Some ideas are so obvious that nobody ever thinks of them. The duet, or pas de deux, is an integral part of all dance forms, especially classical ballet. From Nureyev/Fonteyn to Baryshnikov/Kirkland and even Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – not to mention John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – dancers have always worked in pairs. To create an event dedicated to duets seems a no brainer. But there wasn’t one until 2018 when Scapino Ballet dancers Maya Roest and Mischa van Leeuwen created the Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition. Since then the RIDCC has become the biggest festival of its type in the world and a major event in the international dance calendar.
After two nights of semi-finals the final seven pairs, whittled down from 415 initial registrations from sixty countries, took to the stage at Theater Rotterdam in a memorable evening hosted by Tamara Markus which was also live-streamed around the world.
Now, I have to say that I left the theatre straight after the show and did not wait for the results in the various categories. So my review has not been influenced by what the judges, or the audience thought. I will add the winners at the end.
First up was Viscum by former French hip-hop champion Noé Chapsal and danced with his partner Charlotte Louvel. Dressed identically in black leather they entered the stage in silence and laid out a circle of heavy-duty cable, a combat zone. This was a powerful piece of confrontation seeking connection. The second act, Mirror Maze, was a softer, more romantic episode choreographed and danced by Laura Perron and William-Nicolas Tanguay. Driven by sensuality it created an experience of tension that was never fully resolved.
The third piece, Pandora, was in some ways similar to Mirror Maze but more aggressive and assertive. Created and performed by Chen Schuchang and Shi Renqi from Beijing it dramatically explored our relationship with AI. The similarity perhaps struck me because all seven acts were presented in a very similar fashion, each in the ubiquitous black box with a playing area often defined by over-head spotlights, each embraced by swirling smoke. I guess this was designed to provide a level playing field without too many distractions.
It can’t be often a mother and son appear together, performing in a professional dance arena so RIDCC was probably the first. The Belgian duo Louis Thuriot and his mother Patricia George presented Rakke – a Flemish word meaning quarrel – inspired by family conflicts, events that join and separate. Now, it must be said that mum did not do much dancing. Her role was to provide the musical accompaniment with her accordion on which she was a very accomplished player.
At the beginning of Sticky Ends I was immediately put in mind of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. In a small square of light two bodies were intertwined, giving the impression of some giant insect. Choreographed by South Korean Xiaoyun Fan and performed with partner Dijia Xin the title comes from molecular biology whereby DNA strands once cut, reconnect through complementary sequences – which is what Sticky Ends sought to illustrate.
The Polish pair Iga Włodarczyk and Katarzyna Zakrzewska presented Ki, a rather eccentric piece with the two dancers performing in a cone of light accompanied by African (?) mouth music. Push and Pull by Taiwanese choreographer Hung-chung Lai brought up the rear of the seven finalists. Performed with Ying-chieh Lu it sought to fuse the philosophy of Tai Chi with the principles of physics.
I would not presume to judge the finalists, I shall leave that to the experts, but I will list my three favourite pieces. They were Viscum, Rakke and Ki.
Before the performance, or indeed afterwards as they gathered to hear the results, the audience could wander round Dancing Contours, an excellent installation in the foyer of figurative works on paper by artist Dereck Cayler.
All-in-all this was an impressive, entertaining and inspiring evening. The RIDCC has achieved an incredible amount in the past seven years and from its humble beginnings has become an international tour de force. Michael Hasted 14th June 2025
The Award Winners
The main prize, the XL Production Award, worth €100,000, was presented to Noé Chapsal, an award made possible thanks to the generous support of Stichting Droom en Daad and Scapino Ballet Rotterdam.
The Audience Award decided by the . . .err . . .audience went to Louis Thuriot & Patricia George for Rakke
The winners of the Partner Awards were:
- National Choreographic Center of Créteil and Val-du-Marne | EMKA – Louis Thuriot & Patricia George (RAKKE)
- Club Guy and Roni – Noé Chapsal (VISCUM )
- Codarts Rotterdam – Hung-chung Lai (Push and Pull)
- Conny Janssen Dances – Maciej Kuzminski (For what is to come)
- Dansateliers – Noé Chapsal (VISCUM)
- Dutch National Ballet – Giovanni Napoli (Whispers of an Ending)
- FORM Dance Projects – Hung-chung Lai (Push and Pull)
- MiR dance Company Gelsenkirchen – Noé Chapsal (VISCUM)
- Nederlands Dans Theater – Hung-chung Lai (Push and Pull)
- SALLY Dance Company Maastricht – Justin de Jager & Sem Deliveyne (Brothers)
- DANCE Bielefeld – Louis Thuriot & Patricia George (RAKKE)
- TanzLabor ROXY Ulm – Hung-chung Lai ( Push and Pull )
