What's NEXT? • NEXT Arts Festival

NEXT FESTIVAL

An annual international theatre and dance festival aimed at a wide and adventurous audience.

NEXT is a yearly, international performing arts festival in the cross-border Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai & Valenciennes, organised by 5 French and Belgian co-organising artistic houses and 15 associated partners.

The artistic programme focuses on referential work and new tendencies in contemporary theatre and dance in and outside Europe. NEXT invites every year about 40 international artists to create and present in the cross-border region. They tour the Eurometropolis to present in more than 15 venues and interact with the public during multiple forms of workshops and meetings. Artists in previous editions were amongst others Thomas Ostermeier (DE) & the National Theatre of Moscow (RU), Guy Cassiers (BE), Romeo Castellucci (IT), Akram Khan (UK), Jan Fabre (BE), Oskaras Korsunovas (LT), Blitz Theatre Group (GR), Frédérick Gravel (CA), Brokentalkers (UK), Pippo Delbono (IT), Dave St-Pierre (CA), International Institute of Political Murder (DE/CH), Kris Verdonck (BE), CREW (BE), Mette Ingvartsen (DM/FR), Berlin (BE), Hubert Colas (FR), Ivo Dimchev (BU), Superamas (FR/AU), Christian Rizzo (FR), Javor Gardev (BU), …

NEXT started in 2008 in 4 cities, with 7000 spectators. It evolved into a collaboration platform with more than 15 partners and an artistic feast for some 15.000 spectators. NEXT has also become a landmark event for cultural and artistic professionals from all over Europe. During multiple moments and formats for professionals, NEXT encourages and facilitates intercultural dialogue amongst programmers, artists, festival organisers, cross-border politicians, students, the broad public...

NEXT wants to be “cross-border” in the broadest possible way: literally as an international arts festival, in the programming (multidisciplinary forms of expression, mixtures, languages), in the field of production of international work and in the way it deals with the audience (logistics, communication, ticketing, coaching). It brings together disciplines, communities and cultures and encourages exchange of cultural diversity. From out this cross-border context, it developed a firm European orientation and identity. It is a pilot project, bringing the European idea to day-to-day practice and giving it the large visibility through the festival itself.

Festival for the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai + Valenciennes

In 2008, fourteen governments (*see below) founded a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). Today, the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis aims to boost the region's economic, cultural and social development. Eurometropolises" are either major cities (Barcelona, Brussels, Berlin, Lyon) or conurbations (Randstad Holland, Ruhr).

NEXT plays an important role in the development and dynamics of the new cross-border metropolis. This is why NEXT is working hard to cover the whole region and to get close to all its inhabitants. NEXT is building a cross-border network of cultural organisations that are helping to organise and programme contemporary shows, as well as bringing audiences together during the festival. They work together in a variety of formats:

NEXT on tour takes artists on a journey through several venues in the Eurometropole.
Artistic projects focus on a phenomenon or anecdote from this cross-border region.
NEXT develops projects in exceptional locations in the region, combining artistic discovery with the (re)discovery of emblematic places in the cross-border heritage.
A wide range of free shuttles, weekend tours, translated shows, introductions, meetings with artists, workshops, group activities, cultural action, etc. guarantees the exchange and movement of audiences, artists and professionals between the three regions.
Audiences, artists and teams come together throughout, and especially at the end of the festival, for festive moments.

* The French State, the Nord-Pas de Calais Region, the Département du Nord, Lille Métropole Communauté Urbaine, the Walloon Region, the French Community of Belgium, the Province of Hainaut, the IDETA intermunicipal association, the IEG intermunicipal association, the Federale Staat België, the Vlaamse Gemeenschap, the Provincie West-Vlaanderen, the Leiedal intermunicipal association, the wvi intermunicipal association.

NEXT's five co-organisers

> Schouwburg Kortrijk belongs to the network of major cultural centres in Flanders and has an extensive season programme: 200 performances of theatre, comedy, pop and classical music, musical theatre and a contemporary dance programme.

> kunstencentrum BUDA (Budascoop) is a creative centre where 150 artists create new shows every year in fully equipped studios and theatres. These productions are presented to the public at various festivals and showcases. BUDA also has an art house cinema with at least 3 films a day.

> La rose des vents, scène nationale Lille Métropole Villeneuve d'Ascq, is part of the French network of "scènes nationales". Its main missions are to present national and international theatre and dance productions, support artistic creation and maintain a strong relationship with the public.

> Espace Pasolini, théâtre international de Valenciennes, is a centre for research and creation in contemporary dance and performance. The company is renowned for its support for young artists and has an important cultural action remit.

> le Phénix, scène nationale de Valenciennes is a unique venue with two theatres, a rehearsal space, a restaurant and an exhibition space. Throughout the season, the Phénix puts forward a multi-disciplinary programme (theatre, dance, music, performances, etc.) featuring both established and emerging artists.

NEXT-team

Alieke Vroman
Benoit Geers
Lien De Trogh
Virgile Lopes

and all our colleagues at Kunstencentrum BUDA, Schouwburg Kortrijk, La rose des vents, Espace Pasolini and Le Phénix.

Board of directors

Contact

NEXT Arts Festival
Broelkaai 6
8500 Kortrijk

+32 56 22 10 01
info@nextfestival.eu

All programmation requests should be sent to: info@nextfestival.eu