What does masculinity mean in 2025? With club opera DONS, director and composer Robin Coops challenges 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, Coops spent eight days working on a preliminary study, which resulted in a first presentation on 23 and 24 May at Space for Dance Art. During the preliminary research, several dance themes were explored: the unconscious man who did not realise his role, the anxious man who did not know how to take a stand, the confused man beset by gloom, the fluid man who let go of fixed role patterns, and the man who reverted to gender norms of the past.

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.