Springdance's Blog (33)

In the Netherlands, the Canadian-British Russell Maliphant is best known for the choreographies he has created for the French super-ballerina Sylvie Guillem. Now he has taken a second ‘French inspiration’ as the starting point for a new creation: the work, and parts of the life, of the famous sculptor and artist Auguste Rodin. After having premiered in Paris and having been presented a few times in London, The Rodin Project will now be the opening show at SPRINGDANCE. “The robust…

Thibault Maillard (1989), a choreographer and dancer from Courroux (Jura), Switzerland, and a participant in Europe in Motion. Maillard started out as a football player, but soon became more interested in theatre and music. In 2008 he graduated from theatre school in Switzerland and was first introduced to the world of dance by accident - when he had to dance in a theatre project. This launched his dancing career and in the following years he performed…

This year’s Springdance will once again be offering young dance makers an opportunity to present their work. Europe in Motion (EIM) will be giving dance makers from the UK, the Netherlands, Turkey and Austria the opportunity to exchange their expertise, their fascinations and their working methods. And the twelve dance makers will be presenting their work at one of our three EIM nights. During the final weekend of SPRINGDANCE 2012 there will be a For Your Eyes…

‘In his unsettling solo performance I-on, the Bulgarian choreographer and performer Ivo Dimchev is fighting an absurdist battle with Franz West’s portable works of art.



‘What the fuck is this supposed to mean?’ was the first thought that entered Ivo Dimchev’s (1976) mind when he saw Franz West’s art. After a performance of his solo Some Faves (2010) in Vienna, Dimchev was approached by the award-winning Austrian artist with the strange request to create a video…

Composer Ari Benjamin Meyers (New York, 1972) and visual artist Tino Seghal (London, 1976) both live in Berlin. Jack-of-all-trades Meyers works with visual artists such as Saadane Afif and Anri Sala and bands such as Einstürzende Neubauten and The Orb, but also with the Semperoper Dresden and the Staatskapelle Berlin. Sehgal creates live situations in galleries and museums in which the visitor becomes part of the art work. In 2010 he had a solo-exhibition at the New York Guggenheim and from…

"You can't separate the senses, but isn't that what we normally do when we make art?" Martin Creed is most famous for winning the Turner Prize in 2001 with the lights going on and off every five seconds in an empty exhibition space (The Lights Going On and Off, Work No. 227). His paintings and objects are equally simple and clear in shape. On the phone from London, Creed explains how he set to work with five dancers and his punk rock band on Work No. 1020 Ballet,…

If there is anything that Ibrahim Quraishi urgently points out in all his work, it is the fact that the relationship between the body and its surroundings is never neutral or accidental. As a spectator you know: this body, inside this space, means something. At the same time he never makes it easy…

Trajal Harrell (USA) is a New York based choreographer and performer. His work has been presented in theatres, museums and festivals all over the world. We asked Harrell to share his ‘must haves’ with us, his five favourite items that inspire him in his work and everyday life.

“My inspiration is always changing. I can, however, see that I am greatly inspired by historical imagination. I am most interested…

This is the third time the Israeli choreographer Yasmeen Godder is presenting her work at SPRINGDANCE. With the Batsheva Dance Company she has created The Toxic Exotic Disappearance Act: a performance about exhibitionism and the urge to hide.…

She is fascinated with natural phenomena such as tsunamis, tornados and rock formations. Because of the energy they trigger and the relationship they create with their environment. No wonder then, that choreographer Meg Stuart has named her most recent performance after the last colour…

De uiteenlopende maar toegankelijke programmering van Bettina Masuch maakt dat iedereen een mening over dans heeft. Soms in hilarische gelijkstemming en dan weer in heftige discussie. Deze week liet SPRINGDANCE duidelijk zien dat zij niet alleen dans toont maar juist ook aanspoort tot interactie en de dialoog aangaat met dansliefhebbers van alle rangen en standen.

Dag 5 | dinsdag 19 april

Na een welverdiende rustdag (voor onze bezoekers dan) trapten we de…

SPRINGDANCE 2011 sloot af met de slimme, indrukwekkende danscanon van 24 Franse topdansers in een choreografie van Boris Charmatz. Bezoekers, dansers en het volledige team van Springdance vierde vervolgens tot in de laatste uurtjes een succesvol festival vol met prachtige dans.

Dag 8 | vrijdag 22 april

Het slotweekend werd afgetrapt met internationale kennisuitwisseling in twee bijeenkomsten: Estafette, waarin verschillende dansorganisaties uit Europa een…

Het openingsweekend van SPRINGDANCE 2011 bereikte op zondagavond een spectaculair climax met de tweede voorstelling van taplegende Savion Glover in de Stadsschouwburg Utrecht. Maar tussen de show van Glover van vanavond en de openingsvoorstelling van Guilherme Botelho afgelopen donderdag zat een bruisend weekend vol dansplezier.

Opening donderdag 14 april

Utrecht kleurde groen afgelopen donderdag. Met de prachtige openingsvoorstelling Sideways Rain hadden we…

Sideways Rain opent met spectaculaire ceremonie

Van onze verslaggever Menno Schilder

UTRECHT – De 27^e editie van het dansfestival Springdance is met een uitverkocht huis van start gegaan. Sideways Rain, internationaal bekend om zijn choreografische hoogstandjes, luidde de festiviteiten in met een verbluffende act. De organisatie slaat met deze editie van de Springdance een nieuwe weg in. Er worden nieuwe dansstijlen aan het…

Every week a Springdance teammember will post a blog about their activities and news.

This week: Gemma Jelier, general director

Ten years ago I bought the book ‘Management for Dummies’. At the same time I bought

the book ‘How to negotiate in an international setting’ and ‘How to organize a professional meeting’.

Apparently, I felt nervous about my skills and it seemed a good idea to find some serious support for

the way I was working. In…

Every week a Springdance teammember will post a blog about their activities and news.

This week: Danielle Edelaar, intern production

Only two weeks to go….

For me as production assistant these upcoming weeks will be really busy, to get everyting done in time.

During my internship here in the Springdance team, it’s my job to take care of the practical things that

are needed to get the artists here in Utrecht and to make…

Every week a Springdance teammember will post a blog about their activities and news.

This week: Linda Tolk, intern publicity

Ever since I saw the Nutcracker as a 4 year old dance has had a grip on me. Like many young girls

I started out with ballet and as the years passed by more dance styles followed, resulting in getting

accepted at a dance academy. Unfortunately, I got stuck with an injury and had to stop. But I…

Every week a Springdance teammember will post a blog about their activities and news.

This week: Pieta Koopman, head of marketing & communication

 Even after working at Springdance for over 6 years now, it is still an exciting moment when all

the artwork comes from the printer. After months of work and preparation, the doorbell rings: it’s

the courier bringing in loads and loads of boxes! Together with my PR team I run downstairs…