Building Bodies

For young people (aged 13 and over) and adults.

The performance includes spoken dialogue. Understanding the language is helpful but not essential.

KOPERGIETERY

An ode to our strength and our vulnerability.

For 'Building Bodies', choreographer/creator Jotka Bauwens challenges three stage performers to a physical and mental rollercoaster. Under the guidance of world bodybuilding champion Kurt De Taeye, she follows a professional bodybuilding workout for two months together with performers Elias Vandenbroucke, Patrick Vervueren and Jeffrey Jackson Loewenicht. Their bodies are measured, nutrition schedules drawn up, a daily workout established. They get a workout in which the body and mind face major challenges.

Which feelings, thoughts or physical sensations are released?
Who experiences new strengths, or who gets frustrated?
How far will they (want to) go?
What does this do to each of them as a person, what does this do to them as a group?

Searching for answers to all of these questions, they build ‘Building Bodies' together with Jotka. A visual-physical performance around the strength and vulnerability of body and mind. Because with strength, are we not building armour around our insecurities?

‘Building Bodies’ grew out of dancer/choreographer Jotka Bauwens' personal story and journey. As a young person, she did not always feel comfortable in her own skin. After her dance training, she still didn't feel in her power. Jotka searched for what she was missing as a dancer, and discovered fitness and power training. What struck her in those cold fitness rooms was the contrast between those strong bodies and the vulnerable personalities behind them. In her own way, it made her feel at home and safe. Through power training, she built a strong armour around her own insecurities and her body found more strength than ever before. As a dancer/player, she blossomed - more self-confident and energetic as she was - on stage. The gym became a place of inspiration and her fascination and appreciation for a more extreme form of power training like bodybuilding remains, but not without reservation. 'Building Bodies’ is a form of gratitude to the body and the mind. An ode to our strength and our vulnerability.

You start bodybuilding to feel more confident, but don't you come out of it more vulnerable? That process is dazzlingly shown in Building Bodies. (...) The performance is full of humour, bringing the underlying tragedy to the surface more and more. The three characters seem less and less self-confident. Can't they use their strong physiques for something other than shows? Is that bodybuilding really so good for your inner well-being? Fitness is good and fine, but it is not enough, seems to be Jotka Bauwens' message in this powerful performance. In any case, it offers plenty of food for (self)reflection.” THEATERKRANT.NL, T. Devens

Dates in Ghent

Thu 11.03.27 — 14:00

Kopergietery Rabot

Thu 11.03.27 — 20:00

Kopergietery Rabot

Fri 12.03.27 — 14:00

Kopergietery Rabot

Fri 12.03.27 — 20:00

Kopergietery Rabot

Tour dates

Tue 16.02.27 — 10:30

CC Het Gasthuis, Aarschot

CC Het Gasthuis
Gasthuisstraat 22
3200 Aarschot
016 56 48 24
www.hetgasthuis.be

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Credits

CONCEPT & DIRECTION:

Jotka Bauwens

WITH:

Malik Mohammed, Elias Vandenbroucke, Patrick Vervueren

CREATION:

Jotka Bauwens, Jeffrey Jackson Loewenicht, Elias Vandenbroucke, Patrick Vervueren

FINAL DIRECTION:

Randi De Vlieghe

COACHING:

Fée Roels

COSTUMES:

Valerie Le Roy

LIGHT:

Kris Van Oudenhove

SOUND:

Lene Maesen

DECOR DESIGN:

Kris Van Oudenhove

TECHNIQUE:

Lene Maesen, Geeraard Respeel, Bart Van Bellegem, Kris Van Oudenhove

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT:

Maaike Scheltjens

PRODUCTION:

KOPERGIETERY & KGbe

WITH THE SUPPORT OF:

he Tax Shelter measurement of the Belgian federal government via Flanders tax shelter

ABOUT THE MAKER

Jotka Bauwens graduated from the contemporary dance programme at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp in 2013. As a child/youngster, she was associated with the theatre workshops of KOPERGIETERY. She currently works as a dancer, actress and maker, as well as being a physical coach/dance teacher for theatre productions and film. In recent years, she has performed for theatre houses BRONKS, FroeFroe, Theater De Spiegel and dOFt, among others. In 2016, she made her first own creation 'MEIS', a dance piece around gender and sexuality. Jotka also works regularly as a dance and theatre teacher at hetpaleis and KOPERGIETERY.