As part of the inaugural Body of Work – Unfolding Fase festival, a celebration of ‘living dance heritage’ hosted by STUK – House for Dance, Image, and Sound in Leuven, Belgium, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing bodies at work – both young and older – preserving and persevering a dance legacy through performances, new events (such as a public slow walk) and an exhibition. To preserve a ‘body of work,’ this post explores the cross-generational bodies at work – dancing and shaping the future while honoring the past. A central theme of dance history is its preservation and longevity. Through dedication, commitment and powerful agency Body of Work brings us closer to understanding how significant artistic legacies endure and thrive.
Body of Work was initiated by Delphine Hesters, who leads Dance Heritage at STUK, and marks the first in a series of three biennial festivals focused in dance legacies running through 2027. This edition of the festival centres on Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich, performed by Rosas/Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. The work consists of three duets and a solo choreographed to four repetitive compositions by Reich, the renowned U.S. minimalist composer. De Keersmaeker has described Fase as “the first piece where I taught myself to choreograph,” noting its transparency and the intuitive quality of the movement, which is reflected in its distinctive vocabulary.
Fase is a 43-year-old work, and this festival offers a unique glimpse into its creator’s processes, exploring what it means to archive and reanimate a dance legacy through performances, public events and an exhibition. The performances featured De Keersmaeker alongside a new generation of young dancers and musicians. As De Keersmaeker emphasises in one of her video interviews, displayed in the STUK lobby, the key to keeping dance history alive is by performing it and passing it on to younger generations. This festival embodies a shared commitment – through collaborations with Dansvloer, Rosas, Opera Ballet Flanders, SLAC, Kunsthumaniora Lemmens, WISPER, bricol’art, Straatrijk, and the audience – to support the unfolding of dance for the future while honouring its past.
Violin Fase (the first solo of four movements) was a pivotal moment for De Keersmaeker as an artist, marking the launch of her choreographic career and influencing generations of dance artists worldwide. Now in her mid-60s, she performed the solo in a studio at STUK on the opening night of the festival, captivating a riveted audience. I was fortunate to be one of the few to experience this event. As the dance unfolded, traces of a youthful past and the realities of an ageing body intertwined in a fascinating interplay of precise gestures, unending rotations, and an incredible presence—both serious and playfully acute.
This unfolding creates new meanings and opportunities for dance and its audience, resonating with my own interest in creating positive, lasting legacies through performance, writing, and advocacy. My work as a dance artist and researcher, along with my role as one of seven transmitters of Yvonne Rainer’s iconic dance work Trio A (1966), has deepened my interest in how dance organisations (not just museums) support dance legacy. I am particularly intrigued by how organisations like STUK serve as spaces where new modes of preservation, conservation, and living archival practices can be explored and made public. In follow-up posts, I will share my experiences of additional festival performances, a slow city walk (dancing starts with walking!) and the well-curated exhibition I encountered during my time at the festival from February 20th-24th. Watch this space…