Youth

The Spirit of Goya: Young people bring Goya to life through dance

Nearly 50 young dancers from Brussels and Antwerp bring The Spirit of Goya to life — a dance performance inspired by the legendary Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. This project shows how dance can serve as a gateway to centuries-old art and enable a generational dialogue between Goya’s 18th-century rebellion and the 21st-century unrest of today’s youth.

From discomfort to expression

Coordinator Alex Akuete challenges the social media generation with the question: “What if Goya’s Black Paintings inspired your dances?” The result is not a gentle introduction to art, but a head-on confrontation with Goya’s unsettling truths — translated through bodies accustomed to entirely different rhythms.

The workshops explore three core themes:
• Representation: How do we move when no one is watching? How are we seen?
• Democracy: Every voice counts, every movement has value.
• Community: Creating together, growing together.

Water as a metaphor

Throughout all the workshops, water serves as a guiding principle — fluid, adaptive, reflective, and transformative. From flamenco expression to hip hop freestyle, from contemporary dance to intimate moments, the young participants discover how Goya’s rebellion resonates within their own world.

“At EUROPALIA, we don’t want to work hierarchically. We don’t see young people merely as spectators, but as active participants in our festival.”
— Dirk Vermaelen, Artistic Director of EUROPALIA

Young people as creators

The Spirit of Goya is performed at various venues across Belgium. This youth participation demonstrates that the future of cultural heritage lies in making it meaningful for new generations — not as passive spectators, but as active creators and performers.