succeeded in revealing the imaginative power that is enclosed in it, by manipulating the 'score' of it."More information about the performance here.

From September 2019 onwards, PARTS will launch a new advanced 2-year program, called STUDIOS.STUDIOS is a 2-year fulltime research programme for dance-makers and choreographers, who intend to develop their creative voice and practice, in a learning environment that is communal and collaborative.

On 1 September 2020, Theo Van Rompay (1954), co-founder of P.A.R.T.S., will step down as Deputy Director of the school. His succession is already assured, since a year earlier, in September 2019, the new 'Studios' programme will start, for which a coordinator had to be appointed. Charlotte Vandevyver (1982) will implement this new 'Studios' programme from 1 May 2019 onwards. On 1 September 2020 she will take up her position as the new deputy director of P.A.R.T.S., to lead the school together with director Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.