Tzavta #8

LISBETH GRUWEZ

Lisbeth Gruwez (1977) is a Belgian dancer and choreographer, half of Voetvolk’s artistic team. She started practising classical ballet at the age of 6 and studied at the Royal Ballet School Antwerp, combining high school with a professional dance education. Once graduated, she joined P.A.R.T.S. (Brussels) to study contemporary dance.

In 1999 she started working with Jan Fabre, being part of his guerriers de la beauté. Having performed in As long as the world needs a warrior’s soul (2000) and Je suis sang (2001), she rose to international fame because of Quando l’uomo principale è una donna (2004), the solo Jan Fabre created specifically for (and with) her.

Apart from working with Fabre, she also collaborated with Ultima Vez, Jan Lauwers, Grace Ellen Barkey, Riina Saastamoinen, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Arco Renz, Juliette Lewis, Dirk Braeckman and Peter Verhelst, amongst others.

In 2007 she founded Voetvolk, together with Maarten Van Cauwenberghe. Their work is an ongoing conversation between corporal and auditive movement, in order to achieve a symbiosis between the aural and the visual/physical.

Lisbeth has played the leading role in Lost Persons Area, Caroline Strubbe’s first feature film, and is one of the “KVS faces”, the open ensemble of artists and thinkers associated with the Royal Flemish Theatre of Brussels.

MAARTEN VAN CAUWENBERGHE

Maarten Van Cauwenberghe (1976) is a Belgian musician and composer, the other half of Voetvolk’s artistic team. He started playing guitar at the age of 12. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Catholic University of Leuven (to become a commercial engineer) and at the Jazzstudio in Antwerp.

In 2000 he started working with Jan Fabre, creating the music for As long as the world needs a warrior’s soul (2000), Je suis sang (2001) and Quando l’uomo principale è una donna (2004), growing very close with dancer Lisbeth Gruwez.

In 2007 he founded Voetvolk, together with Lisbeth Gruwez. Their work is an ongoing conversation between corporal and auditive movement, in order to achieve a symbiosis between the aural and the visual/physical.

Apart from establishing his own compositions with Voetvolk, he also collaborated with Julia Sugranyes, Label Cedana, Comédie de Valence, Louise Chardon, Tristero, Collectif Transquinquennal, Manah Depauw, Alex Salinas, Miet Warlop and Antoine d’Agata.

He also composed for Yell for Cadel, his own documentary on Cadel Evans, and for Le Part Sauvage, Guérin Van de Vorst’s first feature film.

Van Cauwenberghe directed videoclips for A Brand (“Hammerhead”), Millionaire (“Ballad of Pure Thought”) and Vive la Fête.

He is also member of the psychedelic electropunk band Dendermonde (and previously of the band Babyjohn), and dj.

Being a commercial engineer, Van Cauwenberghe enjoys engaging in the business matters of cultural activities. Apart from being Voetvolk’s business manager, he is associated with Key Performance (as Art Project Manager). In 2016 he won the Prize for Cultural Entrepeneurship, awarded by the Flemish Community.