Spring '26
Defrost your heart
We’re serving some 'Fresh juice' a brand-new spring programme packed with zest, spirit and creative bite.
Agenda
-
Jan Martens & GRIP
THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER 2.003.02and04.02"Open all pores to this gem. And above all, don't forget to breathe." wrote Het Nieuwsblad in 2014 about 'THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER'. The reviews back then did not lie: this production marked the absolute breakthrough for Jan Martens, with an extensive international tour of more than 100 performances. In 2025, Jan Martens and GRIP are recreating this successful show with a new cast.
The American photographer Philippe Halsman once said: “When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears.” With THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER Jan Martens took this statement as a starting point and exposed through the jump the person behind the dancer.
In THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER, the dancer is defined as a pure performer, striving after perfection. Subjected to a complex, mathematical, vigorous and exhausting choreography executed in forced uniformity, the eight dancers ultimately slip up. And then their masks fall.
Thanks to its radical choreographic form, THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER revealed the audience’s perception of dancers, choreographers, spectators and the cultural policy at the time. Ten years on, these questions are still very much relevant due to current political and social trends: Where does the thin line between art and entertainment lie? Who are we as an audience when we contemplate the suffering of dancers from the theatre like a bullfight in an arena? Is contemporary dance striptease for the elite? THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER makes the viewer shift in his position: from being merely subjected to the experience to actively reflecting on it.
-
03.02 20:00 - 21:10Past event
-
04.02 20:00 - 21:10Past event
-
03.02 20:00 - 21:10Past event
-
04.02 20:00 - 21:10Past event
-
-
Galapiat Cirque / Sébastien Wojdan
BlancA white universe full of vibrant humanity.24.01'BLANC' is an intriguing crossover of circus disciplines such as archery and knife throwing, presented through a distinctly non-anecdotal, non-sentimental approach to mental health.
With razor-sharp focus and a relentless, jittery energy, Sébastien Wojdan draws you into the inside of his mind. Charismatic, fierce and laced with a subtle sense of humor, he exposes how thin the line is between control and release, between perfectionism and surrender. BLANC is a charged visual performance about anxiety, self-control and the struggle to simply be human. An unusual must-see.
-
24.01 19:30 - 20:40Past event
-
24.01 19:30 - 20:40Past event
-
-
Sophia Rodriguez
OstentationAbsurd, sharp and unmistakably feminist.24.01In the vibrant solo performance 'Ostentation', Sophia Rodriguez explores the imagery of the female body. She magnifies clichés and turns them inside out, peeling back layer after layer. Effortlessly transitioning between absurd exaggeration and sharp observation, Rodriguez moves from bold nudity to colorful costumes to a trapeze. She invites the audience into an engaging game where the lines between ‘being’ and ‘representation’ are constantly shifting.
-
24.01 18:00Past event
-
24.01 18:00Past event
-
-
Ivo Dimchev
Di/STRAUSS TechniqueExtravaganza, kitsch and camp23.01and24.01Bring along friends, neighbours, and lovers to this extraordinary music and dance experience with choreographer, singer-songwriter, and queer activist Ivo Dimchev. ‘Di/Strauss Technique’ has already garnered success on various international stages. Inspired by the music of Johann Strauss II, the King of the Waltz, Dimchev has created his own ‘healing songs’ and choreographies, which he now shares with the audience. Upon arrival, you'll receive a goodie bag filled with ribbons, fans, pompoms, and even ‘shots’. This way, every spectator becomes a participant in a collective ritual of extravaganza, queer humour, operetta kitsch, and camp catharsis.
-
23.01 21:30 - 22:50Past event
-
24.01 21:00 - 22:20Past event
-
23.01 21:30 - 22:50Past event
-
24.01 21:00 - 22:20Past event
-
-
Arno Ferrera & Gilles Polet
ArmourSexy as fuck!23.01and24.01Three acrobats walk the fine line between wrestling and cruising, reshaping what ‘masculinity’ can mean. Armored in sports gear and hungry for physical intensity, they teeter between strength and vulnerability, erotics and play. Like mythical Graces, they sketch a generous vision of love in an intimate arena that pulls the audience right in. Sexy, raw, virtuosic.
