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What's on this week: 22-28 December

00:59 20/12/2017
Staying in Brussels between Christmas and New Year? Here's our pick of events

A Nutcracker with a twist: the traditional Christmas concert at Bozar will feature the Belgian National Orchestra, the Flemish Opera Choir but also a sand animation artist will be producing a work of art live, projected on a big screen behind the orchestra during the performance.
Friday 22 December 19.00, Bozar

Movie maker Jaco Van Dormael, choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey and their collective Kiss & Cry are back with a new show which is "a fabulous trip to the heart of the infinitely subtle". This is a mixture of movies, theatre and their "nano-dancing" in which hands dance in front of miniature movie sets and are filmed and projected live on a big screen for the audience. The first show was a huge critical success and crowd pleaser for the remarkable illusion that is maintained throughout the spectacle. This new edition called Cold Blood concerns itself with the memories we take with us when we die.
Until 23 December, Théâtre National

10/12 is a non-profit association of artists with a workshop studio and exhibition space with a shop window on the street in the Saint-Géry neighborhood to provide artists with an artistic residency. Until 24 December they are holding a Christmas shop with "original, surprising and amusing creations" from more than 20 artists.
Every day 13.00-19.00, Rue de la Grande-Île 12

Until 24 December you can catch screenings at the Be Film Festival - a retrospective of the best Belgian films of the year, as well as master classes, a couple of classics to celebrate 50 years of Belgian Francophone cinema, the closing night bash sponsored by Chimay and a lot of opportunities to meet filmmakers and film fans in a very convivial atmosphere. Read more about this year's festival here...

For a soft, silky, sensuous evening of jazz, pull up a comfortable armchair at the CaliClub in Drogenbos and listen to Cotton Flow, a jazz trio (vocals, piano and guitar) as they spin their combination of movie songs, vintage cartoon music and Christmas favourites.
Friday 22 December 21.30

For the last Friday evenings in 2017 the Beursschouwburg Café is taking on a special identity: the team of queer arts magazine Girls Like Us are taking over the café and turning it into a lesbian bar. "A third space. A lesbian space. A safer space. Run by lesbians for lesbians and their friends. Not your regular bartenders, not your regular menu, not your regular economy, not your regular programme, not your regular decor and definitely not your regular evening."
22 December 17.00-3.00

Sunny music for the start of winter: the Guantanamo All Stars play latin jazz and salsa, blending traditional Cuban rhythms, jazz harmonies and influences that the band members bring from all over the world, from Cuba to Reunion.
23 December 20.00, Café Béguin, Fishmarket

If you really don’t want to think about Christmas here’s a way to clear your mind: Purple Years the Deep Purple tribute band is giving a concert at the Rock Classic Bar downtown.
23 December 21.00, free entrance

Written by Richard Harris