Spotlight on Differdange - Esch2022 celebrates the Municipality of the Month from 22 September to 21 October 2022

As one of Luxembourg’s first industrial cities, Differdange impresses with its cultural diversity and industrial culture.

Differdange is the third-largest town located in the south-west of the Grand Duchy, with a population of just under 29,000. As part of the European Capital of Culture, Differdange aims to inspire its visitors with its rich industrial history and more than 80 cultural events. The diversity of the programme is reflected through disciplines such as visual and performing arts, dance, theatre, literature, film and “multidisciplinary” events as well as through projects around cultural heritage, architecture and design.

The musical summer in Differdange under the sign of Esch2022 was already launched in May. 2500 young musicians hosted 350 concerts, inviting 100 ensembles from 18 European countries to the fourteenth European Youth Music Festival. This autumn, the programme will be rounded off with 30 more projects. The Terre Ferme project at the Lommelshaff organises several theatre performances. They are based on a collection of life stories from the historical heritage of the Lommelshaff farm. In an ephemeral kitchen, the audience can experience the local and international cuisine that characterises our society. A series of workshops pays tribute to the agricultural past. The audience then sits down at the family table in the role of a member of an extended family. This is a festive performance staged by the Luxembourgish director Renelde Pierlot, who explores (in several languages) the role of agriculture and farmers in our society from the post-war period to the present day, a subject rarely dealt with in the world of theatre. (Differdange, 27.09 - 04.10, Terre Ferme).

“DifferDanceDays” is a project that focuses on dance and the “REMIX” of art forms. Following the theme “REMIX Yourself”, DifferDanceDays brings together professionals from the world of dance through various artistic initiatives combining alternative and original art forms.

The project IN TRANSIT DANCE TIME will also take place in this context. This is a mobile dance performance designed to surprise its audience during a regular bus ride with an improvised performance by the artists of the LUCODA dance collective. These immersive dance performances will take place during the Mobility Week and are intended to take both visitors and artists on an unforgettable journey. (Differdange, 16.09 - 22.09.2022, in transit dance time).

Since the beginning of the year, the Move Zone project welcomes children, young people, people with disabilities, dance enthusiasts and senior citizens to a series of free workshops, courses and seminars. It’s a great opportunity to explore contemporary dance. During the workshops, they recruited dancers for “Le Grand Bal” (Dance Ball). After the Municipality of the Month of Differdange comes to an end on 22 October 2022, this dance ball invites you to an interactive and immersive art performance that unfolds in the various spaces of the Aalt Stadhaus cultural centre. In this timeless setting, the audience will experience and live through different episodes recreating the balls of past eras combined with contemporary dance. The choreography is led by professional artists and volunteer dancers, and the audience is invited to actively participate. (Differdange, 22.10.2022, Le Grand bal).

In the framework of the project our archive. your story, the Centre National de l’Audiovisuel (CNA) is highlighting Luxembourg’s audiovisual heritage through a film concert organised at emblematic sites in six municipalities in the south of Luxembourg. The film concert presented in Differdange on 7 October is made up of various photo and film collections and will give an insight into the richness and diversity of the audiovisual archive. The visuals will be accompanied musically by the Pit Dahm Quartet, who have composed a musical creation especially for the occasion. (Differdange, 07.10, Ciné-Concert our archive your story).

The international puppet theatre festival in the framework of the Les Marionnettes Sauvages project featuring ensembles from all over Europe will be a unique experience for children and adults alike. Puppet theatre is an interesting way to learn about other countries and their culture and to overcome language barriers. The picturesque village of Lasauvage in the south of Luxembourg, with its puppet theatre Poppespënnchen, its green spaces, its church and its mines, offers the perfect setting for this experience. There will even be productions in the former mines of Lasauvage to tell the story of a family. The themes of the festival are: From Orpheus to “La Sauvage”: European legends from the past to the present and: La Sauvage (the wild woman), European legends of nature. (Lasauvage, Differdange, 16-18.09, marionnettes-sauvages.lu)

Panta Rhei, “everything flows”, captures the idea of a world in constant motion in the eyes of Heraclitus, the apostle of “mobilism”. This doctrine states that “nothing is permanent except change”. The Panta Rhei project in Differdange showcases the imagination of artists Carlos Nogueira, Holly Hendry, Daniel Magrané Steegmann and Hugo Caneilhos. Without any constraints or guidelines, they will create four sculptures expressing the idea of Panta Rhei. The public is invited to meditate on the flow of becoming by contemplating the works created by the artists. The project is also accompanied by thematic conferences and a blog.

The location in the Chiers Park in Differdange is the perfect place to symbolise the futility and transience of all life on earth. There is the river that flows through it and its immediate surroundings are constantly evolving. The park is also a place where the various neighbourhoods, generations, cultures and eras come together. (Differdange, 22.09. – 31.12.2022, Panta Rhei)

Other projects supported by the municipality of Differdange:

• Le Mixeur

In Differdange, the Le Mixeur project promises a tasty experience. In collaboration with local associations, the project offers the opportunity to set up a temporary restaurant in the Lommelshaff, where people can share their individual and collective cooking stories and rediscover local cuisine. (Differdange, 12-24.09, Le Mixeur).

