Off the beaten path

Brussels is bursting with alternative venues. One of these is Schaarbeek/Schaerbeek’s Garage29, which is now presenting the second edition of its OFFestival. This “industrial” space is run by dancers Claudio Stellato and Sabina Scarlat and has around ten resident artists (including dancers, circus performers, video directors, and actors). On the programme of this second edition are dance, performance, and contemporary circus art. The opening night will showcase two choreographies. Meytal Blanaru will dance Aurora, a minimalist solo piece inspired by “wild children”. This will be followed by Holes#2, a duet that explores space and the body, created by David Zambrano, performing here with Sue Yeon Youn.
Imagination seems to be the driving force behind this incredible festival, which doesn’t balk at re-enacting one of Obama’s speeches. In Your Majesties, by Marta Navaridas and Alex Deutinger, a man in suit and tie repeats the text, which he accompanies with sliding movements and gestures. The Dinner, by François Kah, tests our senses with recipes, sounds, and gestures. Also unusual is the intriguing Aïe, which resembles a series of little cries of pain comprising “crazy” contemporary circus arts, with juggling of stag’s antlers, manipulation, music, and video.
The festival’s special guest is Juan Navarro, from Rodrigo García’s challenging theatre! He has gathered together around 20 Brussels artists for a week of creative workshops on the theme of “war and other mirages”. This promises to be a difficult and physical thought process that is not to be missed. In short, OFFestival, which has had hardly any media coverage, is certainly worth a trip off the beaten path.

OFFestival 25 > 27/5 & 1 > 3/6, €7 (1 day)/€18 (w-e)/€30 (all),
GARAGE29, rue de Moerkerkestraat 29, Schaarbeek/Schaerbeek,
02-242.26.36, legarage29@gmail.com, www.garage29-offestival.be