A dancing ode to youth and vitality, created and performed by Brussels children aged 9 to 13

Do you still remember: falling stars,
how they leapt slantwise through the sky
like horses over suddenly held-out hurdles
of our wishes – did we have so many? –
(Rainer Maria Rilke)

The Round celebrates the untamed energy of youthful bodies in motion. Using self-invented games and rituals, a group of young dancers from Brussels went in search of their own interpretation of parades and processions. It improved their group spirit and mutual solidarity and turned them into a true 'dance troop'.

The Round embodies an explosion of life and calls for a return to the source: the basic rhythm of our breathing and our body. The music, which consists solely of percussion, reinforces this boundless impulse. Like a rhythmic foundation, it shores and connects us during the performance – with each other, but also with the earth and the universe.

The Round is an urban project from Molenbeek, created and performed by eight Brussels children aged between 9 and 13. The audience is seated in a round grandstand that was specially designed by Jozef Wouters. The performance is free but booking is recommended. Ages 8 and up.

Photos: © Koen Broos