Rosas

Let’s dance!
Let’s dance! Preferably with as many people and artists from all over. That is the driving force behind the Opening Festival 164VANVOLXEM —and it is exactly what unfolded during the opening weekend. For four days, the Van Volxemsite became the setting for one large dance celebration and countless encounters. New buildings and exhibitions were officially inaugurated, ribbons cut, trees planted, ministers welcomed, and a work of art in nature unveiled.

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker delivered the opening speech and, of course, there was dancing. Boštjan Antončič performed a solo of his Bernabo. Seventy Dancingkids shared the stage with P.A.R.T.S. and Platform K in a spectacular Supercast Rosas danst Rosas. José Paulo dos Santos and Lav Crnčević presented Hoketus with a live student orchestra conducted by Ictus. Finally, twenty dancers from five different generations came together once more on stage in Multicast Rosas danst Rosas, an impressive and deeply moving apotheosis.

In total, more than 3,000 guests enjoyed an unforgettable opening weekend. The festival runs until 22 February and will welcome another 45 artists, each connected in their own way to the Van Volxemsite.
Discover the full programme at 164vanvolxem.be

 

 

Speech by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

on the occasion of the opening of the new Van Volxemsite
Friday, 30 January 2026

FROM ORIGINS TO THE FUTURE

Madam Minister of Culture,
Madam Minister for Brussels,
Dear representatives of public authorities, board members, partners, colleagues, neighbours and friends,

welcome to 164VANVOLXEM.

After years of planning, sketching, building and rebuilding, I am very happy—together with many others—to welcome you here today.

Today is a special day. What once began as a search for more workspace has been transformed into a dreamed-of and sustainable home base for Rosas, Ictus and P.A.R.T.S.

What you see today is more than a building. 164VANVOLXEM is a creative hub that we share with future generations of artists, with the neighbourhood, with the entire city and with a broad community. Thanks to the work of architects Vers.A and Ouest, this site stands as an example of “living architecture.” It has become a place not only for creation, but for meeting, for strengthening one another and for seeking out the unexpected.

In a moment, we will explore our new workplace together. And in the garden, on the street side, lies—like a welcome—Zeitgeber, the new permanent artwork by Ann Veronica Janssens and Michel François. A monumental tree trunk, a century old, laid here and transformed into a “social sculpture.” An invitation to sit, to gather, and to write new stories together.

Zeitgeber symbolises what 164VANVOLXEM aims to be: an anchor point for creation, a meeting place for artists, an invitation to the city.

We reopen this site with a true festival, built around Rosas danst Rosas. I created this work in 1983, and together with my dance company Rosas, it allowed us to travel the world. I am proud that this piece has become a landmark in the history of contemporary dance.

Today, in this building, we connect that past with the future. During this festival, you will see many generations of dancers—from the original cast of Rosas danst Rosas, to first-year students of P.A.R.T.S., the dancers of Platform K, and the very youngest from Dancingkids—sharing the stage together.

The festival places transmission at its core: the act of passing on. That is why we are simultaneously celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of P.A.R.T.S. This school has brought hundreds of young people from all over the world to Brussels, allowing talent to flourish. They are the ones who continue to renew the language of dance.

Together with the Ictus ensemble, which also has its roots here, P.A.R.T.S. and Rosas form a unique biotope. Driven by the arts and by artists, this is a habitat where creation, education, heritage, participation, reflection, presentation, and the development of dance and music are deeply intertwined.

We thank the Flemish Community—Excellencies, you and your predecessors—for making this possible. This opening is therefore a promise of lasting added value for the wider community.

Our ambition for Brussels is inclusivity. The doors of this building are open. During this opening month, you will see the SUPERCAST, in which our students dance alongside the children of Dancingkids and the dancers with disabilities from Platform K.

We are also opening our doors to workshops with seniors, with schools, and to an All-Style Dance Battle that welcomes Brussels’ urban dance scene into this space.

I am very proud that 164VANVOLXEM is an open house. This project demonstrates that art and social engagement can go hand in hand.

I would like to thank the Flemish Community and everyone who contributed to the realisation of this dream. And that “everyone” truly means many people—too many to mention individually. The current and former board members, directors and staff of Rosas, P.A.R.T.S. and Ictus have been of the greatest importance in this regard.

To all of you—truly all of you—from the bottom of my heart: thank you.

I invite you to visit the exhibitions, walk through the studios, and meet one another shortly in our “Social Wing.”

The motto of this festival is: Let’s dance!
Preferably with as many people as possible.
Let us fill this place with life.

Thank you.