WORK IN PROGRESS: WIPCOOP 2024 – Brussels

In 2024 we are already noting the 9th edition of WIPCOOP, the Work In Progress cooperative of MESTIZO ARTS PLATFORM, in Brussels! WIPCOOP is a great opportunity for the arts sector and the public to get a glimpse of what is brewing and developing in new artistic creations in the performing arts!

Join the ride! Oct. 16, artists from the Brussels scene will show where they stand with the development of their new creations. They will each present a maximum of 30 minutes from their Work In Progress. Afterwards, they will engage in conversation with a company of dramaturgs, workshops, producers and programmers about the work shown and possible support.

The November 21 WIPCOOP is the “specialleke” of the series and is part of Proximamente, the platform of our partner KVS and a biennial festival of Latin American performing arts in connection with Europe. During this year’s festival, we are hosting a WIPCOOP day on November 21 with works In Progress and/or conversations with: Lucia Giannoni (Argentina), Ana Luz Ormazábal (Chile), Rodrigo Batista (Belgium/Brazil) and Désirée 0100 (Belgium/Mexico).

Brussels is the second in a series of WIPCOOP events spread across several cities. Also explore Work In Progress in Leuven: OPEK – Sept. 26 – in Antwerp: Kambala (Toneelhuis) Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29 – in Ghent: De Kazematten Thursday, Dec. 5.

WIPCOOP – the Work In Progress Cooperative of MESTIZO ARTS PLATFORM – is an all-year round development track in Leuven, Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. The main goal? Making new artistic work visible from the strength of the cooperative, creating dialogue around it and matching artists and organizations to further develop and perform this work.

WIPCOOP = making space for new voices, stories, forms and languages in the performing arts. An inter-city co-production, in which the arts sector keeps its finger on the pulse of what is developing in the rich breeding ground of our cities as well as a network in which artists find support in developing their work. So a win-win.

Curious about the previous Brussels edition? Click HERE for a photo report by Victoriano Moreno.

The Works In Progress are open free of charge throughout. Reserve your ticket through the ticket link.

On the program:

09:30 – 10:00 Welcome with coffee and tea

10:00 – 10:30 “S O B R A N (Leftover. Surplus. Plenty)” departs Julia Färber Data from a movement and composition investigation of the Sonidero, a self-organized space for cumbia street dancing in Mexico City. From this culture, how can we explore new methods of creating shared stories that connect us all in new geographical areas.

10:30 – 11:30 Break: Roundtables and Pitch

11:30 – 12:00 “Celles qui manquent” is a performance that explores a spiritual quest for resilience and connection to the past. Milka Mbunga Kongi brings to life poetic scenes guided by divine guides and ancestral wisdom. An invitation to reflect on our existence and discover the timeless power of our roots.

12:00 – 13:30 Break: Round tables and lunch

13:30 – 14:00 “restes” is a performance by Alphonse Eklou Uwantege, in which dance, words and whispers form a dialogue with the ghosts that haunt us. The STUK is a ritual tribute to their uncle Alphonse Kanimba, who was murdered during the 1994 Tutsi genocide. rests explores the legacy of traumas and stories we involuntarily carry, and the question of which of these remnants we embrace and which we leave behind.

14:00 – 15:00 Break: Round tables and Pitch

15:00 – 15:30 “Histoires et Histoire” (Working Title) highlights forgotten stories. Inspired by her family history, Souhaïla Amri explores how we remember those who came before us. Through storytelling, proverbs and symbolic objects, the performance invites us to reflect on our own history and our place in the larger story of humanity.

15:30 – 16:30 Break: Roundtables and Pitch

16:30 – 16:50 Monologue of Anger is a text by Nastasya Kharitonova, focusing on pain, anger and the horror she has seen with her own eyes. Every word is infused with emotion. The performance consists of one text read aloud in both English and Ukrainian.* This Work In Progress is presented in an intimate setting and is by invitation only.

WIPCOOP = MESTIZO ARTS PLATFORM + ARENBERG, KVS, KUNSTZ, CAMPO, KAAITHEATER, TONEELHUIS, RATAPLAN, MARTHA!TENTATIEF, DE CENTRALE, DETHEATERMAKER, MADAM FORTUNA, NTGENT, KOPERGIETERY, FAMEUS, LARF! KAZEMATTEN, 0090, WPZIMMER, ARSENAAL/LAZARUS, OC NOVA, BE HUMAN, PIANOFABRIEK/CITYLAB, VICTORIA DELUXE, THEATERFESTIVAL, GLOBE AROMA, THEATER AAN ZEE, LEZARTS URBAINS, FABULEUS, WORKSPACEBRUSSELS, TRANSFOCOLLECT, VIERNULVIER, BIJ DE VIEZE GASTEN, ZINNEMA, MOUSSEM, DANSPUNT, THASSOS, SOCHA, KC NONA, DE SINGEL, DE MAAN, ZOMER VAN ANTWERPEN, WALPURGIS, HETPALEIS, RAS EL HANOUT, ULTIMA VEZ, BRONKS, DE KOER, CC JACQUES FRANCK, IMPULSION DANCE, MONTY, DE STUDIO, STORM OP KOMST, STUK, VINCENT COMPANY, LE BAMP, GOUVERNEMENT, TATWERK, RIGHT ABOUT NOW, NAU IVANOW, ATELIER 210, GET DOWN AGENCY, LA BALSAMINE, LE RIDEAU, CORSO, 30 CC, TRILL, BURN, HET BOS, CIE TARTAREN, BATARD, DE NIEUWE SPELERS, KAAP / WITH SUPPORT FROM: FLEMISH COMMUNITY CAN PORTICUS