Dominique Brynaert: the man behind the Zapéro-Contes storytelling events in Brussels
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
At De Ultieme Hallucinatie, some evenings begin with a simple phrase: “Once upon a time…”
For several years now, Dominique Brynaert has been bringing the Zapéro-Contes to life in our venue, every third Friday of the month. A former television journalist turned storyteller, he gathers around him established artists, newcomers and an ever-curious audience. With a blend of humour, emotion and imagination, he restores storytelling to its rightful place as a contemporary living art form…
What if stories were, after all, one of the last ways we can truly connect with one another?
From television journalism to the art of storytelling
For years, Dominique Brynaert worked as a television journalist. But behind the cameras, another passion gradually took root: that of live storytelling. For nearly sixteen years now, he has devoted himself to storytelling, an art form he champions with infectious enthusiasm.
With the Zapéro-Contes, organised in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Racontance, he has created an open stage where professional storytellers, passionate amateurs and people daring to take to the stage for the first time come together.
For Dominique, storytelling is not an art form stuck in the past. Quite the opposite. He often points out that the world of storytelling is not limited to Tom Thumb or Little Red Riding Hood. Stories can be funny, poetic, absurd, profound… sometimes even a bit naughty. Storytelling then becomes a space of freedom where everyone can explore their imagination and their own way of telling the world’s story.
And when someone still thinks that “storytelling is just for children”, it usually takes just one evening to change their mind.
A delicate balance between the stage, the audience and the imagination
Organising a storytelling evening can sometimes feel like a balancing act. Some storytellers have years of experience, whilst others are just starting out. Some opt for humour, whilst others choose darker or more sensitive tales.
Dominique Brynaert’s role, then, is to create a genuine chemistry between the different energies of the evening. Observing the audience, sensing the rhythms, reigniting their attention at just the right moment: behind the apparent simplicity of an open stage lies, in reality, the work of a master craftsman.
But what moves him most is often the audience’s reaction. Those who arrive with preconceptions, convinced that storytelling is ‘not for them’, and who ultimately leave enthusiastic after discovering a world they never imagined.
At De Ultieme Hallucinatie, Zapéro-Contes have found a setting that suits them perfectly: warm, lively, slightly offbeat and conducive to unexpected encounters.
And when Dominique simply says, “Dare to try storytelling”, it’s hard not to want to push open the door.
Come and listen to stories where they come to life
At De Ultieme Hallucinatie, Zapéro-Contes remind us that stories only truly come to life when they are shared.
For one evening, strangers, regulars, artists and the curious gather around a few words, a drink and an open stage where anything can happen. And sometimes, all it takes is the courage to step inside to discover a world you never expected… Before the storytelling, after the open mic, or simply to enjoy the venue, many also extend their evening around a table, in the warm and unique atmosphere of De Ultieme Hallucinatie.
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