Skip to main content

Universal Tongue

Vogue, Twerking, flash mobs or Sufi: visual artist Anouk Kruithof is fascinated by dance as a form of self-expression and empowerment. This led her to explore dance styles from around the world. In this video installation, Kruithof shows that dance is actually a universal language expressed in different cultures and subcultures. In addition, dance is spread across the World Wide Web and travels across all cultural boundaries.

    Friday 24 October 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026 from 10:00 to 17:00

Aided by an international team of 52 researchers, Kruithof collected 8,800 videos via social media, a total of 250 hours of video material featuring 1,000 dance styles from all 196 countries around the world. This material was edited into a four-hour rousing dance video installation with a total of 32 hours of moving images on eight screens.

Who is Anouk Kruithof?

Anouk Kruithof (Dordrecht, the Netherlands,1981) works with various media such as photography, collage, books, video, websites and spatial work. She depicts current events, especially those related to life on our planet and the future of humanity.

Dans in de stad / Dance in the city

The MAS exhibits 'Universal Tongue' as a result of research into online dance communities and heritage.

ErfgoedLab Antwerpen searches the city for less visible cultural heritage. People share their traditions, passions and what they value today also online. Do online platforms contribute to passing on, but also transforming dance? How is the past present in dance videos? Are online groups and profiles formed around dance also heritage communities? Where are the similarities or differences with the physical world? 

Practical information

  • Where: 3th floor
  • When: from 24 October 2025 to 4 January 2026
  • Ticket: free contribution

Subscribe to our newsletter