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| KVS (Kaaitheater) | |
|---|---|
| Name | KVS (Kaaitheater) |
| Native name | Kaaitheater |
| City | Brussels |
| Country | Belgium |
| Opened | 1978 |
| Capacity | 500 |
KVS (Kaaitheater) is a multidisciplinary performing arts center located in central Brussels, Belgium, known for contemporary dance, theatre, and performance art. It operates as a production and presentation venue that has hosted international artists and companies, engaging with urban culture and European artistic networks. The institution has shaped programming across festivals, biennials, and touring circuits, collaborating with theatres, academies, and cultural foundations.
The venue emerged in the late 20th century amid shifts in European cultural policy, connecting to institutions such as International Theatre Institute, European Cultural Foundation, Flemish Community, French Community of Belgium, and municipal authorities like City of Brussels. Early iterations intersected with collectives related to Vooruit, La Monnaie, Théâtre National de Belgique, Mercat de les Flors, and Schouwburg Rotterdam. Directors and curators with ties to Pina Bausch, Jan Fabre, Heiner Müller, Eddie Palmieri, Robert Wilson, Ariane Mnouchkine, and Peter Brook influenced aesthetic debates in Brussels. The institution was part of artist networks that included WP8 Brussels, Europa Nova, Trans Europe Halles, Onassis Cultural Centre, and Tanztheater Wuppertal. It hosted premieres and co-productions with companies like Olivier Py, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Complicité, Wooster Group, and Forced Entertainment. Over time, it navigated funding changes tied to entities such as European Commission, UNESCO, King Baudouin Foundation, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, and Wallonie-Bruxelles International.
The building occupies a heritage site in the Marolles district, proximal to landmarks like Place Sainte-Catherine, Mont des Arts, Grand-Place de Bruxelles, and Bozar. Its facilities include a main auditorium, studio spaces, rehearsal rooms, and a foyer used for installations by practitioners related to Rimini Protokoll, Jan Fabre, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Tadeusz Kantor. Renovations referenced best practices from projects at Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Kunsthaus Zürich, and Hamburger Bahnhof. Technical specifications have supported collaborations with scenographers associated with Es Devlin, Jan Versweyveld, Rolf Gehlhaar, Richard Peduzzi, and audiovisual artists linked to Bill Viola, Nam June Paik, Krzysztof Wodiczko, and Christian Marclay. Accessibility upgrades responded to standards promoted by European Disability Forum and cultural facility guidelines from ICOMOS.
Programming prioritizes contemporary choreography, experimental theatre, and performance art, featuring artists such as Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Rosas, Accion Sonora, Jan Fabre, Damien Jalet, Wim Vandekeybus, Maguy Marin, Angelin Preljocaj, and Batsheva Dance Company. The venue curates thematic seasons, co-productions with Festival d'Avignon, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Vienna Festwochen, Festival Internacional de Teatro de São Paulo, and exchanges with Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Kaaitheater Festival, Misterioso, and La Biennale di Venezia. Artistic directors have engaged with dramaturges and critics from networks including Het Theaterfestival, CARR, Maatschappij Discordia, Ars Electronica, Sophiensaele, and Hebbel am Ufer. The institution advances residencies and labs attracting practitioners from Royal Conservatory of Brussels, P.A.R.T.S., L’Ecole des Arts du Cirque, Central Saint Martins, and SCHOOL FOR NEW DANCE DEVELOPMENT.
The programme has included premieres and co-productions with companies and artists such as Forced Entertainment, Complicité, Wooster Group, Rosas, Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker / Rosas, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Eastman, Jan Fabre / Troubleyn, Maggie Nelson collaboratives, Sofie Demente, Trisha Brown, Michael Clark Company, Les Ballets C de la B, Kneehigh Theatre, Mouthpiece, Gob Squad, and visual artists like Mona Hatoum, Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Joseph Beuys, and Chris Ofili. International coproductions linked to Festival d’Automne, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Spoleto Festival, Sibiu International Theatre Festival, and Performa have toured from the venue to houses such as Théâtre de la Ville, Sadler's Wells, Schlossplatz Freiburg, and Civic Theatre. Collaborations included music ensembles and composers like Philip Glass, John Adams, Kaija Saariaho, Arvo Pärt, Gustavo Dudamel, and Stuart Staples.
Education programmes partner with institutions such as KASK Conservatory, Royal Conservatory of Brussels, P.A.R.T.S., Université libre de Bruxelles, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and secondary schools across Brussels-Capital Region. Outreach initiatives connect to community organizations like La Rue des Artistes, Casa del Quartiere, NGO BRUSSELS, Solidarity Theatre, and arts mediators from European Network of Cultural Centres. Workshops and youth projects feature practitioners from Cirque du Soleil, Compagnie XY, Dip In, Groupe F, and Cirque Plume. Public programmes include talks and symposia with scholars linked to Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, University of Oxford, Columbia University, Goldsmiths, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and cultural studies researchers associated with Institut du Théâtre and King's College London.
Administrative structures have engaged with funders and governance frameworks such as Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, King Baudouin Foundation, European Cultural Foundation, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, and municipal cultural budgets of City of Brussels. Boards and advisory councils have included representatives from Bozar, La Monnaie, Cinéma Galeries, Fonds voor Vakopleiding in de Cultuursector, and European partners like Creative Europe and Erasmus+. Management practices reflect collaborations with producers linked to Artistic Directors Network, Pro Helvetia, Goethe-Institut, British Council, Institut français, Casa Arabe, and private sponsors such as foundations modeled on Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Prada Foundation.
Critical reception spans reviews in outlets and festivals including The Guardian, Le Monde, Die Zeit, The New York Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, El País, Theater heute, De Standaard, La Libre Belgique, Humo, The Stage, Tanz Magazine, Libération, Corriere della Sera, The Times, Arte, and broadcast features on BBC Radio 3. The venue influenced Brussels' cultural profile alongside institutions like Bozar, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, MIMA, Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts, and catalyzed collaborations with international festivals and curatorial platforms including Manifesta, Documenta, and Venice Biennale. Its legacy is reflected in artist careers linked to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jan Fabre, Wim Vandekeybus, and the broader contemporary performance ecology across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Category:Theatres in Brussels