Do you want to immerse yourself in the repertoire of Conny Janssen ánd Patricia van Deutekom? Do you have at least four years of dance experience—preferably in ballet, modern, and/or urban dance—and are you 16 years or older? Are your Saturday mornings free this spring (2026)? 4x YES? Then read on! Starting March 7, Conny Janssen Danst is offering a new repertoire course. This time, the newest production INSTINCT will be the focus of the course.
From March 7 to April 17, 2026, HUIS Conny Janssen Danst will offer a mixed-level choreography course in which, over six rehearsals, you’ll work towards creating your own short version of INSTINCT. Together with teacher and dancer Laura Costa, you will work in the Conny Janssen Danst studio with material and methods from the original performance. You’ll also create your own scenes and learn from the creative contributions of your fellow participants. During one of the final rehearsals, choreographers Conny Janssen or Patrica van Deutekom or a dancer from the original cast will help prepare you for the final presentation.
Performance of your own INSTINCT version
The result of the choreography course will be performed on Friday evening April 17, in the theater studio of HUIS Conny Janssen Danst. This evening you will share the stage with SKVR Dansmakers S, M & L. And you may invite your own audience to attend.
Additional:
Visit to the premiere
February 20, 2026 in Theater Rotterdam
After registering, you will receive an opportunity to reserve a discount ticket for the premiere of INSTINCT in Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg. This way, you can get to know the performance and be inspired by the dancers of Conny Janssen Danst. You will also meet your fellow students, because we try to place you next to each other in the theatre as much as possible.
Rehearsal dates:
Sat March 7, 2026 – 10:00–12:30
Sat March 14, 2026 – 10:00–12:30
Sat March 21, 2026 – 10:00–12:30
Sat March 28, 2026 – 10:00–12:30
Sat Apr 4, 2026 – 10:00–12:30
Sat Apr 11, 2026 – 10:00–12:30
You will perform the piece – together with Dansmakers S, M & L – for an audience on:
Friday evening, April 17, 2026
(Reserve 18:00–22:00 for this day; exact times to follow.)
Location
All rehearsals and the performance will take place in the beautiful studios of:
HUIS Conny Janssen Danst
Dolf Henkesplein 3, Rotterdam
Course fee
€250 (incl. VAT)
What’s included in the course fee?
• Six creative and rehearsal sessions in the Conny Janssen Danst studio
• Intensive guidance, creative assignments, and learning existing choreography from INSTINCT taught by Laura Costa• A session with Conny Janssen or Patricia van Deutekom or a dancer from the original INSTINCT cast during the final rehearsal
• A professional photographer will take photos during the dress rehearsal, which you’ll receive digitally for personal use
• The opportunity to invite friends and family to the final showing on April 17
• Afterwards we send you a link to see the video registration of your own performance
• A huge discount on tickets to INSTINCT premiere, February 20, 2026 in Theater Rotterdam. (€12,50 in stead of €35,-), which you can book after registering for the course.
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE: INSTINCT
How do we stay connected to what we truly feel deep inside in a world full of pressure, rush, and expectations? In INSTINCT, twelve dancers from Conny Janssen Danst take on a physical and emotional challenge: for seventy-five minutes they remain continuously on stage, responding to one another, to their surroundings, and to impulses demanding to be heard.
INSTINCT is an energetic and raw performance in which humans teeter between the imposed structures we’ve been taught and the natural, animalistic behavior we carry within us. What happens when that tension puts us under pressure? Do we hold our ground, engage in the fight, or try to escape?
Co-creation: when two strong signatures meet
For the first time, a main-stage performance by Conny Janssen Danst is created through co-creation. For INSTINCT, artistic director Conny Janssen invites choreographer Patricia van Deutekom, known for her powerful, unpolished yet sensitive dance language. The meeting between her physical directness and Janssen’s eye for the individuality of each dancer results in a compelling mixture of movement, music and narratives. Both artists aim to reveal the real human being on stage: strong, vulnerable, and full of longing. In INSTINCT they will take you to the struggle, tension and adrenaline of everyday life.
- INSTINCT is touring in Dutch theaters from February 13 until June 3, 2026.