Freelance choreographer and dance teacher Niek Wagenaar usually works with dancers from his own company ‘Nymphs’. In the spring of 2025, he will take on the challenge in HUIS Conny Janssen Danst with two dancers he didn’t know yet, to investigate whether his movement language can also be applied in duet form.
Are you curious about what the studio time that the dancers and Niek spend together will lead to?
You can see the results on Wednesday 9 April 2025 at 8:00 PM in HUIS Conny Janssen Danst.
If you are interested, you can register here for a seat. (limited capacity, register no later than 7 April 2025)
We spoke to Niek about this residency:
Mariko and Thomas offer me a fresh perspective, new approaches and solutions, a different intuition. Niek Wagenaar
With what plan or question did you start this residency at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
‘With my own company Nymphs, I create performances based on a specific movement language. My language has certain recurring principles or conventions that have mainly applied to standing material, floor work and improvisation up to now. I would like to investigate how these principles can also be applied in duet form.’
Which dancers do you work with and what is it like to collaborate with them?
‘During this residency, I am working with Mariko Shimoda and Thomas Fauc. It is very interesting for me to work with dancers outside my own company. At Nymphs, we have become very attuned to each other and the dancers have a deep understanding of my language, working method and aesthetics. That is of course very effective in a creative process, but the pitfall is that we end up in a kind of closed feedback loop. Mariko and Thomas offer me a fresh perspective, new entrances and solutions, a different intuition. That is very enriching for this research – and of course they are wonderful dancers.’
What is it like to work in the studios in HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
‘The studios are top quality and have a nice, open atmosphere. The spaciousness guarantees an airy, free feeling, which is heavenly for a maker. In addition, the HUIS itself is a very welcoming place, which I really appreciate.’
On April 9, you will present the results of this research. What do you expect or hope to share with the audience?
‘During the residency days, we work from improvisation to set material. I would like to share that material with you on April 9. I approach the presentation moment as a sharing: I want to share with interested parties what we have worked on, so that I can test whether and if so how the material communicates.’
Research for the future
Niek Wagenaar is secretly working on a double research during this residency and is making plans for two new performances: Man-Kind and Until Dawn.
With the tools he finds during the residency, he wants to continue with his own company and, among other things, create the duet Man-Kind in which two dancers – who identify as men – explore their coming of age, (toxic) masculinity, male sensitivity and friendship.
He is not revealing too much about Until Dawn yet, but the theme is already apparent in the residency project. This will be a group work in which certain concepts, created by the metaphors used, fit in well with his plan for this new performance. The presentation on 9 April will certainly provide inspiration for this creative process. www.niekwagenaarsnymphs.com