Opening Springdance explores the two extremes of what the festival has to offer

Experts in particular were upset with the official opening performance of Springdance 2012. "The Rodin Project" by Russel Maliphant was special for that reason alone. Rarely has there been so much talk about an opening performance, especially since it is also the last opening performance of Springdance.

The 30-year-old festival of innovative dance and performance will cease to exist. Partly under pressure from the subsidy cuts of the right-wing and art-unfriendly Rutte-Wilders cabinet, it sees itself forced to merge with the equally threatened Festival aan de Werf in Utrecht. A merger welcomed by all, although there is always the fear that the marriage born of both mutual love and opportunism will not last. After all, times are getting very tough for fragile art and the people who love it.

Festival director Bettina Masuch gave a warm but also combative speech, giving every hope that modern dance is also in good hands at the new Spring Festival. The festival's 'amuse', the performance "I-On" by Ivo Dimchev, made the fans of exciting dance theatre salivate. It was different at the official opening.

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