-
23.01 19:00 - 20:00Past event
-
24.01 21:00 - 22:00Past event
-
23.01 19:00 - 20:00Past event
-
24.01 21:00 - 22:00Past event
-
-
Today
Aline Breucker & Quintijn Ketels | Side-ShowMini-stories and everyday events on a picnic blanket23.01-24.01Take a seat on the picnic blanket and savor the moment! Two circus performers, an actress and a musician, invite you to experience a series of seemingly everyday events filled with mini-stories, spontaneous actions and surprises. In this 'relaxed performance,' theater and life blend seamlessly. Watch, listen, taste, or simply enjoy being together with others, all in your own unique way.
Language: Dutch, English and French with subtitles.
-
23.01 15:00 - 16:00Past event
-
23.01 20:00 - 21:00Past event
-
24.01 15:00 - 16:00Past event
-
24.01 18:00 - 19:00Past event
-
23.01 15:00 - 16:00Past event
-
23.01 20:00 - 21:00Past event
-
24.01 15:00 - 16:00Past event
-
24.01 18:00 - 19:00Past event
-
-
Jean-Daniel Broussé
(le/the) PainFrom baguette to trapeze: the hilarious end of a baker's tradition22.01Jean Daniel Broussé (aka JD) is the queer son of a long line of French bakers. JD is destined for bread, but choosing circus. ‘(le) Pain’ is his debut solo show: a playful mix of acrobatics, dance, storytelling, Béarnaise folklore, karaoke and laughter. It is a wild ride through bread-making, queerness, and breaking away from tradition with all the tragedy, comedy and joy that entails.This debut solo performance, in collaboration with cabaret artist Ursula Martinez, mixes circus, dance, storytelling, video, karaoke, and Béarnaise folklore. A feast for the funny bone!
-
22.01 21:00 - 22:00Past event
-
22.01 21:00 - 22:00Past event
-
-
Anna Tauber & Fragan Gehlker
Suzanne: une histoire du cirqueIn between lecture, film, circus and music hall21.01and22.01In the 1950s, Suzanne and her husband amazed audiences worldwide with a breathtaking trapeze act. Ten meters high, without a safety net. Every movement had to be precise, confident, and exact. All or nothing, every time. Sixty years later, Anna meets the now 90-year-old Suzanne and uncovers her forgotten story. She reflects on the circus of the past: the freedom, the risks, the beauty, and the impermanence.
By bringing Suzanne’s act back to life, Anna searches for what endures over time. What remains of us, our risks, our gestures, our former beauty and perfection? Grace or time: which one prevails?-
21.01 20:30 - 21:50Past event
-
22.01 19:00 - 20:20Past event
-
21.01 20:30 - 21:50Past event
-
22.01 19:00 - 20:20Past event
-
-
Fabian Krestel
LabyrinthJuggling meets visual art: a playful, mesmerising adventure for the eyes and ears.21.01Step into ‘The Labyrinth’ at the Wintercircus, a free, drop-in experience where jugglers explore rhythm, balance and motion. Every throw creates a trace, every gesture a new shape. Sounds come alive in a vibrant, visual playground of lines, dots and patterns.
-
21.01 17:00 - 20:00Past event
-
21.01 17:00 - 20:00Past event
-
-
Smells Like Circus festival
Circus, dance, performance & everything inbetweenCircus, dance, performance & everything inbetween21.01-25.01'Smells Like Circus' is pitching its tents in Ghent again for an eighth edition! From January 21 to 24, 2026, the festival will be juggling the boundaries of contemporary circus with amazing performances.
-
21.01 - 25.01Past event
-
21.01 - 25.01Past event
-
-
Souvenirshop
BRONKS & Not Standing|Alexander VantournhoutMona Lisa? Monet? Magritte? Magic!21.01Award-winning choreographer Alexander Vantournhout dives into his quirky souvenir collection. Mona Lisa hoodies, Monet socks and Magritte apples twist and turn into fantastic surprises: sleeve holes appear in unexpected places, trouser legs turn into evening gowns, and zippers unlock hidden worlds.
With acrobatics and dance, performer Miguel do Vale brings this playful universe to life. A magical, imaginative show for a small and wide-eyed audience.
-
21.01 15:00 - 16:00Past event
-
21.01 15:00 - 16:00Past event
-
Actress Natali Broods achieves the impossible in “The Second Woman,”
an epic endurance performance and breathtaking theatrical tour de force.
Agenda
Agenda
Agenda
