Benjamin Vandewalle studied at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp and graduated at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels in 2006. Since early on, the central theme in his work is perception. He creates movement – not only in the performer’s body but also in the spectator’s. His work is about sharing new experiences and perspectives with a large audience.
For the performances Birdwatching (2009) and One/Zero (2011), he worked closely with visual artist and scenographer Erki De Vries. In 2012 he stepped out of the black box into the public space. His mobile performance Birdwatching 4x4 was a festival favorite amongst audience and critics and toured for several seasons. Later on he created new works for the black box such as point of view (2013) and, in collaboration with Platform K, Common ground (2018), the last of which got selected for Het TheaterFestival. Another work that he created worth mentioning is HEAR (2016) which is a sound choreography performed by a choir of 30 volunteers for a blindfolded audience. His travelling art fair Studio Cité (2019), a collection of eight performative installations for public space, had a very long tour at home and abroad. In 2021, he returned to the black box with Journal d'un usager de l'espace, a performance like a sound bath that takes you on a journey through the theatre. He was artist in residence at Kaaitheater from 2017 to 2021. Benjamin directed two performances by Zonzo Compagnie, THELONIUS (2019) and UnRAVELed (2024). For Europalia in 2021, he created an installation and a performance within the theme TRAINS & TRACKS. Derailed was a dance and music improvisation in the train station, breaking into the daily choreography of travellers. Off-track was an installation on the train that manipulates your view of the passing outside world.
Benjamin has worked with Caravan Production since 2009 for the production and distribution of his projects, and is also supported by SOAP in Maastricht, a ‘Space Oriented Artist Practice’ that supports various artists working transdisciplinary, with non-conventional forms of presentation. Benjamin has been supported and presented by, among others, STUK, detheatermaker, workspacebrussels, BUDA, Pianofabriek, KAAP, Europalia, C-TAKT, Theater op de Markt, Monty, Zomerstraten, Park Poetik (BE) European network IN SITU, MDT (SE), Trafo (HU), Theaterfestival Boulevard, SPRING festival, Oerol Festival, De Brakke Grond, Slingerpark (NL), Metropolis Festival (DK), FAB Bordeaux, Les Tombées de la Nuit, L'Avant-scene, Lieux Publics (FR), SPOT festival (LT), ALLES MUSS RAUS, Bildstörung festival, Kultursommer Trier, Nationaltheater Mannheim (DE), Trafo (HU), Canal Connect (ES), La Strada (AU) Zürich Tanzt (SW) and many more.
Benjamin Vandewalle is interested in dance education and is a dedicated teacher for children, amateurs, students as well as professionals. He was guest teacher at the KASK and MUDA and also created a guest choreography for Passerelle (Kortrijk, BE). He collaborated with the dance school Nyakaza in South Africa, launched the project Comfusao in Mozambique and, on two occasions, accompanied a group of P.A.R.T.S. dance students during an exchange project in Senegal. Together with practical philosopher Jan Knops and a group of school children from Molenbeek (Brussels) he made the documentaries (un)usual and Movements.
In recent years, his research around perception has shifted to the relational. How do we relate to and perceive the other. Among other things, by delving into the relational practice Circling, Benjamin explores the question of how we can connect with each other more authentically and deeply.