Dancing Diversity

Slightly Damp In A Misty Street
Since starting his journey as a choreographer at Dutch National Ballet, Sedrig Verwoert has been collaborating with Brazilian dancer Davi Ramos, who was recently promoted to the rank of Grand Sujet. Last season, Verwoert crafted the solo performance Slightly Damp In A Misty Street for him, which debuted at the International Young Patrons Gala in June. This artistic endeavour visualises Ramos’s multifaceted transformation – as an artist, a creator and an individual. It tells a poignant tale about chasing one’s dreams without forgetting one’s roots. In an innovative interplay, Verwoert taps into Ramos’ capacity to turn his elegant movements into an expression that borders on the animalistic, thus emphasising a characteristic that defines both the choreography and its performer.

The Hard Rocks Will Seem Soft To Us
In 2019, Sebia Plantefève-Castryck had just commenced her first year with the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet when Verwoert created the solo The Hard Rocks Will Seem Soft To Us for her. For years, both Verwoert and Plantefève-Castryck found themselves marginalised within the ballet sphere, yet they now observe a growing change. This solo crystallises something that, more than a decade ago, when they first met, seemed inconceivable for them both: the composition of a piece by a black choreographer starring a black ballet dancer in the principal role. This magnum opus is a testament to their relentless efforts as well as a tribute to all black ballet dancers who preceded them. Set to Schubert’s evocative and vulnerable Ave Maria, Plantefève-Castryck portrays a contemporary Maria – weighed down by global dilemmas such as racism, climate change, war and inequality, yet imbued with the belief that even these can be overcome.

The Ritual
One ritual, two bodies. The transformation, step by step, towards a new identity. How do you find space in yourself to change? And where do you find connection with the space around you and with each other? In The Ritual, Sedrig Verwoert examines identity as something cultural, physical, and sexual. During Dancing Diversity, he presents this exciting duet, which he performs together with Alanna Archibald to live music by Ranie Riberio and Phantom Wizard (Isha Forster), for the first time in Dutch National Opera & Ballet.