Heroes

Daily Hero – Regina van Berkel (Introdans premiere)
In Daily Hero (2013) a troupe of heroes parades before a towering golden archway as if walking along a high fashion catwalk. Mozart, Marilyn Monroe, popstars, or tomorrow’s superstars waiting to be discovered? You can let your own imagination run wild. Van Berkel examines the phenomenon of the hero in a dynamic, contemporary en pointe choreography. What makes someone a hero? Is heroism something you can acquire, is it an ideal, a guiding principle, or are you simply born a hero?

SH-BOOM! – Son León and Paul Lightfoot
SH-Boom! (1994) is one of the earliest works by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, former members of Nederlands Dans Theater. They drew their inspiration here from the satirical black-and-white drawings of the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. And just like the wonderful and striking achievements in their later oeuvre, in this jewel too they masterfully combine the dark aspects (irony) and the light aspects (humour) of life. SH-BOOM!, set to popular songs of the 1930s and 40s, transports you into a theatrical hall of mirrors where the ladies dance in flamboyant dresses and the gentlemen stand – literally – in their underwear.
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Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Inbal Pinto (Introdans premiere)
Israeli choreographer Inbal Pinto has made a new version of her widely praised choreography Fugue (2018) specially for HEROES. This new version is entitled Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Reflecting on past lives, bygone worlds, lost loved ones and memories that resonate like a distant inner voice, Pinto paints a spectrum of colours and feelings in this melancholy and simultaneously warm choreography. Humour, in a subtle form, is always part of Pinto’s work, but her unique and quirky creations are above all poetic and often mysterious. Or as Introdans director Roel Voorintholt puts it: "They resemble little poems in which every word, every movement has significance."

Iungo – The Encounter 2024 – Adriaan Luteijn and guests (world premiere)
'Iungo' is Latin for 'I bring together / I connect', and that’s exactly what Introdans choreographer Adriaan Luteijn does better than anyone. For over twenty years in his performance series The Encounter – which includes Iungo – he has been bringing together people from various physical, social, cultural and intellectual backgrounds, and in this way showing that dance is for everyone and that dancers who don’t fit the standard image can also deeply move and amaze their audience. In this new edition of Iungo specially created for HEROES by Luteijn (he has presented earlier versions in Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa), four Introdans dancers meet several guest dancers, each of whom excels in their own way. What is special is that Iungo has an inclusive cast, including guest dancer / BNNVARA presenter Eva Eikhout.