People have always danced intensively together, and under various names, raves have always existed. In While We are Here, Lisa Vereertbrugghen investigates the timeless desire to collectively dance hard. She invited Claire Godsmark, Dolores Hulan, Eimi Leggett and Castélie Yalombo Lilonge to collectively practice hardcore rave parallel to folk dances that celebrate joy and togetherness.

Without nostalgia and with no fixed vision of the future, the group brings to life a hybrid techno-folk dance. While We are Here is a work against control and celebrates a collective physicality.

Lisa Vereertbrugghen has been researching hardcore techno sound and dance styles since 2014, through different formats in between performance, sound and installation. She attained a master’s degree in Cultural History (history of the body) at the University of Leuven and a degree in Choreography at the School for New Dance Development (SNDO) in Amsterdam. She works as a dramaturg, performer and choreographer for various performance and visual artists in between Brussels, Berlin and Amsterdam.

The presentation of the performance at ConTempo Festival is supported by Flanders State of the Art.