Online programme book

The Edge of Things

Once…Never…and again… – Jermaine Spivey
entropy – Ethan Colangelo
FIT – Alexander Ekman

Welcome

Emily Molnar

Dear friends,

A warm welcome to The Edge of Things, an evening that celebrates the daring creative spirit of NDT 2. In this programme, we present three distinctive choreographic voices, each offering you a unique perspective on the possibilities of contemporary dance today.

We are delighted to welcome back our new associate choreographer Jermaine Spivey with a world premiere Once…Never…and again… Building on his reputation for pushing boundaries, Spivey blends structure with improvisation, inviting both the dancers and you, our audience, into uncharted territory that reveals new dimensions of NDT 2.

We are also excited to introduce choreographer Ethan Colangelo with his world premiere entropy, inspired by escapism. Colangelo creates a dystopian atmosphere on stage, where dancers navigate contrasting states: anxiety and euphoria, autonomy and surrender, meditation and chaos, slowness and speed, resulting in a work that draws you into a hypnotic world.

Completing the evening is Alexander Ekman’s FIT (2018), a playful exploration of what it means to “fit in”, set to Dave Brubeck’s iconic Take Five. With its wit, absurdity, and visual vibrancy, the work is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Together, these works embody NDT 2’s commitment to curiosity and the joy of collaboration. Special thanks to Alex, Ethan, Jermaine, our extraordinary collaborators, dancers, the NDT team—and you— for joining us.

Welcome to the new season. We hope it inspires and moves you!

Emily Molnar
Artistic Director NDT

'FIT' - Alexander Ekman. Photo: Rahi Rezvani

Cast information

VIEW TONIGHT’S PERFORMING CAST

Once...Never...and again...

Jermaine Spivey

Jermaine Spivey. Photo: Sacha Grootjans.

MUSIC
New composition by Samuel van der Veer

LIGHT DESIGN
Yuka Hisamatsu

COSTUMES
Yolanda Klompstra

NDT REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Ander Zabala

WORLD PREMIERE
September 25, 2025, Amare, The Hague

DURATION
20 minutes

'Once...Never...and again...' - Jermaine Spivey. Photo: Rahi Rezvani.

Dancers CASt A

Maša Anic, Esmee Boevink, Justin Padilla, César Sautés-Vescovali

Dancers CASt B

Nathan Allen, Giovanna Doria, Joey Gertin, Erin Park

Jermaine Spivey

Associate choreographer

**about Once…Never…and again… :**

It’s a work about the dancers surrendering to a state of serious playfulness. The rules of play sustain, fragment and repurpose the structure of the piece. Choreographed dance sequences, and very specifically tuned improvisational tasks have been designed to overwhelm the performers’ senses into a state of authenticity, no judgement, essential action, and… groove.

From within that groove, much like jazz musicians, the performers compose. Beginnings feel like endings and repetition alters rather than confirms. What was there before is now something else.

In this work, to search for meaning is a distraction from the appearance of being.”

– Jermaine Spivey

Dancers: Justin Padilla, César Sautès-Vescovali, Esmee Boevink. Photo: Rahi Rezvani.

**Maša Anić about Once…Never…and again… :**

“Working with Jermaine has been the most transformative artistic experience of my life. It was an unfolding, an invitation to go further, to truly look, to hear with my eyes, to see with my ears, to trust, to explore… to PLAY. This awareness turned the studio into a living landscape of possibilities, where growth and discovery were constant companions.

Every rehearsal felt like a dialogue, a space where curiosity was welcomed, and exploration became the foundation of this creation. His genius lies not only in how he creates movement, but in how he awakens something deeper within the people he works with. For him, the most important part is not only the piece itself, but the journey we take together in building it. Each day he guided us into unfamiliar territory with care and vision, creating a process that was challenging, layered, deeply human and personal.

This work, rooted in improvisation, carries risk and unpredictability. No performance is ever the same; each becomes special and alive in the moment, shaped by our skills, choices, connection and the space we share—all through Jermaine’s direction. That is why being in this process is such an exciting feeling.

I feel blessed to be part of this piece, with an amazing team of talented people. Most of all, I’m grateful for the audacious artistry and generosity Jermaine brought into every lesson, into every moment. I can’t wait to keep playing, growing and evolving within the world we created. Thank you Jermaine <3“

Dancer: Maša Anić. Photo: Rahi Rezvani.

Dancer: Nathan Allen. Photo: Sacha Grootjans.

