Not Standing
Alexander Vantournhout
Not Standing was founded by choreographer Alexander Vantournhout.
Alexander Vantournhout (Brussels, 1989) studied cyr wheel and juggling at ESAC (Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque) and contemporary dance at P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) in Brussels.
Alexander Vantournhout’s physical language bears the influences of a varied education and working circumstances. However, it is marked by two constants: his search for the creative and kinetic potential in physical limitation, and the relationship or boundary between performer and object.
2014 marks the premiere of his first piece, Caprices, a choreographic solo set to the music of Sciarrino. Aneckxander (2015), a second solo, co-created with Bauke Lievens, wins the CircusNext Prize, as well as the Young Theatre Prize and the Audience Prize at Theater Aan Zee (Ostend, 2015) and the Aerowaves network. His first duet Raphaël (2017) is also co-created with Bauke Lievens.
In 2018, Alexander Vantournhout created La Rose en Céramique, a movement solo that accompanies Scali Delpeyrat’s theatrical solo at the Avignon Festival. Shortly after, Vantournhout explores the dynamics of a male quartet in Red Haired Men. In SCREWS, created in 2019, Alexander Vantournhout guides the audience, accompanied by 4 dancer-acrobats, on a journey of reverberating micro-performances, ranging from short solos and duets to group choreographies.
With Through the Grapevine (2020), Alexander Vantournhout returns to the duet format. This is his first real duet and is to some extent inspired by the concept of Aneckxander (2015). The body is reintroduced in a very pure way and the performance dives into the creative and kinetic potential of physical limitations, a theme that is reflected throughout Alexander Vantournhout’s work. In Contre-jour (2021) Alexander Vantournhout takes on the role of choreographer for the first time and gives the floor to a group of five performers from various backgrounds: dance, musical, theatre, circus, etc. In 2022 Alexander Vantournhout returned solo on stage with VanThorhout. Foreshadow, a creation with 8 performers, premieres in the summer of 2023 at Julidans in Amsterdam.
Aneckxander (2016) as well as Screws (2020), Through the Grapevine (2021) and VanThorhout (2023) were selected for Het TheaterFestival, which celebrates the most exceptional Belgian performances. In addition to his live performances, he has ventured into the realm of dance films, creating Screws & Stones (2019) and Snakearms (2021), the latter of which earned accolades at Het TheaterFestival, NY Segal Film Festival, and Cinedans Festival Amsterdam.
Alexander Vantournhout is artist-in-residence at the Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER in Ghent, associate artist at CENTQUATRE in Paris and cultural ambassador of the city of Roeselare. Alexander Vantournhout is supported by the BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of his projects.
“Alexander Vantournhout’s work is so ingenious that it is impossible to describe. In just a few years, Alexander Vantournhout has developed a unique choreographic language that draws on techniques from dance, martial arts, circus, yoga, anatomy and the animal world.”
– De Standaard
