Introdans inspires and learns in South Africa

6 October 2026

Introdans was in South Africa! In Durban and Johannesburg, to be precise, at the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience. Between 5 and 10 September, we presented the programme HEROES there, together with Durban-based Flatfoot Dance Company, in the presence of our associate choreographer Adriaan Luteijn, Introdans directors Roel Voorintholt and Marieke van ‘t Hoff and – very special – the Mayor of Arnhem, Ahmed Marcouch. We spoke with those involved.

The HEROES programme consisted of a new version of Adriaan Luteijn’s inclusive choreography Iungo, featuring guest dancers from Introdans and a local cast, a duet from In Memoriam by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, the duet Mano a mano by Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich, and Brightest Darkness by Flatfoot Dance Company. In addition, Introdans teachers gave dance workshops at two schools in Pietermaritzburg and during the festival in Durban, and former dancer and rehearsal director Giuseppe Calabrese gave a Larbi repertoire workshop to dance students in Johannesburg.

Knowledge sharing through performance and participation
According to Introdans managing director Marieke van ‘t Hoff, this wide range of activities greatly contributed to the strength of the project and our visit: “It was wonderful to see performance and participation come together. It strengthened the impact on the audience, the participants and the partners involved.” It was valuable to share this with Mayor Marcouch. “The mayor’s presence underlines the importance of international encounters like these, in which all partners involved learn from one another.”

Mayor Marcouch joins the journey

Arnhem Mayor Ahmed Marcouch travelled with Introdans and spent several days in Durban and Johannesburg. His agenda included meetings with representatives of the City of Durban, the Dutch ambassador to South Africa, cultural institutions, the education sector and, of course, the creative sector. He attended a rehearsal and the performance of HEROES and took part in a workshop given by the Introdans interaction team for local young people. Connections were also made with Durban’s colourful fashion and textile industry. Together with a delegation, Marcouch visited a workwear factory as well as design studios and fashion shops in a district comparable to Arnhem’s fashion quarter.

The performance of HEROES was preceded by a speech by Dr Ismail Mahomed, director of the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He described heroism not as a status, but as the ability to make space for others. Mayor Marcouch then addressed the audience and partners present. He emphasised the importance of the international partnership between Introdans and Flatfoot Dance Company: “It takes vision, bravado and courage to build an international connection like this and to keep investing in it. With this, the two companies have built a strong bridge between Arnhem and Durban. What they achieve, no politician can achieve: they bring people together through passion and love.” He expressly thanked the companies and JOMBA! for their commitment: “Thank you for believing in the power of dance. And for believing in the youth of both our cities. During the workshop, I saw what dance can do. In just two hours, students were standing tall, chins up. They enjoyed every moment with the Introdans teachers.”

Arnhem and Introdans have been closely connected for decades, and this trip made it clear once again that the significance of Introdans reaches beyond the city and region. Contacts made during the trip also offer the City of Arnhem opportunities for further collaboration in the fields of culture, education, fashion and the creative industries.

Joining forces with Iungo
The strengths of Introdans and Flatfoot Dance Company were brought together in particular in a new South African version of the ballet Iungo. ‘Iungo’ is the Latin word for ‘I connect’, and that is exactly what this performance does. Iungo brings together physical realities, ages, gender identities and dance backgrounds, combined with academically trained dance. In this programme, the choreography by Adriaan Luteijn (associate choreographer at Introdans) was performed by local dancers from Flatfoot Dance Company, together with guest dancers Eva Eikhout (the Netherlands) and Joseph Tebandeke (Uganda), each with their own physical reality.

Adriaan Luteijn: “Iungo is a ballet that is very dear to me, created from the idea that everyone belongs. It has been performed in cities all over the world, and it was remarkable to see that, once again, a new piece could be born. This performance together with Flatfoot Dance Company is humane, direct and exceptionally connecting.”

The choreographer enjoys working with the South African dance company: “Flatfoot has wonderful dancers aged between 20 and 45 who are trained differently from the Introdans dancers. They master modern dance with African influences. What makes the company special is that they combine dancing and performing with education. In the mornings they dance and train, and in the afternoons the dancers go out to local communities and townships to teach.”

As an artist, you never stop learning
One of the dancers of Flatfoot Dance Company, Sifiso Khumalo, tells us about the project from his perspective: “It is a very pleasant and warm collaboration.” Khumalo finds it special to work with the guest dancers. “They are not only beautiful people, but also beautiful artists. They know their work, their expertise. They are very professional.”

Iungo has previously been performed in China (Beijing), Japan (Tokyo), Brazil (Belo Horizonte, São Paulo), Indonesia (Jakarta) and Colombia (Bogotá), among other places, each time in a different version with local dancers. Khumalo: “The storyline of Iungo is rock solid. We give it our own interpretation, in a South African context.” Khumalo thinks it looks ‘ayoba’, which means something like ‘awesome’. “I hope the audience experiences that dance is not only for bodies that fit the norm. That dance and art are for everyone. To experience, but also to take part in.”

“Inclusion is not portrayed as everyone doing the same thing. Togetherness arises precisely because difference is allowed to remain visible,” a student aptly wrote on the festival website after seeing Iungo.

Besides the impact on the audience, Khumalo also sees the effect on himself: “As an artist, you never stop learning. Every encounter with other makers contributes to your development. Other artists hold up a mirror to you and remind you of what you yourself stand for.”

The Introdans HEROES programme was performed in Durban on 5 and 6 September and in Johannesburg on 9 and 10 September 2026. More information

Read the full review of JOMBA! in South Africa here