Lisbeth Gruwez

Lisbeth Gruwez


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Lisbeth Gruwez (1977) is a Belgian dancer and choreographer, half of Voetvolk's artistic team. She started practising classical ballet at the age of 6 and studied at the 'Stedelijk Instituut voor Ballet' (Antwerp), combining high school with a professional dance education. Once graduated, she joined P.A.R.T.S. (Brussels) to study contemporary dance.

 

In 1999 she started working with Jan Fabre, being part of his guerriers de la beauté. Having performed in As long as the world needs a warrior's soul (2000) and Je suis sang (2001), she rose to international fame because of Quando l'uomo principale è una donna (2004), the solo Jan Fabre created specifically for (and with) her, well-known for its olive oil-drenched stage.

 

Apart from working with Fabre, she also collaborated with Ultima Vez (The Day of Heaven and Hell), Jan Lauwers|Needcompany (Images of Affection), Grace Ellen Barkey (Few Things), Riina Saastamoinen (Cry Me a River) and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Foi).

 

In 2007 she founded Voetvolk, together with Maarten Van Cauwenberghe. Their work is an ongoing conversation between corporal and auditive movement, in order to achieve a symbiosis between the aural and the visual/physical.

 

All Voetvolk's projects are listed here.

 

Apart from establishing her own choreographies with Voetvolk, Lisbeth Gruwez has danced in Arco Renz' i!2, together with Melanie Lane, and she also played the leading role in Lost Persons Area, Caroline Strubbe's first feature film.

 

Gruwez danced in videoclips for A Brand ("Hammerhead"), Juliette and the Licks ("Death of a Whore"), Dirk Braeckman (promoting A.F. Vandevorst's winter collection) and MUGWUMP ("At the Front").

 

She is also one of the "KVS faces", the open ensemble of artists and thinkers associated with the Royal Flemish Theatre of Brussels.

 

Right now she is touring with Voetvolk creations We're pretty fuckin' far from okay and Lisbeth Gruwez dances Bob Dylan, and with KVS creation Odysseus. She is also preparing Thoughts for Meditation, Voetvolk's first large-scale production, to premiere in 2018, for which she will stay offstage to coordinate the bigger picture.

Maarten Van Cauwenberghe

Maarten Van Cauwenberghe


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Maarten Van Cauwenberghe (1976) is a Belgian musician and composer, the other half of Voetvolk's artistic team. He started playing guitar at the age of 12. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Catholic University of Leuven (to become a commercial engineer) and at the Jazzstudio in Antwerp.

 

In 2000 he started working with Jan Fabre, creating the music for As long as the world needs a warrior's soul (2000), Je suis sang (2001) and Quando l'uomo principale è una donna (2004), growing very close with dancer Lisbeth Gruwez.

 

Apart from working with Fabre, he also collaborated with Rosas dancer Julia Sugranyes (Redial 2) and Label Cedana (Sens Acte Sans).

 

In 2007 he founded Voetvolk, together with Lisbeth Gruwez. Their work is an ongoing conversation between corporal and auditive movement, in order to achieve a symbiosis between the aural and the visual/physical.

 

All Voetvolk's projects are listed here.

 

Apart from establishing his own compositions with Voetvolk, Maarten Van Cauwenberghe has written music for the Comédie de Valence (La nuit est mère du jour) and for Ay'n, a dance performance by Louise Chardon and Luk Van den Dries. He also composed for Yell for Cadel, a documentary on Cadel Evans.

 

Van Cauwenberghe directed videoclips for A Brand ("Hammerhead"), Millionaire ("Ballad of Pure Thought") and Vive la Fête.

 

He is also member of the psychedelic electropunk band Dendermonde (and previously of the band Babyjohn), and dj.

 

Being a commercial engineer, Van Cauwenberghe enjoys engaging in the business matters of cultural activities. Apart from being Voetvolk's business manager, he is associated with Key Performance (as Art Project Manager). In 2016 he won the Prize for Cultural Entrepeneurship, awarded by the Flemish Community.

 

Right now he is touring with Voetvolk creations We're pretty fuckin' far from okay and Lisbeth Gruwez dances Bob Dylan, and with KVS creation Odysseus. He is also preparing Thoughts for Meditation, Voetvolk's first large-scale production, to premiere in 2018, for which he will compose.

 

He is also working on the soundtrack of Le Part Sauvage, Guérin Van de Vorst's first feature film.