Picture: Tristam Kenton

They may not be visible on stage, but an old car motor, a vacuum cleaner and a mobile phone are all playing their part in Nederlands Dans Theater 2’s latest tour. In fact, there’s a whole world of ideas and preparations that we the audience aren’t privy to, but feed into the brilliance of this young Dutch company.

As Nederlands Dans Theater 1’s youth wing, NDT 2 is a rocket-fuelled company of 19 to 25-year-olds drawn from around the world. A stringent regime of daily classical ballet and contemporary dance classes, coupled with work by some of the finest choreographers in the business, make each show as compelling as the last. And, after a two-year absence, the current tour featuring two UK premieres by Marco Goecke and Johan Inger, plus Hans van Manen’s Simple Things, is a very welcome return.

First, the car motor, which doesn’t appear in Goecke’s The Big Crying, a work inspired by the death of his father. ‘One day Marco wheeled it into the rehearsal room and said, “that’s my father”,’ recalls dancer Cassandra Martin. ‘And he explained that when he was at the hospital visiting his father, the doctor said our bodies are machines and as we get older the machine gets run down and stops working. It’s just a part of life and nothing you can philosophise about.’ 

Dancer Emmitt Cawley / Picture: Tristam Kenton

The motor prop never made it onto the stage but did help inform the dancers’ understanding of Goecke’s grief. As a result, The Big Crying speaks poignantly to anyone who’s ever lost someone they loved. It also contains some hugely impressive, fast-paced synchronised movement. How hard is it to achieve that razor-sharp unison, especially after the recent spell of inactivity?

‘It’s very difficult,’ says Martin, before revealing another behind-the-scenes trick in the NDT 2 playbook. ‘Before each performance, we have a ritual of dancing the group sections together onstage before the curtain goes up. It’s a way of getting into the right mindset, removing the ego and making sure we’re working as a unit, as a vessel for the piece.’

A little backstage magic also comes into play in Inger’s IMPASSE, a ‘them and us’ drama driven by the infectiously joyful music of jazz composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Opening with a trio of dancers living their best, carefree life, the mood shifts when a group of commercial-looking business folk arrive. ‘The trio are more in touch with nature and have a child-like curiosity,’ explains Martin. ‘Then what we call the “city people” come in to seduce them into a more consumerist lifestyle and a slicker way of moving. So each night backstage, the city people decide what it is we’re ‘selling’ to the trio; something like a vacuum cleaner or a phone, to influence their lifestyle.’

Picture: Tristam Kenton

This duplicity flies off the stage with a lightness of touch that has ‘feelgood closer’ written all over it. Yet there’s something deeper at play in Inger’s work, that slowly creeps under the skin. ‘You really see how it reflects a lot about today’s society in the way that so much turmoil and negativity happen around us, but it’s embellished in these beautiful packages that disguise what’s actually going on,’ says dancer Emmitt Cawley, who plays one of the trio. ‘And the audience gets swept up in the joy; it’s so easy to watch, it’s mesmerising. But then there’s a moment where you see it for what it is. It’s so subtle but so impactful, it really makes you question, “was that joyful”? Or did it have something else to say? And perhaps there are other aspects in life where these embellishments distract us from things that are tearing you down and changing you.’

It’s this ability to blend incredible technique, engaging choreography and thought-provoking content that has made each NDT 2 performance an anticipated event for over 40 years. ‘We know that we have this lineage, this history and reputation,’ says Cawley. ‘But with that reputation comes responsibility. The reason we have it is because we’re constantly pushing boundaries and thinking, “what is the next thing we want to say?” Something that’s not just noise but is a true listen and response to what’s needed in today’s world. And that’s really beautiful to be a part of and to witness.’