How the evening works
Shoonya Dance Centre · Stapelplein 41, 9000 Gent19:00
Performance
Shoonya Theatre · ticketed · €20
Seventy minutes of Congolese dance, song, tam-tams, lokole and balafon in the Shoonya Theatre, inside the Shoonya building.
20:10
Reset
The performance ends and the group moves the evening from theatre mode into participation mode.
20:30
Free initiationsNo registration
Studio Ananta · ground floor
No ticket or registration needed. Three short tasters: traditional Congolese dance with Bawayi, modern Ndombolo with Joseph, and dance from Burkina Faso with Awa.
21:15–21:30
Close
The initiations wrap up and the doors close at half past.
From the floor
The kind of rhythm you step into at 20:30.
A short loop from Groupe Furaya: simple steps, call-and-response energy, and the room moving together. It plays muted here; turn the sound on if you want the live rhythm. Just arrive at 20:30; no registration needed.
Groupe Furaya
Congolese dance, song and live rhythm — made close enough to step into.
Groupe Furaya brings together dance, singing, percussion and balafon in a style that moves between traditional and contemporary forms. The performance draws on rhythms and traditional songs from the Democratic Republic of Congo, carried by live instruments including tam-tams, lokole, maracas and balafon.
There is also a direct Shoonya connection: Joseph Saidi Simako — who teaches African Dance, Congolese dance and Congolese rumba at Shoonya Dance Centre — is part of Groupe Furaya and leads the modern Ndombolo initiation.
A few Shoonya Dance Centre students will also take part in the performance.
Tickets
Book the performance. Join the initiations freely.
The €20 ticket is for the 19:00 performance. The 20:30 initiations are free and open to everyone, including people who did not attend the performance. No registration is needed for the initiations.
Both rooms are inside the Shoonya building. Studio Ananta is on the ground floor at Shoonya Dance Centre.
FAQ
Practical questions
Can I come only for the free initiations?
Yes. Doors open again at 20:30 and the initiations are free. You do not need a performance ticket or a separate registration.
Are the performance and initiations in the same place?
They are in the same Shoonya building at Stapelplein 41. The performance is in the Shoonya Theatre; the initiations are in Studio Ananta on the ground floor.
Do I need dance experience?
No. Each initiation is a 15-minute introduction taught from zero.
What languages will be used?
Joseph will teach in a mixed-language format, Bawayi in French, and Awa in English and French.
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable clothes you can move in. You can dance barefoot or in clean indoor dance shoes.