In a world marked by conflicts, uncertainty and collective mourning, Chapters of Celebration poses an essential, almost defiant question: what is left to celebrate? When the world feels heavy due to war, injustice and alienation, joy can seem irresponsible or even impossible. And yet throughout history, even in the darkest times, people have sought refuge in rituals, dance and communal celebrations – not as a means of escape, but as a form of resistance and renewal. 

Chapters of Celebration is an energetic performance with music and dance that pays tribute to the celebrating body over time. It is a full-evening dance marathon in which a ‘museum of party’ is constructed. The musical common thread is La Folía (‘folly’) or Folies d’Espagne, a fifteenth-century musical theme from Iberia that pulses through classical musical history like a heartbeat, thanks to adaptations by composers such as Bach, Vivaldi and Rachmaninov. Composer and pianist Wouter Deltour crafts the various compositions into a dazzling, contemporary whole. 

Director Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe invites six renowned choreographers  - Michele Rizzo, Cherish Menzo, Lasseindra Ninja, Iker Karrera, Jeremy Nedd en Toni Jodar -  to liberate the celebrating body, in ‘chapters’ that cross baroque dance with ballroom, jazz and rave. Like archaeologists of festivities, they join six singing dancers in search of the original freedom and folly of human communities. Thus, ringing out in Chapters of Celebration are the political and ritual echoes of exuberance that humanity seems to have lost along the way. 

Following the critically acclaimed Madrigals, director Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe and composer Wouter Deltour reunite in their shared passion for classical music and ritual. In a broken world, Chapters of Celebration is a powerful reminder of the universal need to celebrate. So we don’t forget to keep on dancing, always.

Jury Report

No matter how idiosyncratic each element of Chapters may be, the celebratory ritual that Meirhaeghe has composed remains consistently stylish and coherent, and above all deeply generous towards performers and audience. L'art pour l'art for everyone: that is no small feat.