Dutch National Ballet

Romeo and Juliet

Rudi van Dantzig

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Photo: Hugo Thomassen

Dates

14 October – 11 November 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

3:00, incl. 2 intervals

Tickets

From € 32

Dancers: Elisabeth Tonev and Jacopo Tissi | Photo: Hugo Thomassen

A heart-rending love story translated into dance

Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet is a poignant classic filled with passion, conflict, and tragedy. The lively Italian street scenes, realistic fight sequences, and the heart-rending encounters between the young lovers of Verona leave no one unmoved. Experience the drama of Shakespeare’s timeless love story, brought to life through Sergei Prokofiev’s stirring music, and discover how a new generation of top dancers transforms this demanding ballet into yet another unforgettable experience.

First full-length production

Van Dantzig created his Romeo and Juliet in 1967 at the request of then-artistic director Sonia Gaskell. It was the first full-length ballet created in the Netherlands and made an immediate impact—one that continues to resonate in performances from Hong Kong to Canada and Finland.

Gripping realism

Van Dantzig drew inspiration from Leonid Lavrovsky’s 1940 production for the Mariinsky Ballet, but his own version stands out for its vibrant energy and intense realism.

Through finely drawn character portrayals, Van Dantzig reveals how the feud between the noble houses of Montecchi and Capuleti destroys everything in its path—not just the youthful love of Romeo and Juliet, which they pay for with their lives, but also the lives of Verona’s common people.

A visual masterpiece

Toer van Schayk’s stunning set and costume designs evoke a Renaissance painting brought to life, in rich pastel and deep red hues. When the curtain goes up, you immediately imagine yourself in the Italian town of Verona a few centuries ago.

Performance information

Choreography Rudi van Dantzig
Music Sergej Prokofjev
Set and costume design Toer van Schayk
Lighting design Jan Hofstra

Musical accompaniment Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Koen Kessels

More Romeo and Juliet

This season, we also present an opera based on the world-famous love story: I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Composer Vincenzo Bellini brings the tragedy to life with sublime music and deeply moving arias.

Tickets & info

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Ticket prices

We provide discounts tailored for certain groups to ensure our performances are accessible to all. Please visit this page to determine if you qualify for a discount.

Price category	Standard	CJP \| Stadspas \| Youth aged 16 and under
Premium	€ 114,00	€ 82,00
1^st	€ 97,00	€ 71,00
2^nd	€ 80,00	€ 58,00
3^rd	€ 59,00	€ 38,00
4^th	€ 39,00	€ 24,00
5^th	€ 29,00	€ 21,00

Dutch National Opera & Ballet uses a system of dynamic pricing. This means that tickets for popular performances may increase in price as the performance date approaches and more tickets are sold. All prices exclude the booking fee (€ 3 per ticket).

Student discount and student alert

Last-minute deal! When a performance isn’t sold out, students can purchase a ticket online for just € 20 on the day of the performance starting from 13:00.

To stay updated on more offers, sign up for our student alert. This way, you’ll be informed in advance about which performances you can attend for just € 20!

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“Rudi got you to give your all”

Former principal dancers talk about Van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet

Generations of dancers have been able to pour out their emotions in Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet. So the ballet was a highlight for many of them and even defined their career and life. We asked four former principal dancers about their experiences.

Photo: Hans van den Bogaard

Dutch Ballet Orchestra

Dutch Ballet Orchestra is the leading orchestra for dance in the Netherlands. In every performance, the orchestra searches for inspiring synergy between music and dance, in order to give the audience a magical experience. From classical ballet to modern masterpieces, and from music education to talent development, Dutch Ballet Orchestra inspires the movement in dance.

Dutch Ballet Orchestra

From 1 August 2024, the Flemish conductor Koen Kessels (1961) is the new music director of Dutch National Ballet, and artistic director and principal conductor of Dutch Ballet Orchestra. He took over the baton from Matthew Rowe, who has fulfilled this special dual position since 2013 and who will be returning as principal guest conductor.

Since its inception in 1965, the orchestra has been the proud musical partner of Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater. One important mission of Dutch Ballet Orchestra is investing in the youngest generation of dancers and musicians.

In 2023, for instance, the orchestra issued an open call for young composers, in collaboration with Dutch National Ballet, resulting in a new work that was presented in the Junior Company’s touring programme, Ten. The orchestra has also been working for some years already with the Dutch National Ballet Academy. For example, the orchestra members provide the music for the end-of-year performances Dancers of Tomorrow.

Dutch Ballet Orchestra has also collaborated regularly on innovative – and award-winning – family and school productions. Creatures, in partnership with ISH Dance Collective, won the international Young Audiences Music Award and the production Hansel and Gretel, received various Musical Awards.

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