HomeNewsTwo Sets of Twins, One Dance Performance – De Gelderlander
Two Sets of Twins, One Dance Performance – De Gelderlander
June 12, 2026 By Sandra van Maanen
Choreographer Adriaan Luteijn of Introdans once again brings professional dancers and non dancers together in a new edition of De Ontmoeting. This time, the participants are the Spijkers sisters, the well known fashion design duo.
Luteijn not only asked them to design the costumes for the latest instalment of the De Ontmoeting series, he also challenged Truus Spijkers and Riet Spijkers to dance themselves. They perform alongside another set of twins: Russian sisters Elizaveta Zhukova and Maria Zhukova, professional dancers and guest artists with Introdans.
This weekend, the result of this remarkable crossover between fashion and dance can be seen during the State of Fashion Biennale 2026 in Arnhem. Twinset will be performed twice daily on Saturday and Sunday at Theater aan de Rijn.
Was it a pure desire to step onto the dance floor themselves? Not exactly, according to Truus Spijkers.
“Adriaan approached us about ten years ago, but we simply didn’t dare. Until now. This time we thought: fuck it, let’s just do it. Over the years we saw several of Adriaan’s productions and they were so beautiful that we decided to surrender ourselves to the experience. That doesn’t mean it isn’t incredibly exciting.”
Water and Fire The concept for Twinset came from Luteijn. The Arnhem sisters were only told beforehand that another set of twins would be involved. The two pairs met over dinner and immediately connected.
Truus explains:
“Twins always compare themselves: one has more of me, the other more of you. And that was immediately clear here as well. It’s often very subtle, and someone else might not even notice it at first. One was a little fiercer, a little more expressive, while the other seemed more reserved. In our case, I’m the reserved one, which is why I enjoy dancing with the fiery one from the other pair: water and fire. That combination works best in everything, by the way, not just in dance.”
On stage, a dialogue unfolds between the two sets of twins, translating the signature style and character of the designers’ work into movement. The geometric shapes found in their fashion designs, as well as their sense of layering, are reflected in the choreography.
“That layering is also how it works between twins,” says Truus. “We do a lot together, but sometimes it becomes too much and the other one simply needs to disappear for a while.”
The result promises to be a dynamic performance in which the line between creator and dancer gradually fades into the background.
“Adriaan has done that incredibly well, not only through movement but also through music and lighting,” promises Truus Spijkers.
Soon, she and her twin sister will be standing on stage as women in their fifties, alongside the Zhukova sisters, who are doing what they do best.
“They’re twenty years younger than we are, and dance is their profession. But already during the first rehearsals, trust began to grow. Even so, it remains exciting to do something in front of an audience that is completely outside your comfort zone. Riet and I have been working together as a design duo for twenty five years, so why shouldn’t we let go a little? And who knows what might come our way next?”
Of course, Spijkers & Spijkers have designed the costumes for the production, following in the footsteps of designers such as Sjaak Hullekes, Frans Molenaar, Bas Kosters, On Aura Tout Vu, Diederik Verbakel and Jean Paul Gaultier.
“For us, this is completely new, not least because we’re wearing the costumes ourselves. We still need to shorten Elizaveta and Maria’s outfits a little. They’re at least five centimetres shorter than Riet and me.”
TWINSET can be seen this weekend at Theater aan de Rijn in Arnhem and later this month in Doetinchem and Apeldoorn.
Would you like to take a look behind the scenes of our company? Sign up for our newsletter (in Dutch) to stay informed of the latest news and all performances and activities!