Voetvolk / Lisbeth Gruwez & Maarten Van Cauwenberghe - Tempest

Lisbeth Gruwez returns to the stage solo for the powerful performance of Tempest. Following the mesmerising Into the Open three years ago and the unique Nomadics, which invited audiences to join the dancers on their journey to the theatre before immersing themselves in to Maarten Van Cauwenberghe's environmental techno, Gruwez now places herself alone in the eye of the storm. 

Anger is an ever-present and universal force, much like a tempest – inevitable under certain conditions and naturally recurring. It is a dual force: at once destructive and a catalyst for change, a response to imbalance.

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In the solo Tempest, Lisbeth Gruwez draws on the precision of martial arts to channel this primal force and raw energy into focused strength. An oscillating body that moves between chaotic sharp surges of energy and the potential for a quiet clarity.

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Here, anger is an emotion, embodied as a collective current – a vibration in an energetically charged atmosphere that lingers in the air, moves through and between us, a field we all inhabit and relate to.

Tempest invites us to absorb and transform the storm: to turn rage into strength. A place where elements clash, merge, and subside into a new presence. A porous body encounters this raw force, metabolising turmoil into lucidity.

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It is a dance through the eye of the storm – a dance that opens an eye within the storm – revealing the stillness at its heart.

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“Wild power and strict discipline balance each other here in a paradoxical way. Dance like burning ice.” – Pzazz 

“Once again, Lisbeth Gruwez proves what an exceptional soloist she is: it is solely through her concentration and precision that the performance effortlessly evokes an entire story. Without much text or explanation. It remains extraordinary.” – Pzazz 

“In a gripping solo, Lisbeth Gruwez faces the storm like a Zen master.” – VRT NWS

“In Tempest, Lisbeth Gruwez awakens the samurai within and shows that she is still as sharp as a blade.” – De Standaard (****) 

“This is calligraphy in the air. As graceful as it is razor-sharp.” – De Standaard (****)