hetpaleis, KVS & theater arsenaal / Junior Mthombeni & SOCHA

Thirteen performers conquer a long runway on which bodies, voices and beats converge. Music – from hip-hop to funk, soul, and rock – determines the evening’s rhythm, while spoken word and rap tell stories of fighting, joy and survival. The dance veers from choreographed sequences to visceral reactions: So, it mirrors physical expressions of fear as well as ritual connections that rise from joint movements.

At the performance’s centre echoes the call for community and solidarity. Burning City confronts systems of exclusion and reinforces the power of collective presence. Inspired by movements such as Paris Is Burning and the Harlem Cultural Festival as well as the most recent global uprisings, the show positions art as a form of resistance.

Burning City is more than just a theatre piece: It is a meeting of music and movement, a living manifesto in which activism through rhythm, performance and shared energy gains takes shape. A multidisciplinary performance that connects music, dance and spoken word with the urgency of activism. The piece, created by Junior Mthombeni and collective SOCHA, transforms the stage into a space of protest, of celebration, and of community.

hetpaleis is a performing arts centre for children, youths and adults at the heart of Antwerp in Belgium. hetpaleis produces multidisciplinary productions for a generation-spanning and diverse audience while it also serves as an event venue with an emphasis on large-scale, contemporary, and demanding works.

SOCHA is a multidisciplinary collective, uniting performers from different generations and cultures. SOCHA realises productions boasting messages that draw attention to social and societal problems like racism.

From 15 years of age.
In English, French, Greek and Dutch. With surtitles in English and German.

Duration: 75 minutes