**Nathan Allen about Once…Never…and again… :**

“The existing happenings are easily forgotten—shapes on the wall, the tightness of my laces, the moisture of the air—yet in collaboration they create and frame each moment. They create the sauce. Life, like sauce, can be overwhelming, the flavor profile, a feat to decipher. The acidity, hard to distinguish. We learn to taste, as flavor fleets. There, in the fleeting we find our playground, letting uncertainty inform our falling bodies. Individuals emerge from the sauce daring into full being focus, here individuality lies; Inside of risk, glimpses of truth are observed. Never certain, we brave on with a recipe in our minds and some tools in our belt, we tinker and dance our way through, around, out of, and into.

Choices are made inside necessary ingredients. Playing happens within the rules. Jermaine introduced the game and taught us the rules, now we play!”

entropy

Ethan Colangelo

'entropy' - Ethan Colangelo. Foto: Rahi Rezvani.

MUSIC
New composition by Ben Waters with additional original track by Hologramme (live vocals by Mykalle)

LIGHT DESIGN
Tom Visser

SET DESIGN
Cristina Nyffeler

COSTUMES
Yolanda Klompstra

NDT REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Lydia Bustinduy

WORLD PREMIERE
September 25, 2025, Amare, The Hague

DURATION
19 minutes

Dancer: Joey Gertin. Photo: Rahi Rezvani.

DANcERS

Joan Jansana Escobedo, Joey Gertin, Chléa Giguère, Eliana Hayward, Ruth Lee, Femmie Packbier, Erin Park, Nathanaël Plantier

Ethan Colangelo

Choreographer

OVER entropy

For my new creation with NDT 2, I began with the idea of escapism.

Together with scenographer Cristina Nyffeler and composers Hologramme and Ben Waters, I started thinking about how young people these days seek ways to step outside of reality – through nightlife, music, and spaces that feel like alternate universes. That sense of escape became the seed for the work.

What fascinates me as a maker is how contrasting states can live in the same body and space such as anxiety and euphoria, autonomy and submission, stillness and speed – these are central to the work. I’ve decided to name the work entropy; it’s a scientific term that measures disorder or chaos in energy. In entropy, the stage becomes an intense, dystopian world shaped by these extremes. At times, the movement will feel distorted and ostracized while other moments invite a sense of calm, intimacy, and meditation. I’m drawn to how virtuosity can appear natural, even simple, and how the humanity of the dancer shines through when the body shifts between the abstract and the recognizably human. The scenography mirrors this duality: a metal structure that feels both organic and harsh, reflecting the body’s capacity to be deconstructed and rebuilt. Sound has been a major part of building this world. Hologramme’s score, alongside contributions from Ben Waters and live vocalist Mykalle, contrasts electronic layers with raw, abstract textures, echoing the energy of a rave while leaving room for fragility. Lighting by Tom Visser further shapes this shifting landscape.

Working with the NDT 2 dancers has been truly inspiring. They approached the process with eagerness, care, and precision, embracing every moment of exploration. I’m also very grateful for the support of Stephan Laks and Lydia Bustinduy during rehearsals. And lastly, sharing the season with Jermaine Spivey has been surreal for me, as I’ve long admired his work and him as a person.

For you, the audience, I hope you take away a sense of immersion when seeing the work and follow the feeling of separation to intimacy.”

– Ethan Colangelo

Ethan Colangelo. Photo: Sacha Grootjans.

**Nathanaël Plantier about entropy:**

“What is left of us, once we get home?
To me, Ethan Colangelo’s piece is about youth.
It explores the constant need for refuge, an urgent sense of escapism.
The space created symbolises this altered rave, where a multitude of individuals roam and wander, all protected by the copper structure, designed by Cristina Nyffeler.
As the piece goes on, the gravity of our states increases, its weight dictates our paths between each other, and there lies the ultimate poetry: beauty within the chaos.”

Dancer: Nathanaël Plantier. Photo: Sacha Grootjans.

**Chléa Giguère about entropy:**

“My first creation process with NDT 2 was an exciting deep dive into Ethan’s movement language. He has a very specific and natural way of moving and researching how to embody that raw, authentic movement quality was a growth-provoking experience for me.

This work is a captivating play of contrasting qualities — constantly overlapping, drastically shifting and always negotiating between opposite forces. A question that came up often was: how to stay honest and fully engaged in each modality, even when it’s so quick or miniscule? This led us to explore the delicate balance between allowing space to control or be controlled and to use different lenses to play between directness and vagueness.”

