"They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it" (Mark Twain)
This pithy one-liner was used during a press conference to introduce the launch of the Mosa Ballet School in Liège (Mosa: Latin name for the Meuse). At any rate, a prestigious project.
Belgium has evolved over recent decades into an international crossroads of dance, an ideal basis to build on.
Initiative of Benjamine De Cloedt
Initiator Benjamine De Cloedt was active for years as a set designer and interior designer and proceeds from the principle: "If we dream, we might as well dream big". She is of Flemish origin, but has given her heart to Liège. A talented woman with an eye for beauty, a passion for dance and last but not least a keen interest in the challenges surrounding education and training of dancers. She wants, from scratch, to establish a ballet school with impeccable infrastructure and guidance. Excellence and performance must be central. Equally important: understanding and respect between students and teachers.
The idea for the Mosa Ballet School had been ripening in her mind for about fifteen years. After significant investments and the purchase of an iconic heritage building in Liège, she made her dream come true together with her husband Damien Comeliau, who drew up a business plan, with perseverance. A team that will not be deterred by the turbulent waters of the pandemic. They look to the future with confidence.
Benjamine De Cloedt aims for the Mosa Ballet School to become one of the best ballet schools in the world. Such an achievement doesn't happen overnight. She surrounded herself with people committed to the project. Funding had to be sought to set up an infrastructure, agreements were made with the Athénée Royal Charles Rogier to join forces. The Mosa Ballet School is a public-private project. The help of politicians was also enlisted. The Brussels-Wallonia Federation got behind the project and wants to address the structural lack of dance education in the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Vision
For ten years, Benjamine De Cloedt stood by the sidelines to support her daughter, a talented dancer trained at the Antwerp Ballet School, through thick and thin. Motivation is an important issue for dancers. We cannot deny that classical dance is a competitive environment. This can sometimes lead to mental exhaustion. That pitfall is what they want to avoid here. Young people are admittedly tough, but also vulnerable.
The mission of the Mosa Ballet School is education in an atmosphere of collaboration, mutual respect and openness. The school wants to break with the paradigm of 'no pain, no gain or necessary suffering!' that has been wrongly justified for too long in the pursuit of excellence. The Mosa Ballet School describes this alternative approach as humanistic education in which the student is central and the unique character of each individual is taken into account.
Contacts will be established with other companies and bridges built at various levels. There will be competitions. There will be study grants for young people who cannot afford the education themselves. The principle is: dance is for everyone. There will be competent teachers, technical support, a signature on a long-term basis. An education at a high level. An ambition shared by patrons. The Mosa Ballet School believes in the power of collective intelligence and strives for team spirit within the school.
A school that strives for excellence must not focus only on itself and its privileges. The Mosa Ballet School has an open, supportive and responsible vision in its DNA. In the conviction that dance can be a source of well-being and emancipation, especially for people traditionally far from the arts, the school created its own social programme: 'Alors on danse!'.
Through this programme, the Mosa Ballet School develops inclusive and adapted dance projects, in collaboration with scientific experts. For this, they drew inspiration from the pioneering programme 'Sharing Dance' launched by the visionary Mavis Staines of the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto. The Mosa Ballet School will open its doors to the general public on weekends, with parent, child and intergenerational workshops. It will be one great human adventure.
Building
The bank building (the former regional headquarters of the National Bank of Belgium), with an area of 9,000 m2, dates from the 1960s. It is particularly well located at Place Saint-Paul in the centre of Liège and is located near the opera. A stroke of luck. Cogs clicking into place. As if it all had to be this way.
A prestigious building with plenty of marble, stainless steel and fine woods. All renovations had to be done without disturbing the soul of the building. The philosophy behind the transformation project aims for a subtle balance between the protection, preservation and enhancement of the heritage and the requirements of the new school. For this, architect Pierre De Wit of the architecture firm dA Architectes was consulted.
The building is being converted into spaces for education, sport and culture. A dance school initially needs large spaces. The school, with boarding facilities, is an exceptional 'all-in-one' institution for 115 students/dancers aged 12 to 18. Nine dance studios will be built, one of which has changing rooms and can be used as an auditorium with or without an audience, a yoga and fitness room, a pleasant boarding house with brand new and functional rooms for 100 students, 8 classrooms, meeting rooms and an auditorium, a pleasant school restaurant, an adapted outdoor recreation area, offices, a majestic hall for organizing events for 750 people and an underground parking garage. During the renovation of the building, emphasis is placed on energy efficiency with the use of solar panels, rainwater recovery, etc.
Artistic director Pedro Carneiro
Pedro Carneiro was brought in as artistic director. A man with an impressive portfolio. He danced at the Stadstheater Hagen, the Oper Bonn and twelve years at the National Ballet of Lisbon. After his training at the Vaganova Academy, he devoted himself for twenty-two years to teaching classical dance and repertoire. He led the National Dance School of the NCDS Conservatory in Lisbon for fourteen years. He has been able to share his experience as a guest teacher around the world: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, the United States, Brazil, France, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Germany, Estonia and Belgium. He helps chart the course towards top quality for this new school. The initiative receives support and encouragement from dance professionals worldwide.
The official opening of the Mosa Ballet School is on 1 September 2022.
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