Lisa Vereertbrugghen on Again Forever: "I wondered: what happens if I dance more slowly than normal?"

In the run-up to the premiere of Again Forever in the Domzaal in the Vooruit Arts Centre, we spoke with Lisa Vereertbrugghen. In her newest CAMPO creation, she exchanges the intensity of techno for the slowness and intimacy of slow dance. We discuss her creative process, collaborating with the dancers and interacting with the audience.

How did you come up with the idea of exploring slow dancing in a choreographic context?

The idea actually arose because I’d spent a long time working with techno, very fast techno in particular. After thirteen years of extremely fast dancing, I felt like exploring its antithesis. I wondered what would happen if I danced more slowly than normal. This was a shift from abnormally fast to its diametric opposite, abnormally slow. I was once asked on a radio programme to opine on “the disappearance of the slow dance”. Well, I had no opinion on that at the time, but the question stayed with me. Where did it go, and why did it disappear? I slow danced when I was sixteen, but never again after that.

How do you work with the dancers on the idea of intimacy and time? What does that demand of you?

Yes, it was a long process, and I had the luxury of truly being able to take my time with it. I specifically wanted to embark on a long-term project with the dancers, so that we could get to know each other in depth. We began at the seaside: the first time we got together for a try-out was during Dansand in Ostend."

"In the research phase, we gradually allowed more intimacy to come into the dancing. This was certainly not present from the start. The process was actually like dancing a slow dance with someone you don't yet know: first you cautiously feel each other out, and as you get to know each other better, trust and closeness grow. And that has been the process for the past nine weeks.

To what extent do you see the audience as part of that collective dance practice? Is there interaction?

In my previous creations, I thought less in terms of audience interaction and more in terms of audience activation. I strongly believe that with music and dance, I can activate the body of the audience as a whole, as one community."

"My techno work was about a pronounced physical and energetic activation. With this performance, we want to evoke a sense of deceleration and connection in the space.

How do you hope Again Forever will change your audience's perception of social dance?

I don't know if the audience's perception will really change. But more than anything, I hope it will make people want to dance themselves, that it will foster a desire to get moving.

Text: Esmee Spoelman