• L’Arrivée de la Jeunesse

The film L’arrivée de la Jeunesse is Fabio Bottani’s and Marcello Merleto’s first feature film combining documentary and fiction. The film tells the story of an Italian migrant family that emigrated to Luxembourg. In eight episodes, they tell the story of different generations of an immigrant family from the early 1900s to the present day. The documentary is set in the city of Esch-Alzette and various other locations in the Minett region. (Esch-Alzette, Schifflange, Differdange, Villerupt, Luxembourg, 08 & 28/09, passaparola.info).

• PONT INVISIBLE

In the framework of the project PONT INVISIBLE by Altercadance, the choreographer and dancer Modestine Ekete confronts the audience with the grievances of modern times. Along with some poetry, the dancer invites us to enter the world of a woman-mother-worker-immigrant. She tells us about her career, her feeling of integration in Europe and especially in Luxembourg. Dance, theatre, music, fairy tales and reading are the central threads of Altercadance workshops, which are based on African gestures and forms of expression. (Differdange, 03.09 -12.11, altercadance.com).

• Um Ball – 50 Joer Fraefussball zu Lëtzebuerg

Sometimes football is called the “greatest pastime in the world”, even though this phrase often seems to be reserved for men. In six 20-minute chapters, this documentary film illustrates the detours and new beginnings of the women’s football league in Luxembourg. Until now, there has been no collected history of women’s football in Luxembourg. The documentary “Um Ball” by Tessy Troes and Rick Schmitz is the first project dedicated to the most popular sport in Luxembourg. (Differdange, 20.10.2022, Um Ball – 50 Joer Fraefussball zu Lëtzebuerg).

• Patchwork

IDENTITY is an educational and artistic project developed within the framework of Esch2022. It is supported by KnowEdge, an association promoting urban dance. On stage, one musician and 4 urban dancers from Luxembourg explore the question of the identity of the individual. The idea is to introduce young people to the world of urban dance and to learn more about its values through educational performances. Following the performances, there will be discussion panels between the artists and the audience on the theme of identity. (Differdange, 24 -25.11.2022, Patchwork).

• Spieglein Spieglein

Spieglein Spieglein - miroir miroir is a travelling participatory exhibition (interactive map). It is a photo-mirror installation designed to take shape in telephone booths and boxes. Artist Jessica Theis invites visitors to photograph themselves interacting with the installation. The individual artworks will be on display as part of a final exhibition. (Differdange, 15.09. – 21.11.2022, Spieglein Spieglein).

• E roude Fuedem duerch de roude Buedem

In the framework of the project E roude Fuedem duerch de roude Buedem - ZOWAASCH, the collective MASKéNADA has created intimate portraits of local personalities through performative readings by young authors. With groundbreaking texts, they present and question the many facets of identity, sexuality and gender. For the project in Differdange, the collective will guide visitors through the sleepy little village of Lasauvage, introducing them to its history and probably its most famous inhabitant, the Zowaasch. For centuries, the fate of the wild woman of Lasauvage has fascinated the inhabitants of the region and is known throughout the whole of Luxembourg. On a performative journey, the audience will be invited to travel through time and space and discover the origins of this exciting and mysterious story. (Differdange, 12.10. & 14.10.2022 for schools, 15.10. & 16.10. for the public, E roude Fuedem duerch de roude Buedem).

The following projects have already taken place:

• La Marche des OubliéEs de l’histoire
• Craft 3.0
• Minett on Tour
• Remix22
• Sanciai Opera
• Déi Wëll danzen am Bësch
• The Assembly

More information on the website of the municipality of Differdange and the Esch2022 website.

The focus alternates between…

… the town of Esch-Alzette, all the Pro-Sud municipalities (Kayl, Schifflange, Dudelange, Bettembourg, Mondercange, Käerjeng, Sanem, Pétange, Differdange, Rumelange) and the eight French municipalities. In order to showcase the cultural richness and unique characteristics of each one, the focus will alternate between the different municipalities for a month at a time. In Esch-Alzette, there will be events and activities all year round.

• 22.02.-21.03: Kaerjeng (frz. Bascharage)
• 22.03.-21.04: Petingen (frz. Petingen)
• 22.04.-21.05: Bettemburg (frz. Bettembourg)
• 22.05.-21.06: Düdelingen (frz. Dudelange) / CCPHVA
• 22.06.-21.07: Sassenheim (frz. Sanem) / CCPHVA
• 22.07.-21.08: Schifflingen (frz. Schifflange)
• 22.08.-21.09: Monnerich (frz. Mondercange)
• 22.09.-21.10: Differdingen (frz. Differdange)
• 22.10.- 21.11: Rümelingen (frz. Rumelange) / CCPHVA (17.10.-13.11.)
• 22.12.- 22.12: Kayl/Tetingen (frz. Kayl Tétange)

The French municipalities of Aumetz, Audun-le-Tiche, Boulange, Ottange, Thil, Rédange, Russange and Villerupt are also included.