Review ★★★★: The dancers in TYPHOON are not blown away by the three enormous wind machines – de Volkskrant
February 24, 2025
★★★★
By: Mina Etemad
The swirling Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt evokes a nervous exhilaration.
With clenched fists brimming with tension and rigid arms stretching forward and back, the five dancers seem to brace for gusts of wind at the start of Typhoon—even though the three enormous wind machines on the right side of the stage have yet to release any air.
Dutch-Hungarian choreographer Krisztina de Châtel created this minimalist piece in 1986. Now, Typhoon is being revived by Introdans. Over the decades, the wind has not died down—storms around the world have only grown stronger. Typhoon masterfully demonstrates that while humans can brace themselves against the wind, they remain powerless in the face of its force.
The rising, fast-paced piano of Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt fuels an anxious sense of elation. The dancers pace back and forth, repeating the same movements for minutes on end: knee up, step forward, head back, arms stretched. Mesmerizing patterns emerge as some dancers momentarily align, only to shift and fall into rhythm with another.
At times, their efforts seem like preparation for flight. Yet even when the wind machines finally activate, they do not push off—they do not surrender to the forceful gusts. One might see in this the failure of humankind, the inability to transcend our physical form, even when a primal force like the wind tries to sweep us off our feet.
But in De Châtel’s endlessly repeating steps, there is also reassurance. In togetherness, in the synchronized movement of the dancers, harmony endures. Especially when the clenched fists open and their hands carve circles through the air, there is a fleeting hope—that perhaps, with the wind, they might rise beyond their bodies.
