Alexander Vantournhout / not standing (Belgium) | VanThorhout

Whether it be ancient gods, classical heroes, soldiers or athletes, the glorification of male power throughout history has often tended towards a celebration of war, aggression, and violence. Thor, to whom the title refers, is one of its most famous personifications of this. He can unleash a thunderstorm and lives on, to this day, as a superhero in Marvel comics and films, invariably depicted with his Mjölnir, a hammer with an incredibly short handle.

In VanThorhout, Alexander comes on stage as Thor, with his own Mjölnir. As always in Alexander’s oeuvre, the relationship between object and performer quickly becomes ambiguous. When does one lose the strength to manipulate this heavy hammer, and when does the hammer take over and become uncontrollable? What if all these images of power disintegrate?

After a series of group choreographies, Alexander Vantournhout now returns to the stage alone.

Recommended age: VanThorhout is a show for adults. Children from 14 years on are welcome if they’re accompanied.
Duration: 50 min.

Important information:
It’s a show in full silence so we kindly ask not to film or take photos during the performance.
Accessible for people with reduced mobility and impaired hearing.
When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such. 

Cheaper tickets can be purchased until July 29.

Alexander Vantournhout (Brussels, 1989) studied cyr wheel and juggling at ESAC (Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque) and contemporary dance at P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) in Brussels. Alexander Vantournhout's physical language bears the influences of a varied education and working circumstances. However, it is marked by two constants: his search for the creative and kinetic potential in physical limitation, and the relationship or boundary between performer and object.

Alexander Vantournhout is artist-in-residence at the Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER in Ghent, associate artist at CENTQUATRE in Paris and cultural ambassador of the city of Roeselare. Alexander Vantournhout is supported by the BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of his projects. Alexander Vantournhout achieved a significant milestone in his career by winning the Ultima for Performing Arts, a recognition bestowed by the Flemish Government, acknowledging his groundbreaking contributions to the cultural landscape.

Choreography & performance: Alexander Vantournhout
Artistic assistant: Emmi Väisänen
Dramaturgy: Rudi Laermans & Sébastien Hendrickx
Prop design: Tom De With & Willy Cauwelier Light
Design: Bert Van Dijck
Costumes: Patty Eggerickx
Outside eye: Charlotte Cétaire, Anneleen Keppens, Esse Vanderbruggen & Sandy Williams
Object manipulation outside eyes: Simon Janson & Sebastian Berger
Thanks to: Bojana Cvejić, Ben Mcewen & Tom Van der Borght
Technical coordination: Rinus Samyn
Technicians on tour: Tijs Bonner & Bram Vandeghinste
Company manager: Esther Maas Production manager: Barbara Falter, Aïda Gabriëls & Kiki Verschueren
Represented by: Frans Brood Productions
Supported by: la Fondation d’entreprise Hermès within the context of the New Settings programme, the Flemish authorities
Production: not standing
Co-production: Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER (Gent), Le CENTQUATRE (Paris), Les Subsistances – SUBS (Lyon), Les 2 Pôles Nationaux des Arts du Cirque normands – La Brèche (Cherbourg) & le Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf, 3 bis f – centre d'arts contemporains (Aix-en-Provence)

Video trailer: https://vimeo.com/806217401