Mariko Shimoda © Raymond de Vries.

INSTINCT

Conny Janssen & Patricia van Deutekom |Theatre tour

13 Feb - 3 Jun 2026

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?

Yashasvi Shrotriya © 2025 - Raymond de Vries

Co-creation
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.

Conny Janssen & Patricia van Deutekom tijdens repetities INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Conny Janssen tijdens repetities INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Patricia van Deutekom tijdens repetities INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann
Repetities voor INSTINCT © Pien Düthmann

Credits

Choreography

Conny Janssen Patricia van Deutekom

Dancers

Adi Amit Thomas Fauc (intern) Pedro Ricardo Henry Maud Huizing Sara Mistrorigo Kenji van Nieuwenhuizen Lola Piret Gaspar Ribeiro Mariko Shimoda Yashasvi Shrotriya Remy Tilburg Mattia Trematerra

Music composition

Richard van Kruysdijk

Other music

Loscil, Michel Banabila, Miguel Marin Pavon, Tim Hecker

Stage design

Thomas Rupert

Light design

Remko van Wely

Costume design

Babette van den Berg

Dramaturgy

Ria Marks Judith Wendel

Repetitor

Erik Spruijt

Current

Repertoire course INSTINCT in Rotterdam

A conversation with Conny and Patricia about INSTINCT