26 January 2026

Since 2009, Introdans has regularly presented new works by Fernando Melo. Earlier this season, the international choreographer created the piece Traces especially for Introdans, developed in collaboration with Arnhem-based Fillip Studios. For HubClub’26, he is reimagining his already boundary-pushing production The Longest Distance Between Two Points. 

The Longest Distance Between Two Points is a work with a long life. Melo originally created it in Mexico in 2014 and has since revived it twice before: once for a company in South Korea and again in 2019 for a company in Sweden. “It’s really nice to revisit a work from time to time. You can keep deepening it,” says Melo. And for HubClub’26, he is doing so for the third time. “When Introdans approached me, I was immediately enthusiastic. It sounded like something I would like to see myself, and it felt like an opportunity to give my work a new life and to gather new perspectives.” 

Taking on such challenges is in Melo’s nature; he always wants to offer his audience new experiences. Yet he had never before worked with an inclusive cast such as the one assembled by Adriaan Luteijn for HubClub’26. “At first I felt a bit uncertain because I didn’t know how different bodies and dancers with different backgrounds would respond to one another and to the choreographic work.” But any doubts quickly disappeared when Melo met the performers: “I realized that I was actually doing exactly what I always do—trying to discover the qualities of each person and to bring out the best of the performers.” Melo always works in close collaboration with the dancers. “It’s a game of understanding each other’s bodies, inspiring one another, and from there finding a match with the choreographic work. The choreography is the composition; the performers are the instruments.” 

The performance fits perfectly with the idea behind HubClub. The Longest Distance Between Two Points explores the tension between the human urge to divide and the desire to connect. “On the one hand, humans tend to place each other into boxes and to categorize the world around them. On the other hand, we constantly try to break through those very barriers and boundaries we have created ourselves. We are always seeking connection with others.” 

Fernando Melo looks forward to sharing the new perspectives he has gained with the audience: “The beauty of the performing arts is that, as a spectator, you can completely step into someone else’s shoes for a moment. In the case of the diverse cast of HubClub’26, that is especially meaningful. I find it truly special to give the audience the chance to do that, and I hope there will be more productions like this in the future—so that inclusivity becomes the norm.”