Coach for Jolien Baeyens in the 2024 edition.
Coach for Danielle Huyghe in the 2024 edition.
Coach for Petra Belkova / Drieske Nijpers in the 2024 edition.
Lou Couton (she/her) is a French performance artist based in Brussels, Belgium, and Sofia, Bulgaria. She graduated from the dance academy SEAD in Austria. Lou collaborated with the Bodhi Project Company before embarking on her career as a freelance artist. She actively engages in collaborations with artists in the fields of dance and performance while also developing her own work.
In recent months, Lou has been involved in various projects, performing for Damien Jalet, Adrienn Hod, and the musician Seekind. Her artistic exploration delves into human experiences with curiosity, expressed through performance, film, and writing.
Among her notable creations are the interview channel @aboutlittlebeings (2020), the solo piece “a beginner’s guide to understanding humans” (2022), and the solo “Through their eyes” (2023). In December 2023, “Through their eyes” was awarded the 1st prize for choreography at the Brussels Dance contest.
Marlene Elgueta, originally from Santiago de Chile, made the move to Belgium in 2004 and has since settled in Ghent. With a background in the visual arts from KASK (Ghent), she found her passion in performance and dance. After years of working in the cultural sector, Marlene recently revitalized her own artistic practice with the performance ‘Stentor,’ which has secured a place in the De Dansvitrine showcase.
Why Marlene is participating in De Dansvitrine:
“My artistic development gains extra strength through my participation in the development trajectory. This trajectory provides me with the necessary support and guidance to create a full-fledged performance in the future… which is something I truly desire.”
Would you like to hear more about Marlene’s creative process and inspiration? Check out the short interview with Marlene on our Instagram page.
Petra Belkova is the choreographer of the folk art group Drieske Nijpers. Since her childhood, she has been immersed in East European folk music and dance. From this, her passion for authentic folk art and heritage grew. With Drieske Nijpers, she has had the opportunity to translate this passion into the creation of innovative choreographies based on Flemish folk dance. On stage, they bring stories seasoned with emotions and humor. Traditional dances, singing, and music play a significant role, often imbued with new meanings, allowing the audience to rediscover them. They handle traditional material with respect for authenticity and regional character.
Why Petra is participating in De Dansvitrine:
“With our participation in De Dansvitrine, we hope to elevate our creation to a higher level and thereby engage a broader audience in the power of folk dance and traditional music.”
Jolien Baeyens is a master’s student in Sports and Exercise Sciences at KU Leuven. She has always had a great passion for dance, but it wasn’t until she was 17 that she decided to fully pursue it. Throughout her journey, she has overcome many obstacles. She often trained alone and had many ideas but lacked a platform to develop them. Three years ago, she finally started choreographing for the dance company at KU Leuven. In the beginning, it was a process of figuring out how to approach it, what worked, what didn’t, and how to convey this to her dancers. That’s why she decided to study part-time to focus as much as possible on her dance.
Why Jolien is participating in De Dansvitrine:
“Despite having more time, I still missed feedback. I wanted to know how professionals viewed my work and what they would adjust, and for that, De Dansvitrine was the perfect opportunity. Apparently, I’m doing something right :)”
Danielle Huyghe is a Belgian choreographer based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She completed her pre-training at the Kunsthumaniora Contemporary Dance (Antwerp) and her Bachelor’s in Dance at ArtEZ University of the Arts (Arnhem, NL).
Since her graduation, she has danced for various choreographers, including Liesbet Hermans (BE), Posthuman (BE), Charlotte Guillain (BE), Marieke Heerema (NL), WYF Performance Collective (NL), Constantin Trommlitz (NL), Manuel Groothuysen (NL), Cinzia Scoglionero (NL), Oscar van Leest (NL), Soren and Siebel (NL), Bass Grossveldt (NL), and many more.
After graduating, she created several works, including ‘Into The Blue,’ ‘L’Heure Bleue,’ ‘Into The Night,’ ‘Club 27,’ ‘Out Of The Blue,’ ‘Detached Separation,’ ‘Ontkoppeling,’ and more. Her work has won several awards, including the ‘Best Choreography’ award at 25Masdanza, ‘The Best Performance Award’ at FIVER Film Festival, ‘The Jury Prize For Best Film’ at Lago Film Festival (IT), and ‘Best Work’ at Imajitari International Film Festival (DKI).
Her work has been showcased at various renowned dance and theater festivals and on several international stages, including TENT, Rotterdam (NL), EYE Film Museum, Amsterdam (NL), Kunsthal Rotterdam (NL), Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition (NL), Festival 10 Sentidos (ES), the 14th Copenhagen International Choreography Competition (DK), CC Hasselt (BE), CC De ververij (BE), Festival Antigone (BE), CC Berchem (BE), Theater Kikker (NL), Festival 10 Sentidos (ES), Opera Prima Festival (IT), Cinedans Amsterdam (NL), Festival Zzawirrowania (OP), Madrid International Dance Festival (ES), Beta Publica Madrid (ES), Festival DanzAttack (ES), Interplay Festival, Torino (IT), Boring Festival (NL), Theater aan Het Vrijthof, Maastricht (NL), and many more.
In addition to choreographing and dancing, Danielle works as a guest teacher and coach at various organizations, including the Toneelacademie Maastricht (NL), Lemmens Institute Leuven (BE), Kunsthumaniora Contemporary Dance in Antwerp (BE), and many more.
Why Danielle is participating in De Dansvitrine:
It is important for a young creator to present their work and receive feedback on such initial explorations, which can be a fragile position for a maker. These are your first ideas that you present on stage. Therefore, you (the audience) are crucial to providing us with feedback, engaging in conversations, even after the performance at the Magdalenazaal.
Curious about Danielle’s creative process and inspiration? Watch the short video interview on our Instagram page.
Bente Bulens is a performing dancer and artist who recently graduated from PERA – School of Performing Arts in Cyprus. During her studies, she developed an interest in density, repetitions, and clear forms and lines. The exploration of the exhaustion of certain movement qualities often appears in her research.
Why Bente is participating in De Dansvitrine:
“I participate in De Dansvitrine to rediscover my path in the Belgian dance world. After studying abroad for 4 years, I want to explore Belgium again and see where my artistic paths lie here.”
