Introdans | ICOON

Choreographer Lucinda Childs is the queen of minimalist dance. In 2025 she will turn 85 and Introdans is celebrating her birthday with the focus program ICOON, a tribute to the 'grand old lady' of American dance. The audience will experience a (time) journey this evening, beginning with Interior Drama from 1977, new to Dutch audiences, along the pieces Kilar, Petricor and Concerto that Introdans has danced more often, and ending with a world premiere of her latest work. Childs' movement language is completely unique: in an abstract, almost mathematical way she creates the most complex masterpieces with relatively simple ballet and athletic movements. The bond between Childs and Introdans can also safely be called unique; there is no company in the world that dances so much of her work. Introdans has a rich oeuvre of existing and new work by Lucinda Childs. With ICOON it underscores this special bond.

'Call it dancing math, musical walking or moving figures, it is exhilarating and lucid. As if Childs wanted to curb human urges with a geodesic,' - de Volkskrant

ICOON is accompanied live in a number of theaters by The National Youth Orchestra.

Introdans director Roel Voorintholt on ICOON

"How special it is that we, as a small Dutch company, have been able to build this intensive relationship with this American 'icon.' For me, Childs' masterpieces are truly the 'showpiece' of Introdans. Her work is meditative, extremely aesthetic, and comparable to that of no other choreographer. You are naturally carried away and enchanted by it, and I also often hear from audience members that it makes them very calm and relaxed - which is nice in these chaotic times."

Interior Drama

Interior Drama is one of Childs' early works. The choreography premiered at New York's famed Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1977 and has since been performed in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations around the city - especially on large, flat roofs. One could call the work, performed entirely in silence, a study of minimal repetitive movement, but this little gem transcends this research as an end in itself. Geometry, spatial relationships, timing, speed and variable repetition may be central to the "mathematical" choreography, but the result is above all hypnotic and mesmerizing.

Kilar

Kilar is the first work Lucinda Childs created especially for Introdans in 2013. The choreography is an ingenious interaction with the Piano Concerto by (film) composer Wojciech Kilar. Childs impresses in Kilar - as in most of her creations - with sparkling, abstract and complex dance patterns, but the choreographer has also challenged herself in a new way in the middle section by having the dancers dance in crinolines (hoop skirts) and with cubes of steel wire. This not only produces many beautiful images, but also gives her work a romantic "touch.

Petricor

Petricor ("the smell released when rain falls on dry ground") is the third work created by the "queen of minimal dance" for Introdans in 2018. Childs drew inspiration for this creation from the composition of the same name by Ludovico Einaudi, known for his music for the French film hit Intouchables, among others. The result is a complex yet crisp choreography of repetitive, classical dance steps placed light as a feather in space. The ingenious mathematical patterns Childs creates in the process are also revealed in drawn versions on the set by French artist Dominique Drillot. Abstract works of art that further underscore the genius of the choreography.

Concerto

An electrifying work that passes you by like one whirlwind. This is how Lucinda Child's Concerto was received at its Dutch premiere in 2007. In this perhaps most 'balletesque' choreography by the American 'queen of minimal dance', she chases seven dancers across the stage in constantly changing formations to the propulsive music of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. With tiny variations and shifts, Childs creates a kaleidoscopic jewel: very simple on the face of it, but oh so sophisticated and masterful.

Introdans is here for everyone

For over 50 years Introdans has been enthusing as many people as possible for the art of dance: with heart, soul and a lot of craftsmanship. With a leading international dance repertoire by inspiring dance artists serving both mature and young audiences. Valuable dance heritage alongside innovative creations. Contemporary styles for a wide taste and audience. From the arts, we connect people with their imagination and their own dancing power. Inclusive, because everyone can dance. Emotions become palpable: a rich experience. Introdans moves you! www.introdans.nl