Three little ladies on a discovery dance
(Trouw – August 27 2008 – Anita Twaalfhoven)

De Stilte is a dance company, that has managed to gain so much ground over the last few years, that as of 2009 it is structurally subsidized by the Dutch government for a period of four years. The lively performances, in which dance tickles the imagination, are a true asset to today’s world of youth dance. For instance: unlike in most youth dance productions, in MADCAP not a single word is spoken. That takes a little getting used to for this little girl in the audience. Watching a dancer move on stage and look at the audience, she asks her mother “Why isn’t she talking?” As it soon turns out, the playful choreographies prove to captivate the audience the entire 55 minutes.

MADCAP, a free translation of the Flemish slang word Speelvogels (meaning ‘playing kids’), is made with minimal means. Small bird cages, big eggs, a metal bucket or an udder-shaped surgical glove, they all create a farm-like atmosphere. That’s the playground on which three little ladies do their discovery dance. So, how do you dance with an egg? You can chase it as it rolls across the floor or floats through the air. Or you can try and lay one, sitting on a bucket, or even throw up one… A collection of plastic pipes can be used either as a couple of braces for a herd of imaginary cows or as the steering wheel of an old tractor, on which to roam acres of land. Or are they part of a bicycle, or maybe a boat? During the next scene air gets pumped underneath the dance floor, turning it into a wavy surface that has the dancers splashing around for joy. Jack Timmermans’s choreographies are very playful and sometimes they seem to evolve spontaneously. Timothy van der Holst’s music ranges from lively and exuberant to melancholy, leaving more than enough space for the audience’s imagination. As does the entire performance. Sometimes three is a crowd, even at play. Two dancers move across the stage like friends, complementing each other. As soon as a third dancer wants to join in, things start to go wrong. Taking turns on being the odd one out, they all stake their claim to the center of attention. But once one of them plays bagpipe on a bicycle pump, like sisters they do a jumpy clog dance including some real thigh-slapping. At the end of the performance, a little bird seems to crawl out of one of the eggs. But is it really a bird? When the dancers try to hold it, all they’re left with is a pile of fluffy feathers.
This bird has flown.

Play ingeniously incorporated in dance
(Brabants Dagblad – November 7, 2005 – Rinus van der Heijden)

Being at play was Jack Timmermans’s source for his latest choreography MADCAP. His company, De Stilte, had its opening performance in Breda. Are those three female performers playing or dancing? That is what you’re constantly asking yourself while watching MADCAP. It’s the greatest compliment you can pay Timmermans, because he conceived this dance for children of four years and older. Without any effort these kids get acquainted with modern dance. […] And do not forget: MADCAP is all about playing: two girls do so in perfect sisterly harmony. Till a third girl passes by and wants to participate. That’s when things go wrong: a pecking order has to be established, friendships come into being and fall apart again, the game gets new impulses. It is fantastic that Jack Timmermans never wants to lecture; he casually indicates the importance of being at play. MADCAP offers choreography that appeals to both young and old. The dance performance is really beautiful. And moreover, the dancers are capable of holding the tension for more than 55 minutes. The final scene is absolutely charming: a little bird comes out of one of the eggs. But the poor little thing flies up in the floodlights from the uplifted hands of the three dancers and disappears into a cloud of fluttering feathers.