Gedeelde grond (‘Shared ground’) 18: Listen to a new episode with Lies Cuyvers (tout petit)

Summary

Tout petit brings around a hundred performances to young audiences every year. What started as an artistic project has now grown into a fully-fledged company. “Our first production premiered in 2013: we wanted to create a performance for children aged three and up. That was because I had a two-year-old daughter myself. I saw how young children are constantly exploring movement: they want to develop and are constantly experimenting with their bodies. That’s actually very similar to contemporary dance. I copied a lot of her movements because it was so fascinating to see where she ended up.”

Although the performances are aimed at a young audience, they are also accessible – and above all, very meaningful – for adults. “People think they shouldn’t come to a performance for young audiences if they don’t bring a child or young person with them. That’s a shame because there are some really strong productions among them. Sometimes, for me, the best production of the year is one for young audiences, rather than one from the evening circuit.”

I saw how young children are constantly exploring movement: they want to develop and are constantly experimenting with their bodies. That’s actually very similar to contemporary dance.

In addition to dance, the focus is on scenography and music, something they incorporate into their many artistic collaborations. In February 2026, the new performance Ogen. Blik. Verder. Kijken. (‘Eyes. Look. Further. Looking.‘) premiered. For this, the company collaborated with visual artist Ief Spincemaille. “He developed viewing objects for this production. These are both visual works and objects to be used. These objects are introduced in the performance: both children and adults can look through them and perceive the world in a different way through them. It is a production that revolves around watching, observing, looking at each other – and looking at the rest of the audience. It is an experience that can work on many different levels: where a child may be more preoccupied with themselves, adults will observe the context more.”

Ogen. Blik. Verder. Kijken. (‘Eyes. Look. Further. Looking.‘) premiered at Z33 – house for contemporary art, design and architecture in Hasselt – and is also being performed at Abby in Kortrijk. “After that, we decided to take it to very different locations, because we realised that it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a museum context. But we do really enjoy bringing visual art and dance together. You also sense that museums are very much looking for other formats, or other ways to reach an audience. In that sense, it’s nice to transcend the museum setting. On the one hand, there are objects that belong in a museum, and on the other hand, there is dance, which is much more interactive.”

“We enjoy performing in different venues because it allows us to reach a diverse audience. Sometimes, entering a cultural centre can be a huge hurdle. Or you have an audience that does go to cultural centres, but not to museums, for example. Or they go to an arts centre but not to cultural centres. It’s great to explore all these different contexts. It’s not always easy, but it’s really nice that people discover things they wouldn’t normally go to see.”

For a long time, Flemish productions reached a wide audience through the network of 65 former cultural centres. The cultural policy for this was gradually changed in the period up to 2018, with a shift in policy responsibility from the Flemish to the local level. The impact of this on the distribution of productions is noticeable, even at tout petit. “There is more pressure from cities on the programming of cultural centres, and things often have to break even. It’s an exciting development, especially for school performances because ticket prices are kept low. That means that a cultural centre has to subsidise it, otherwise it’s impossible to programme a production like ours for eighty to a hundred people and only charge €4 for a ticket.”

“For our domain, we feel that this pressure mainly comes from local authorities and is business-related. There is enormous pressure on cultural centres to break even and to make a profit on productions. This sometimes makes it difficult to remain convinced that it is important to also programme small productions for eighty to a hundred people, and to do so for all ages. Because I still feel that it is through these schools that we reach the most diverse audience – from all walks of life, all backgrounds. That is something fantastic that we must embrace, and it would be a great shame if it were to decline. You don’t get that opportunity anywhere else. So I really hope that people remain convinced that it is important, and that this conviction exists at many different levels.”

There is more pressure from cities on the programming of cultural centres, and things often have to break even. It’s an exciting development, especially for school performances because ticket prices are kept low. That means that a cultural centre has to subsidise it, otherwise it’s impossible to programme a production like ours for eighty to a hundred people and only charge €4 for a ticket.

“There is a great deal of tension at schools. There is a maximum invoice amount that is not particularly high, but some schools are attempting to remain below that amount because they are aware of the precarious circumstances in which their pupils live. Consequently, for some schools, even that €4 per child is excessive, as transport costs must also be taken into account.”

When we ask Lies, as is tradition, about her dream for our arts sector, her answer follows that line of thinking. “My big dream for the field is that everyone feels equally welcome, and that everyone feels equally free to walk into any art house. I think that’s still not so easy, and I would very much like us to find ways to embrace the whole of society, to convey that everyone can feel at home there.”

Download the full transcription (in Dutch)