How do you make it ... Kasper Vandenberghe

Kasper Vandenberghe is a performer and actor. In 2018, he founded the company MOVEDBYMATTER.

In their latest performance Mystica, he explores the feminine mystique and energy within our culture through dance and circus techniques. 

How do you make it?

'MYSTICA' originated from my desire to combine the circus technique of hair suspension with a substantive project focused on awareness. From that perspective, I explored how our history could play a role in this, and thus I arrived at nine medieval, mystical women. The challenge is to bring these three elements – circus, awareness, and historical inspiration – together in a group ritual, where I, as an artist, work with others towards a shared experience.

Why do you create it?

I create 'MYSTICA' as a response to the unconscious, fast pace of our society. With this performance, I want to invite the audience to pause and reflect on the speed of our existence and to explore the transition from thinking to feeling. I am also fascinated by bringing a physical circus discipline back to its essence – not to entertain, but to show the core in all its simplicity. This project combines my research into awareness with my passion for circus in an experience for a broad audience.

Who are you working with?

For 'MYSTICA', I am collaborating with a talented team: Elisa Demarré conducted historical research on female mystics and writes the texts, which are then transformed into compositions by Timo Tembuyser and provided with music by Jens Bouttery. Together with Ingrid Esperanza, an expert in hair suspension, we are delving into this circus technique through residencies in Barcelona and Belgium. Eglantine Möller and Guy Coolen support the production from Muziektheater Transparant. In the meantime, we have found the right hair hangers and singers to bring this collective ritual to life.