Introdans is a dance company based in the city of

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It i ...

in the Netherlands, established in 1971 by

Hans Focking Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

and

Ton Wiggers Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

. In 2009 the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science designated Introdans part of the basic national infrastructure.

History

The company was founded in 1971 by Ton Wiggers, a former dancer, with a few friends who met in his living room in Arnhem. At first the small company produced classical ballet pieces choreographed by Wiggers. The company gradually became known, first touring in the Netherlands and then in 1993 making its international debut. Since then Introdans has traveled widely. For example, it was the first company to perform on the new stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia. In 2001 and 2005 it appeared on Broadway, New York, in 2006 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2008 at the

National Opera National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland ...

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, Estonia and in 2011 at the Shanghai Centre Theater in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China.

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands (born 19 January 1943) is the third daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. As an aunt of the reigning monarch, King Willem-Alexander, she is a member of the Dutch Royal House and curre ...

became the Company’s patroness. The company was the subject of a documentary ''"Recognition at Last"'' that was aired on Dutch TV in 2011.

Education

Adriaan Luteijn Adriaan Luteijn (born 1964) is a Dutch choreographer who has worked with many dancers and ensembles in the Netherlands and in other countries. Career Adriaan Luteijn was born 's Heer Arendskerke, a village in the southwest of the Netherlands, i ...

is the artistic manager of Introdans Education, which runs a program called "Introdans Interactive". This involves interactive workshops that teach young people to participate creatively in dance, classes and performances of integrated and disability dance, and youth performances. In 2008 he was guest speaker at the Ukukhua Komdanso Youth Dance Festival in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa, and this led to a relationship with the

Flatfoot Dance Company Flat feet (also called pes planus or fallen arches) is a postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground. Sometimes children are born ...

in which Introdans and Flatfoot visited each other, shared classes and workshops and put on a joint performance in Arnhem in 2010.

Recent tours

Introdans returned to the United States to appear on 1 May 2012 at the Joyce Theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

with a show named ''Heavenly''. The show consisted of three very different works: the energetic ''Messiah'' with choreography by

Ed Wubbe Ed Wubbe (Amsterdam, 1957) is a Dutch choreography, choreographer. Since 1992 he has been artistic director of the Scapino Ballet in Rotterdam. Selection of choreographies * ''Oppervlakte'' (1981) - Introdans Arnhem * ''Afstand'' (1982) - Introda ...

and music by George Frideric Handel; the lyrical ''Fünf Gedichte (five songs)'' by

Nils Christe Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name * Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player * Nils Björk (1898–1989 ...

with music by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

; and the chaotic but organized hip-hop ''Paradise?'' choreographed by

Gisela Rocha Gisela is the name of: People Full name * Gisela, Abbess of Chelles (757–810), daughter of Pepin the Short, sister of Charlemagne ** Gisela, daughter of Charlemagne (781–808) * Gisela, daughter of Louis the Pious (born 821), consort of Eberha ...

of Brazil. The show got lukewarm reviews. One critic said of the show: "This is choreography made to slide in and out of the mind. Even never having seen it, you know all too well where it is going". Another said "The dancers are attractive and highly skilled, if also generic, and the same goes for the choreography".

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite web , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/arts/dance/introdans-dance-troupes-long-road-to-the-joyce-theater.html , work=The New York Times , title=Dutch Troupe’s Long Road to the Joyce , author=REBECCA MILZOFF , date=April 30, 2012 , accessdate=2012-05-04 {{cite web , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/arts/dance/introdans-dutch-company-at-joyce-theater.html , title=Themes From the Netherlands That Feel Familiar , work=The New York Times , author=CLAUDIA LA ROCCO , date=May 2, 2012 , accessdate=2012-05-04 Contemporary dance companies Dance in the Netherlands