review ICON– Trouw ★★★★
review ICON– Trouw ★★★★
March 17, 2025
by: Alexander Hiskemuller
At 85, Lucinda Childs, the grand lady of American modern dance, is still playfully bouncing around in the Arnhem studio of Introdans, where she has been a familiar face for twelve years. In a video recorded for the program ICON, dedicated to her work, we see her rehearsing Notes of Longing, her tenth ballet in the Introdans repertoire. “Tjak!” – the movement must be sharp and powerful, like precise points in space. She demonstrates it in the video: each movement meticulously placed.
That precision is also evident in the ballet Petricor, set within the stage design by artist Dominique Drillot. On the backdrop, we see Childs’ choreographic grid come to life: lines, dots, crosses—each marking a dancer’s position. Created in 2018 specifically for Introdans, the ballet’s strict structure contrasts with the emotionally charged, minimalist piano music of Ludovico Einaudi, known for his Intouchables soundtrack. The rather repetitive nature of Einaudi’s music—a relentless piano chord progression, which one either loves or doesn’t—is elevated by the dance.
Childs plays with repetition, rhythm, and space, allowing us to continuously perceive the simple yet impressive beauty of movement in new ways. What makes her work unique is the way she arranges dancers in geometric patterns, turning them into elements of a visual artwork in the present moment.
A textbook example is Concerto (2007), set to Górecki’s Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings. It is ‘typical’ Childs: precise, rhythmic, hypnotic in its simplicity, yet powerful and captivating. At times, the Introdans dancers lack a bit of sharpness—each tiny shift in formation must be precisely timed. Miss a beat, and you fall out of sync.
Gaining insight into the mystery of life through mathematical precision is a recurring theme in all of Childs’ work. This is evident in Concerto but also in the premiere of Notes of Longing, where she engages more subtly and directly with emotion. A special mention goes to Childs’ bold musical choice: after collaborating with composers such as Philip Glass, she now works with young Dutch pianist and composer Matteo Myderwyk (b. 1990), who also performs pieces from his debut album Notes of Longing live.
Music defines the structure, rhythm, and emotional depth of Childs’ choreographies. Myderwyk’s compositions, described as an exploration of longing, gradually build tension, while Childs’ dancers, dressed in flowing white pleated trousers, embody that longing through their repetitive movements, merging dance and music. The staging is stunning: a streak of clouded sky shifting from the cool gray of dawn to twilight blue. Perhaps a bit too beautiful—borderline kitsch—but the power of Childs’ work remains undeniable.