http://www.ultimavez.com

After studying psychology and photography, Wim Vandekeybus (1963) started work as a professional actor with Jan Fabre (De Macht der theatrale dwaasheden, 1985). In 1986 he formed Ultima Vez, which, twenty years on, is still the company and the production structure within which this choreographer, director and filmmaker presents his artistic work.

Wim Vandekeybus created his first performances in the late Eighties and rapidly rose to the very top rank of the world’s young choreographers. This was a period of sweeping change on Flanders’ performing arts scene, and it didn’t take long for Vandekeybus’ creations to become internationally famous for their passion for movement, energy and eroticism.

What the body does not remember (1987) in many ways typified the development of Vandekeybus’s unique style of movement. The brutality of the choreography, which features dancers throwing bricks, the dominant presence of music (Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch) and the emphasis on the (physical) body, are elements that were already present in this first production.

‘Back to a sense of truth in movement, that people later came to describe as dance.’ This is how Wim Vandekeybus himself described the basic principle of his performances in his early years, hereby coming close to shrugging off the most obvious word we can use to describe his work. Over the years, he has radically and honestly developed his own aesthetic.

Alongside his powerful, physical idiom, encounters and cooperation with other artists, non-artists, dancers and performers of all ages and backgrounds are central to Wim Vandekeybus’ work. These encounters lead to interdisciplinary performances with unique and often surprising combinations of music, dance, theatre, literature, visual design and film.

For example, Vandekeybus used blind performers for Mountains Made of Barking (1994). This fascination arose out of a meeting with the blind Moroccan Saïd Gharbi and is part of Vandekeybus’ permanent exploration of the interplay between body and mind.

Blush (2002) marked the beginning of new collaboration between Ultima Vez and the Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS) in Brussels. The American singer-songwriter David Eugene Edwards (16 Horsepower and Woven Hand) composed the music for the performance. Wim Vandekeybus worked with Peter Verhelst on the texts. In 2005, a film adaptation of the production was released, filmed on location in Brussels and Corsica.

A workshop with children and young people under the umbrella of the Brussels literature festival Het Groot Beschrijf (2002) marked the beginning of a series of projects with young people directed by Wim Vandekeybus. After Bericht aan de Bevolking/Avis à la Population (2002) came Viva! (2004), Rent a Kid, no Bullshit! (2005) and Bêt noir (2006), based on Jan Decorte’s adaptation of the Oedipus Myth.

In 2006, Wim Vandekeybus marked Ultima Vez’s twentieth birthday by creating Vez Spiegel, an evening featuring key scenes from his past work. In 2009, nieuwZwart, featuring a totally new cast, premiered in Barcelona. The Belgian rock singer Mauro Pawlowski undertook to do the music. Throughout his development, Vandekeybus has remained rooted in Flanders, where his company now occupies a prominent position in the Brussels dance world and regularly performs at Flemish venues. Wim Vandekeybus and Ultima Vez also continue to play a pioneering role on the international stage.