Culture beat – May 30

There’s no excuse to be footloose and fancy free on Friday evening as Neighbours Day celebrates its tenth anniversary in Belgium and the rest of Europe. No, this is not a tribute-party to the ubiquitous Aussie soap, it’s more of campaign to combat urban or even rural isolation by encouraging neighbours to get-together on the last Friday in May. Suggested invites and activities can be downloaded from the Fête des voisins website.

The gloomy weather shall not dent the delightful sounds of the Slough Philharmonic Society, who play the Holy Trinity Church on Friday, in aid of the Brussels branch of the Royal British Legion. Their performance, with assistant director Rebecca Berkley at the helm, will include extracts from Handel’s Messiah and Jenkins’s The Armed Man. You can also catch them at Ghent’s Saint Bavo Cathedral on Saturday. Forget John Betjeman, forget The Office and give Slough the credit it deserves!

Can it really be 35 years since goth legends Bauhaus formed in the moderately rock’n’roll surroundings of Northampton? Doesn’t time fly faster than a bat in goth-land? Ironically, for all the critical acclaim surrounding their 1998 and 2005 reunions as well as 2008’s Go Away White album, this anniversary tour is actually performed by frontman Peter Murphy and a bunch of hired hands, Bauhaus having now split up for good. Well that’s what they always say. Peter Murphy celebrates... 35 years of Bauhaus, on Monday at the Ancienne Belgique, nevertheless promises to be a serious trip down post-punk memory lane, with classics such as Bela Lugosis’ Dead, Kick In The Eye, She’s In Parties and many more.

Around 100 ambitious documentaries from around the world are being screened at the Millenium International Documentary Film Festival at Flagey, Vendôme and CIVA from May 31 to June 9. They all focus on the Millenium Development Goals, eight global objectives pledged by the United Nations, ranging from halving extreme poverty to providing primary education for all and stopping the spread of HIV. With 2015 the target date, the pressure on world leaders needs stepping up. This festival, now in its fifth year, contributes with its diverse programme from all corners of the globe. Its theme is ‘All for sale’, exploring all aspects of global trade. It also shows the real depth of documentary making today.

Latin Grammy-winning Paco de Lucía and his group En Vivo perform an evening of Flamenco at Bozar on June 6. The Spanish guitarist and composer is credited with creating a new fusion form of flamenco, a revolutionary style evident in the award-winning album he and his band present.

Passa Porta presents A Stage With a View with American writer and critic Daniel Mendelsohn talking about desire – in life, books and opera on June 2 at La Monnaie. In English, with musical pauses of Mozart by pianist Noémi Biro (the composer’s Cosi fan tutti is currently being staged at the opera house).

Publicising the fight for independence by the little-known Saharawi people of Western Sahara, under Moroccan occupation, is Mariem Hassan. Known as the voice of Western Sahara after 30 years of performing, she sings traditional songs at Molière Theatre in Galerie de la Porte de Namur on June 7. Showcasing her latest album (number one in the World Music charts in 2012) ‘El Aaiun Egdat’ which translates as El Aaiun (the capital of Western Sahara) is burning. Hassan sings in an Arabic dialect and Spanish; the Western Sahara being a former Spanish colony.

Outside Brussels

The Royal Ballet of Flanders has created a unique programme entitled Britten Dances to mark the centenary of the 20th century composer Benjamin Britten. The three performances, world premieres, are being performed at Theater ’ Eilandje in Antwerp until June 15 and Vlaamse Opera Gent from June 7 to 9. The inspirational music of Britten is the backdrop to these choreographies by Briton Ashley Page, New Zealand-born, London-based Cameron McMillan and the Czech-Dutch Jiří Kylián. They are accompanied by The Flanders Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Gregory Pope.