Choreographer and community artist Jordy Dik pushes the boundaries of dance and theater with his work. At HUIS Conny Janssen Danst, he is spending these weeks exploring the Rainbow Technique he developed and applying it with three professional dancers from the company.
We asked Jordy about the ideas behind this technique and wanted to know everything about this residency, which he has transformed into the Rainbow Lab:
After years of producing, I don’t want to work from a results-driven mindset here, but from freedom. I want to play, get lost, and innovate, without the pressure of having to finish something immediately. I hope that during the presentation I will show something somewhat chaotic, highly theatrical, and innovative. With free and pure dancers in it. Jordy Dik
With what plan or question did you begin this residency at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
“First of all, I want to share that I am grateful to be able to immerse myself in pure research at Conny Janssen Danst. In this lab, I am exploring two elements from my choreographic practice: The Rainbow Technique and ‘Dear President.’
For the past year, I have been working on a new improvisation and choreographic technique: The Rainbow Technique. At the beginning of each day, I explore this method together with the dancers of Conny Janssen Danst.
The second part of the day is titled ‘Dear President.’ In it, three major themes that are central to my upcoming works merge together:
the absurd power of political world leaders who sometimes take on clownish traits, the gender inequality and insecurity that women experience in a world made by men, and the feeling of loneliness.
For this Rainbow Lab, I have consciously decided to slow down the pace. After years of producing, I don’t want to work from results, but from freedom. I want to play, get lost, and innovate, without the pressure to finish something right away. So I hope that during the presentation I will show something somewhat chaotic, highly theatrical, and innovative. With free and pure dancers in it. Then this lab will have succeeded for me.”
Which dancers are you working with and what is it like to collaborate with them?
“I am really enjoying working with three dancers from Conny Janssen Danst. Two of the dancers are quite young and are interns: Nuria Gomez Sarrado and Caroline Lara de Vogel. The third is the most experienced dancer of Conny Janssen Danst: Yanaika Holle. Together they form an interesting trio.
From the very first moment in the studio, the dancers have been open, enthusiastic, honest, and engaged. This is important in my way of working, and I am grateful every time it happens. It makes me experience the process as personal, safe, and human.
So far, every day when I indicate that it’s time to stop, I hear a startled ‘already?’ That says a lot about how the lab is developing. We are working in a flow, exploring directions that are new to the performers, challenging and inviting them. I am constantly surprised and moved, and I see how the dancers increasingly begin to live my language. Then I am a happy choreographer.”
What is it like to work in the studios at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
“A key element in one of my methods called ‘The 11-Point System’ is Responsibility in Space. This means that you have a philosophical responsibility toward the space, because it grants you the freedom to dance safely in the first place. This awareness and gratitude are not difficult to experience in the studios at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst. For a choreographer, this is a dream location for creating dance. Large, open, bright, and therefore with enough space to let your mind be creative.
In addition, I find the atmosphere in the building, with the people from the office and in the shared dining area, very warm and friendly. It feels like a house that welcomes you with open arms and where you secretly hope to return soon.”
On February 27, you will present the results of this research. What do you expect or hope to share with the audience?
“Recently, I have felt that I am taking steps toward an increasingly crystallized choreographic language. A language that comes close to my core. Pure dance theater that makes me happy. I hope that audiences can experience something of this transition. That they catch a glimpse of where my work is moving toward.
In addition, I hope to have made new theatrical discoveries, from a certain simplicity and theatrical clarity. The power of striking simplicity.
Already now, I am proud of the development I see in the dancers. That moves me. I hope that in this process they have reached a free and pure place, where they can fully embrace and let go of their own humanity. And that they are happy. Dancers who feel seen, free, and happy are almost always breathtaking to watch.”
Research for the Future
This residency and ‘Dear President’ serve as research for several future works by Jordy Dik.
In April 2026, he will begin a new research and work titled Birthday Girl at Korzo, together with dancer Antien van Mierlo for DIK Danstheater.
In September 2026, he will create the dance film Tick Tock The Rainbow Clock with his company Compagnie Tiuri. A film about political world leaders who have 11 minutes and 11 seconds left to save the world from its downfall. This project will continue in early 2027 with the performance Nothing Left on Blue, including a national tour of 20 performances.
In addition, he will soon create a new production for DOX titled Men and the Wolves. This work is a response to the performance Please Hold My Hand by Compagnie Tiuri, which is currently on tour. In it, he focuses on the position, strength, and inequality of and for women. In Men and the Wolves, he explores the same inequality and danger, but this time from the perspective of men — in the hope that something will truly change in the end.
Would you like to follow Jordy in his development as a maker and artist?
Follow his Instagram, or dance company Tiuri and check the website of Dik Danstheater.