Q&A with Michiel Vandevelde
As part of the Visiting Artist Programme (VAP) at CODA Oslo International Dance Festival, choreographer and curator Michiel Vandevelde travelled to Oslo to immerse himself in the festival’s performances, conversations and artistic exchanges. During his stay, he joined fellow international artists and visiting professionals for a programme that combined performances, seminars and informal encounters across the city. After returning home, December Dance caught up with Michiel to reflect on the experience: from memorable performances and unexpected discoveries to new connections, shared conversations and the particular feeling of seeing Oslo through the eyes of an artist rather than a tourist.
Let’s start at the beginning. What was your general experience of the VAP programme at CODA like?
I think it was a very nice and especially convivial experience. In a way it was a small community, so there was a lot of exchange with the other artists, but also with the visiting professionals. If I had the opportunity to join again, I certainly would. It’s a very generous offer from all these partners to provide support for artists to visit other festivals.
Are there any activities that stood out to you?
One was the seminar on sustainable practises. Not so much because of the topic itself, but because of the examples that were brought forth. I found the story of Liv Aira and her Jillat dance centre very inspiring. She’s building this place for her Sami culture with great enthusiasm, but also with a lot of support from the local community. If time allows, I would love to visit.
The other highlight was Infinétude by Alma Söderberg. I have followed Alma for years, but since she left Brussels I hadn’t seen much of her work anymore. It was a joy to reconnect with her style. Her performance was just a beautiful, very, very, very convincing, energetic, funny piece and one of the best dance works I've seen in the last year, I think.
Did the programme offer any experiences that you wouldn't manage or pick by yourself?
Not really, in the sense that the schedule is set for you to see almost everything. As I am beside a choreographer also a programmer/curator, that's my approach anyway. However, what I usually don’t attend are seminars. It was a good discovery that they offer a new way to get to know a lot of interesting projects, people and stories. In the future I will remember that seminars can actually be very thought-provoking and it’s a reminder to also make time for them.
Was it easy to make new connections?
I appreciate not being the only visiting artist. There being four of us made for good and deliberate conversations amongst ourselves, as well as having someone to visit the programme with. Maurícia Barreira Neves from Portugal (supported by the Festival Dias da Dança, Portugal) has since visited me at my venue CAMPO in Ghent (Belgium). There is let’s say a longer term relationship developing and that has only happened because of this encounter at the VAP. Meeting Birgit Berndt from CODA was also great to get in touch with.
With which feeling did you board the plane back home?
In general I felt this warm feeling of having been part of a community, having met those other artists, but also having seen Oslo not from a tourist point of view, but from the artist point of view. It was both interesting to make new connections, but I also just had a very poetic impression of the city. When we took the bus to Sandflukt by Ingri Fiksdal and Jonas Corell Petersen at Bjønndalen Bruk I could see the scenery pass by from my window. This old sand mine felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. And the to have this site-specific performance in this beautiful industrial landscape with a small group of dancers climbing and falling… This sort of endless movement. It was a special experience. So when I sat in the the plane looking out of the window, I could recognise the landscape and was reminded of all the encounters.
Thanks to Michiel Vandevelde for sharing his reflections and experiences, and to December Dance for making this conversation possible.