FIT

Alexander Ekman

'FIT' - Alexander Ekman. Photo: Rahi Rezvani

STAGED BY
Ève-Marie Dalcourt

MUSIC
No, Nicolas Jaar, Beggars Music Group
Take Five, The Dave Brubeck quartet, © Valentine Music Ltd
Serious drug (instrumental), Wildcookie, written and produced by Freddie Cruger, 2011 Tru Thoughts Ltd, Full Thought Publishing

LIGHT DESIGN
Alexander Ekman, Lisette van der Linden

SET DESIGN
Alexander Ekman

COSTUMES
Alexander Ekman, Yolanda Klompstra

TEXT
Alexander Ekman

COLLABORATING ARTIST
Julia Eichten

COLLABORATING ARTIST / DRAMATURGY
Carina Nildalen

NDT REHEARSAL DIRECTORS
Lydia Bustinduy & Ander Zabala

WORLD PREMIERE
November 15, 2018, Zuiderstrandtheater The Hague

DURATION
27 minutes

Photo: Rahi Rezvani

Dancers

Nathan Allen, Maša Anic, Esmee Boevink, Giovanna Doria, Joan Jansana Escobedo, Joey Gertin, Chléa Guigère, Eliana Hayward, Ruth Lee, Femmie Packbier, Justin Padilla, Erin Park, Nathanaël Plantier, César Sautés-Vescovali

Alexander Ekman

Choreographer

about the work

Do you fit? If so…. what is it you fit in to? Where do you fit? Where do you not fit? And why?

For me a fit is a form of harmony… there is a sense of ease and rightness. In a creation of a piece, it is all about placing the things that fit next to each other. Does this light fit with this skirt? Does this stone fit on this floor? Do these dancers fit together? Does this step fit here? Does this audience fit with this piece? Does this text fit on this paper? A puzzle…

But what about those pieces in the puzzle which do not fit… the pieces that provoke….

How do they effect the puzzle? Perhaps they become a driving force towards something else, inspiring and transforming the puzzle.

– Alexander Ekman

Giovanna Doria about FIT:

“Being part of FIT was both a personal and collective experience. Choreographer Alexander Ekman and rehearsal director Ève-Marie Dalcourt constantly challenged us to explore what it truly means to fit in, to belong, to harmonise, and to face what happens when things don’t fit, not just physically, but emotionally, socially, artistically. This process made me think about the world we live in, where we are expected to stand out but still fit in at the same time. FIT isn’t just about perfect harmony, it explores the tension between individuality and community. It’s not only about watching dance, but noticing the connections between dancers, movement, space and the audience. There’s humor, playfulness but also precision. It pushes us to really look at each other, to adapt and to truly listen.

Every day in the studio, we explored what it means to belong, to a group, to a moment, to a space through rhythm, gesture, unison. Alexander and Ève-Marie encouraged us to bring out our individuality, not hide it, and turn it into something honest and powerful. This work reflects how diverse we are, culturally, emotionally, physically without trying to change or fix it. Instead, it gives space to the people and moments that don’t fit perfectly. That’s what makes it feel real and alive. In the end, FIT isn’t neat or clear and that’s what makes it special! It’s funny, chaotic and beautiful, just like the world we live in.”

Sophia Frilot about FIT:

“FIT by Alexander Ekman is a theatrical work that navigates juxtaposition. The piece is harmonious yet dissonant, elegant yet mad, free yet uniform, deeply human yet highly stylized. Contrast is embedded not only within the choreographic architecture, but also in the very garment worn. A black tailored suit jacket sits on a soft tutu. Constructed at the seams, the silhouette is duality personified.

In bending the unspoken rules of what it means to fit—or not to fit in—connection acts as the driving force. Colored by memories of what once was considered correct, the dancers carve new possibilities for what could be. The movement itself is guided by an elegant ease that holds the group in harmony. Trust governs cohesion. It is ingrained in the fabric of each gesture, each glance. It isn’t a secret, yet it carries the weight of one.

To be seen is to be bold. Sculpted by the ongoing dialogue between the collective and the individual, Ekman reveals complexities of identity and belonging. From proximity to approach, rebellion unfolds within the dynamic of structure and play. To stand apart is an act of bravery. Is it isolation? Or does standing alone tether one to the collective? This magnetism might manifest by chance, or perhaps it is determined by choice. Either way, quiet negotiations must take place.”