How can you give children ownership in a creative process? with Zoë Demoustier

This workshop will be given in Dutch

In this workshop, we explore ways to actively involve young dancers in the creation of choreography, so they are not only performers but co-owners of the creative process. I draw on the experience of the performance What Remains (Ultima Vez), where I brought together children and elderly people in a dance dialogue about memory, impermanence, and the power of the body across different life stages.

Additionally, I will connect this to my new performance The Wave, where I investigate how the repertoire of the so-called “Flemish Wave” – an influential movement in Flemish dance history – can be passed on to the younger generation. In this workshop, we will discuss how children can not only learn from existing movement traditions, but also transform them so that the repertoire becomes their own. The idea of “ownership” is central: how can children develop a sense of ownership over the dance, the story, and the history they are telling?

Why take this workshop according to programmer Anne-Lore?

Those looking for ways to place children on stage in a natural way will find inspiration in this workshop. To keep children motivated to create, it’s important that they have co-ownership of the piece. Zoë was experienced this kind of ownership as a child and now stands on the side of the choreographer.

Who is Zoë Demoustier?

Zoë Demoustier is a Brussels-based choreographer and performer with a background in Dutch Mime, contemporary dance, and cultural research. Since graduating in 2018, she has built a wide network in Flanders, Brussels, and the Netherlands, and has worked internationally in cities such as Vienna, Montreal, and Milan. Her work connects generations and artistic styles, bringing together movement, image, and sound on equal footing. Zoë is known for her choreographies that translate societal themes in a relatable way, transforming everyday movements into aesthetic forms that encourage audience reflection.

Her work balances between abstraction and accessibility, aiming to make dance understandable and tangible for a wide audience. The layered nature of her performances ensures that meanings shift and transform, anchored in universal emotions and images. This gives her work a timeless relevance, both artistically and socially.

Zoë has collaborated with companies and creators such as Kabinet K, Michiel Vandevelde, and Alma Söderberg, and created performances including Unfolding an Archive (STUK & Ultima Vez), Beating Choir/Choeur Battant (BRONKS BE & Le Carrousel CA), Nesten (fABULEUS), and What Remains (Ultima Vez), which was selected for the Theatre Festival in 2023 and received international recognition.