The Round

Do you remember the falling stars
that raced through the sky
like swift horses
and suddenly leaped over the obstacles of our wishes?
Do you remember?
(Rainer Maria Rilke)

The Round is a city project rooted in Molenbeek, created and performed by eight Brussels children aged 9 to 13. Inspired by Claire Croizé’s 2014 performance Primitive, and featuring a specially designed circular tribune by set designer Jozef Wouters, this performance promises to be a unique experience. The premiere will take place on March 1, 2025, during the Krokusfestival in ccHasselt.

The Round is fueled by the untamed energy of youthful bodies in motion, closely connected to each other and the universe. The performance embodies an explosion of vitality, calling for a return to the source: the breath and rhythm of the bodies.

Through self-invented games and rituals, Claire Croizé guides her young dancers to engage in distinctive forms of processions, parades, and marches. This fosters group spirit, togetherness, and mutual solidarity, transforming the group into a true band. At the same time, Claire emphasizes the individuality of the children, encouraging them to draw inspiration from their personal experiences.

The music in The Round is entirely percussive, sometimes created by the children themselves based on body rhythms, sometimes composed, for instance, by Xenakis, or by the Brussels Fanfakids. This music serves as the rhythmic foundation that connects us all during the performance, with each other, but also with the earth and the cosmos, as during the “dance of the earth” and the “dance of the stars.”

Claire Croizé creates with The Round a performance in which the infrastructure is an integral part of the piece. This allows the performance to be played in various locations and in different contexts: indoors and outdoors, in forests, by canal banks, on beaches, behind dunes, in parks, but also in theaters, old warehouses, or gymnasiums.

The Round is a performance for all ages from 8 years old.