On March 28, the annual ICK Fest took place for the 8th time at De Meervaart.

As Collectief MAMM opened the evening with RUIM, the temperature was rising backstage, where the young dancers of ICK Next were warming up—ready to soon join the ensemble on equal footing. A formidable challenge lay ahead: the Double Bill F.A.S.L. فاصل & BOLERO.

The co-production with the Ballet de l’Opéra de Tunis, F.A.S.L. فاصل, following its premiere in Tunis, revealed a first iteration of the version that will be presented in the Netherlands next year. This preview—stripped of props and scenography, set against light and “the other” as its counterpart—echoed the strength of a movement idiom in the making, fully rooted in the present moment.

An idiom whose origins became immediately visible in what followed. The subsequent revival of BOLERO, created a quarter century ago, sparked recognition in some audience members, while opening new ground for others. The standing ovation that followed felt like a warm embrace—not least for the young dancers of ICK Next.

The evening’s MC, Zoë Lodewijks, then invited the audience to dance out their built-up adrenaline with REPLAY. In the Meervaart’s “pit,” several visitors took up the challenge, and with live AI instructions in their ears—generated from their own movement—a choreography emerged there as well.

Conversations continued late into the night, moving between the exhibition of costumes and imagery curated by Clifford Portier and the activity in the pit. Suzan Tunca, who had spoken earlier about the Academy, the dancers, the volunteers, familiar faces, and those who had hesitantly joined ICK Fest for the first time that evening—all became part of a cross-cutting exchange. Connection took shape in an energised third act that lingered well beyond the stage.