DONS (development)

What does masculinity mean in 2025? With club opera DONS, we challenge the traditional ideas about gender roles. In a society where narratives are shaped by political and commercial interests, DONS invites audiences to let go of entrenched gender norms and embrace a fluid, authentic way of being.

In May 2025, we have spend eight days working on a preliminary study, which resulted in a first presentation on 23 and 24 May at Space for Dance Art at ICK. During the preliminary research, several dance themes has been explored: the unconscious man who does not realise his role, the anxious man who does not know how to take a stand, the confused man beset by gloom, the fluid man who lets go of fixed role patterns, and the man who reverts to gender norms of the past. In this clash between progress and regression, DONS places the audience at the center of the experience, not in a classical theater setting, but in a club space where the boundaries between performer and spectator are blurred.

DONS takes place in a club setting where the boundaries between performer and spectator are blurred. Nicholas Thayer's music weaves together elements of Mozart's Don Giovanni with dark electronic beats and deep synthesizers, forming an immersive soundscape that is both classic and innovative. The audience moves freely through the space, surrounded by a sonic and visual world that confronts, questions and invites reflection.

DONS expects to premiere in full during theater season 26-27.

Producer: Coops & Co

Co-producer: ICK Dans Amsterdam

Director & Concept: Robin Coops

Choreography: Emio Greco, Pieter C. Scholten

Composer: Nicholas Thayer

Costumes: Clifford Portier

Dancers: ICK Ensemble

Singers: Arnout Lems and David Whitwell

Supported by: Gemeente Rotterdam