Culture Beat: 29 January

The eighth edition of the Elles Tournent/Dames Draaien festival presents screenings of international films by women, including features, shorts and documentaries, plus special guests, discussions and master classes.
28 January to 1 February, Cinema Aventure, Rue des Fripiers 87, Brussels

Gisèle Vienne dives deep into the world of dummies with her latest production, the Ventriloquists Convention, in English. The Franco-Austrian choreographer, stage designer and puppeteer has built a reputation on genre-blurring, dreamlike spectacles, often with little dialogue. With The Ventriloquists Convention, however, she and American author Dennis Cooper go to the opposite extreme. The production presents a gathering of professional ventriloquists all too literally. The end result is a paranoid cacophony of dialogue and a visual overload of doppelganger dummies. Vienne employs nine puppeteers to perform a total of more than 30 voices.
29-30 January, 20.30 at Kaaitheater, Quai des Péniches 2, Brussels

The Brussels commune of Molenbeek has been in the news a lot lately, and not in a good way. Take a guided tour of this vibrant district and learn how immigration is helping build a new future for an old industrial area (in English). Registration required.
30 January 14.00-16.30, €10

Ten acts from the alternative circuit, representing the "Sound Of The Belgian Underground", take to the stage of the Ancienne Belgique on Sunday. The goal is to showcase local musical talent that is active on the fringe - bands that focus on artistic freedom and not necessarily the public at large.
31 January, from 15.00 at Ancienne Belgique, Bouevard Anspach 110, Brussels

The next English comedy night at the Black Sheep is on Tuesday 2 February from 20.00. Headlining is Britain's Angela Barnes, described by a London Evening Standard reviewer as "the best mainstream female comedian I've seen since Sarah Millican" - and by Sarah Millican herself as "brilliantly funny". Joining her is Swedish funnyman Isak Jansson, who has played China, Russia, India, South Africa and Estonia and whose act is described as "observational comedy with an absurdist touch".
2 February, 20.00 at the Black Sheep, Chaussée de Boondael 8, Ixelles