Centre de recherches francophones belges

Events

News and events at the Centre de recherches francophones belges.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Wallonia-Brussels showcase

Atomic 3001
Still from 2018's Atomic 3001

Since 2018,  the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges has been partnering with Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI) to bring Francophone Belgian culture to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Each year, up to four artists and companies from French-speaking Belgium have been selected by Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre Danse (WBTD) to showcase their talents in venues including Dancebase and Summerhall.

In 2022, two of the physical theatre performances streamed online in 2020 finally make their way to Edinburgh: False Start (Ingrid Von Wantoch Rekowski / Lucilia Caesar); and Emilienne Flagothier's We Should be Dancing.

They are joined by new dance pieces from Serge Aimé Coulibaly (Fitry), and Alessandro Bernardeschi and Mauro Paccagnella (Closing Party (arrivederci e grazie)).

Find out more about the Wallonia-Brussels showcase 2022

Earlier events in the series

Date(s) Venue Title In brief
27 August 2020 Online Golem A staged dialogue between artists from different disciplines and generations born from an encounter between dancer / choreographer Julien Carlier and sculptor Mike Sprogis. Performed by Compagnie Abis.
27 August 2020 Online Strach, A Fear Song

An opera singer brought into a circus environment to see the world through a brand new lens. Preformed by Théâtre d'Un Jour; directed by Patrick Masset.

27 August 2020 Online We Should be Dancing A tragicomic documentary piece of physical theatre directed by Emilienne Flagothier with four actors reproducing the movements of young children filmed in parks and playgrounds.
27 August 2020 Online False Start A piece of physical theatre directed by Ingrid von Wantoch Rekowski exploring, dissecting and reconstructing the crucial moment of the sporting 'false start'. Performed by the Lucilia Caesar company.
31 July to 25 August 2019 Summerhall

Before the End

A one-woman show by Belgian actor and violinist Catherine Graindorge using words, image and music to tell the story of her lawyer father Michel's life and death. With Théâtre les Tanneurs.
31 July to 26 August 2019 Assembly Checkpoint

Comète

A live rock concert for young moshers by Compagnie Dérivation's Belgian indie supergroup.
31 July to 25 August 2019 Summerhall

FrontX

A groundbreaking mix of dance, hiphop, beatboxing and burlesque from Belgian choreographer Milan Emmanuel and No Way Back.
2 to 18 August 2019 Dancebase

The Steve Reich Project

re-imagining of three of Reich’s most famous works in dance by Belgian choreographer Isabella Soupart in partnership with the MP4 Quartet, in which dancer Shantala Pèpe performs to live scores.
21 to 26 August 2018 Dancebase

Atomic 3001

A futuristic dance ritual and artistic collaboration between choreographer Leslie Mannès, composer Thomas Turine AKA Sitoid and light designer Vincent Lemaître.
3 to 14 August 2018 Zoo Southside Stoel (Chair) A performance by Compagnie Nyash involving two dancers, 15 chairs, and the rhythm of cello and voice.
19 to 27 August 2018 Zoo Southside

Autóctonos II

A quintet between a pianist / composer and four dancers questioning what it is to belong to a group. A piece based on the physical tenacity and commitment of its performers. 
2 to 26 August 2018 Summerhall

Backup

An award-winning piece of physical theatre by the Focus and Chaliwaté companies exploring social lethargy in the face of climate change.

Conferences and symposia

Detail from a book cover of a sculpture of two hands touching

Date: 27 April 2018

Venue: 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh

Keynote speakers: Jane McKie; Joanne Brooks; Susan Bainbrigge

In brief: A one-day symposium exploring the overlap between the therapeutic encounter and the writer’s relationship with the poem. Developing out of an earlier interdisciplinary conference (see below), the event comprised presentations and discussions on poetry, listening, and creativity, and a short writing workshop.

Lectures, talks, discussions and readings

Photo of In Koli Jean Bofane

Date: 19 March 2021

Venue: Online (Zoom)

Organisers: Centre de recherches francophones belges; Institut français d’Ecosse; Institut français du Royaume-Uni

In brief: An online talk - in French - with celebrated Congolese author In Koli Jean Bofane. Hosted by Edouard Notte, the event was introduced by Laurence Païs, Director of the Institut français d’Écosse, and by the University of Edinburgh's Rector, Debora Kayembe.

Watch or listen to a recording of the talk on YouTube

Film screenings and festivals

Date: 4 November 2021

Venue: Online (Zoom)

Organisers: The Centre de recherches francophones belges; SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages); the Universities of Strathclyde and Leicester; Wallonia-Brussels International

In brief: A screening of the climate activism documentary Sangterra, and Q&A with its Belgian producer Christophe Smets.

Find out more about the event

Fête de la francophonie

Hosted by the Centre de recherches francophones belges this quiz night will be conducted in English and French with free drinks and a Belgian award for the winning team.
The Triumphal arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire
Nov 08 2018 -

Museums, memorials and exhibitions. The renewal of the offer in the context of the Centenary

Dr Chantal Kesteloot, Doctor in Contemporary History, Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society in Anderlecht (Belgium) takes part in an international conference on 'World War One and its legacy: How museums depict and interpret conflict and genocide?'.
The Triumphal arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire

Le questionnement de plumes féminines dans le fantastique belge francophone, entre cryptozoologie et métamorphoses

Dr Isabelle Moreels (University of Extremadura), on women writers and the Belgian Fantastic.
The Triumphal arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire

Le corps problématique du personnage de théâtre. Marivaux, Beckett, Guillaume Galienne

Professor Pierre Piret (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium)
The Triumphal arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire
Oct 06 2015 -

Introduction à la littérature francophone de Belgique

Professor Pierre Piret (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium)
Theatrical poster for the film Our City by Maria Tarantino

Our City

The CFRB presents a portrait of the city of Brussels and its inhabitants (in French, with subtitles in English). This free screening will be followed by a discussion with film director Maria Tarantino.
Performers in the Fringe play "L'Enfant qui..."
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Acrobatics, puppetry and live music come together to create a whimsical journey through the imagination of a sick child.