Workshop for (semi) professionals - with Lukah Katangila

Dance, the Body, and Embodied Knowledge
This workshop offers a sensitive and in-depth immersion into the work of undulation and balance as fundamental principles of movement in dance. Designed as a space for research, transmission, and experimentation, it is open to anyone wishing to explore the body as a site of perception, memory, and knowledge.

At the intersection of dance, somatic research, and poetic reflection, the workshop approaches the body not merely as a tool for execution, but as a living territory, shaped by rhythms, histories, and states of presence. Undulation and balance are explored as bodily languages capable of revealing the deep relationships between movement, space, gravity, and attention.

Undulation: The Body in Flow
Undulation is explored as a continuous, fluid, and organic movement that travels through the spine, pelvis, rib cage, and limbs. It encourages a flow of movement that invites participants to release rigidity in favor of a subtle awareness of internal impulses.

Through guided exercises, participants develop spinal mobility, breath coordination, and awareness of the body’s center. Undulation becomes a tool for transformation: it opens the body, releases tension, and allows movement to emerge that is grounded, sensitive, and expressive.

On a symbolic and poetic level, undulation evokes natural cycles, invisible forces, and the continuity of life. It fosters a non-linear relationship with time, where gestures unfold across duration, repetition, and variation.

Balance: Grounding, Suspension, and Presence
Balance is approached as a dynamic state, constantly negotiating with gravity. The goal is not fixed stability, but exploring the transitions between grounding, imbalance, and adjustment.

Through slow and precise practices, participants develop awareness of weight, support, and space. Working with balance strengthens presence, concentration, and bodily confidence, while highlighting the relationship between the body and its environment.

Balance is also considered metaphorically: as a body capable of adapting, resisting without rigidity, and transforming without losing itself. In collective exercises, individual balance resonates with that of the group, emphasizing the relational and communal dimensions of movement.

Methodology and Structure
The workshop combines guided bodily practices, structured improvisation, and periods of observation and verbal reflection. The alternation between action and reflection allows participants to integrate physical sensations while developing a critical awareness of their practice.

Special attention is given to:
- Breath as the engine of movement
- The relationship between floor, axis, and space
- Listening to one’s own body and to others
- Transforming technical gestures into expressive gestures

The workshop can be adapted to different levels of practice and follows an inclusive approach, respecting the individual bodily singularities of each participant.

Pedagogical and Artistic Intentions
The workshop aims to provide concrete tools to enrich dance and movement practice, while creating a space for reflection on the body as a site of knowledge and creation. Participants are invited to develop a more conscious, poetic, and engaged relationship with their bodies.

By placing undulation and balance at the heart of the practice, the workshop encourages attentive, grounded, and fluid dance, where movement becomes an act of presence, connection, and thought.

In short: This workshop on undulation and balance is an invitation to inhabit the body differently: to listen to its rhythms, to engage in dialogue with gravity, and to allow meaningful movement to emerge. Through a sensitive and rigorous practice, it opens a space where dance, research, and transmission intersect, making the body a place of creation, memory, and transformation.

Biography Lukah Katangila
Lukah Katangila is a dancer, choreographer, and performer of Congolese origin, based in Brussels. His artistic work lies at the intersection of contemporary dance and hybrid choreographic practices, blending hip-hop with traditional African dances. His approach is grounded in an in-depth exploration of the body as a space for memory, transmission, and intercultural dialogue, with particular attention to social, educational, and civic issues.

Trained from a young age in his family troupe, Mboka Dance, Lukah has developed an artistic practice where creative work and social engagement are closely intertwined. In 2002, following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, he co-founded the Ndoto Goma Kids project (“The Dream of Goma’s Children”), a socio-artistic initiative for street children, orphans, and former child soldiers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This project uses dance as a tool for empowerment, resilience, and awareness, addressing themes such as access to education, gender equality, and child protection.

Having settled in Belgium for several years, Lukah holds a degree in arts and choreography from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. His professional career spans national and international stages through theatrical productions, artistic research projects, residencies, as well as cultural mediation and training initiatives.

In Belgium and abroad, he collaborates with renowned artists, companies, and institutions, including Wim Vandekeybus / Ultima Vez, Eric Minh Cuong Castaing, and Wesley Ruzibiza, as well as with festivals and cultural platforms across Europe, Africa, and the United States. His work is regularly presented in prominent creation and performance venues, contributing to the circulation of works and knowledge.

In 2020, Lukah Katangila received the Roel Verniers Prize at Het Theaterfestival, recognizing his innovative and socially engaged artistic approach. In 2021, he was awarded the Prix Vocatio, a Belgian distinction supporting artists whose work has significant societal impact. Since 2022, he has been an associate artist with the company Ultima Vez, a partnership that supports his artistic research and strengthens his long-term presence in the Belgian choreographic landscape.

Alongside his creative work, Lukah develops extensive transmission projects through workshops, research laboratories, and educational programs in Belgium and abroad. These initiatives, aimed at diverse audiences (professional artists, young people, amateurs, and local communities), contribute to cultural mediation, civic participation, and intercultural dialogue, in line with Belgian cultural policies.

Throughout his career, Lukah Katangila has established an artistic practice rooted in Belgium yet open to the international stage, where choreographic creation becomes a tool for connection, critical reflection, and the construction of shared experiences.