International Dance Theater of the Netherlands

INTERNATIONAAL DANSTHEATER

The International Dance Theater of the Netherlands

Founded in 1961, the Internationaal Danstheater (ID), is the only professional dance company in the world to offer an international repertoire of music and dance from all corners of the globe. It introduces audiences to the cultural riches of many different peoples in an appealing way, through the medium of dance.

While respecting the heritage of the past, the ID aims at creating innovative art by working together with contemporary artists with an established national or international reputation who perform on the basis of their own individual experience and cultural background. In addition, Dutch choreographers - many of whom are still young - are encouraged to elaborate their own artistic and creative vision of traditions, rituals and cultural diversity, and to embody this vision in performances. The ID also collaborates and coproduces works with other international companies with an interest in world dance.

The company attracts audiences of more than 60,000 a year. It also produces performances for the youth. Some of these are to be seen in theatres, but the company also ventures out into the wider world, giving performances in venues such as schools, gymnasia, and community centers. The ID performs at special events too, such as Grachtenfestival, Dance4life and Museum Nacht, a popular event offering contact with a wide variety of Dutch museums.

The ID completed successful tours in the United States, the Dutch Antilles, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, and countries in Western and Eastern Europe.

Past productions which may be available for programming and touring include SILK, the captivating story of the Silk Road relived through dance and music; SI-LIN, a parallel production designed for young audiences; DANZON, a magnificent and exhilarating celebration of Cuban music and its African roots; CRAZY BLUES, the title of the first blues recorded by Mamie Smith in 1920, the first African American Vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress to ever record a Blues song, tells about the origins of blues: the gospel songs, the work songs and the ‘call and response’ singing. These forms of music gave way to the slaves to express their feelings that they could not express in any other way; and FADO, a coproduction between the Internationaal Danstheater and Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo CPBC from Lisbon, Portugal, going back to the roots of this folk music with lyrics and dance movements that portray the peculiarities of life’s uncertainties, separation, grief, love, faith, a cry for freedom and wanting to fly away. Mannen van de Tango (shown below), which has toured world-wide for the past three seasons with tremendous success is also still in the repertoire.

The newest set of works are;

Silent Songs

Choreographer Neel Verdoorn, Music Director Maarten van Veen/Doelen Ensemble

Performers: Two dancers, two musicians (piano, baritone singer)

A sensational production featuring the works of composer Valentin Silvestrov

(Kiev, September 30, 1937) and the piano piece Natalon by Simeon ten Holt.

Verdoorn drew inspiration from the film Brief Encounters by David Lean

in which a man and a woman have fleeting meetings. Lean used Rachmaninoff’s

Piano Concerto No. 4 for the movie’s soundtrack. A remake of this film was made

in 1984 with the title Falling in Love starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.

Hopper

Choreographer Neel Verdoorn, Music Director Maarten van Veen/Doelen Ensemble

Performers: Three dancers and three musicians (clarinet, piano and cello)

Wim Wenders used inspiration from Hopper’s work in his film Paris-Texas. A story about ‘time’. Each painting has a story before it stops and appears to go further after the “picture” moment. What happened after that moment? Time seems stretched,his paintings were a resistance to modern alienation.

Tin Pan Alley

A tribute to the American popular song and dance

Choreographer Neel Verdoorn, Music Director Ben van den Dungen/Musica Extrema

Performers: Five dancers, five musicians (piano, -alto-sax, violin, contrabass, clarinet)

Tin Pan Alley, the cradle of popular music where pollinated genius minds

inspire one another and exchange ideas: Eastern-European and Jewish music

commingle with Italian - and jazz music, influences from gypsy music from the

Balcan met English lullabies. Tin Pan Alley is the second coproduction between Musica Extréma and the Internationaal Danstheater.

Tangomania

Choreographer Neel Verdoorn & Corneliu Ganea, Music Director Ben van den Dungen/Musica Extrema

Performers: Six dancers, five musicians (piano, bandoneon, violin, contrabass, sax/clarinet)

Tangomania presents a double bill, two exquisite pieces: Men of the Tango by

Neel Verdoorn, a tango extravangaza with music by world renowned composer

Osvaldo Pugliese, Hora by Corneliu Ganea, a trip down memory lane to the old

country Rumania, folk dance in a contemporary and mesmerizing way.

Feathered Flight

Youth production (6 years and older)

Choreographer Mathilde Van de Wiele for dancers collective Vrije Voeten (Free Feet)/

Internationaal Danstheater, Music Director Mathias Van de Wiele

Performers: Six dancers, two musicians (different instruments)

The history and the stories of passengers of the ‘Red Star Line’ are serving as our

source of inspiration. In Feathered Flight we follow an intimate group of people

on this exciting journey; from the hesitating first steps to the promise of a better

life in a new country. The different characters have their own personal storyline of why they are undertaking this big journey and help to communicate the story and it’s history to the children. Over time our passengers discover each other’s backgrounds, learn about different customs and overcome conflicts that arise.

Fresh, relevant, timely, innovative works

relating that which unifies and that which differentiates people around the world, conveyed through the international languages of music and dance.