Dutch National Ballet presents
classic
Back to Ballet - classic takes us back to the core of classical ballet, where the dancers find solid ground as they return to the stage. In timeless and compelling ballets with heart-stealing leading roles, including Le Corsaire, Swan Lake and Paquita, and in a new classical work by artistic director and choreographer Ted Brandsen, our dancers can once again shine!
Safe visit
We have taken careful measures to ensure a safe visit to our theatre, including careful observation of the compulsory 1.5 metre distance in the auditorium and in the foyer.
For more information:
Valse Fantaisie - Balanchine
Valse Fantaisie - George Balanchine
Valse Fantaisie - George Balanchine
Paquita - Beaujean naar Petipa
Paquita - Petipa / Beaujean
Paquita - Petipa / Beaujean
Het Zwanenmeer
Het Zwanenmeer
Le Corsaire
Le Corsaire
Le Corsaire
Programme
The programme includes highlights from the classical ballet repertoire.
Valse Fantaisie
Valse Fantaisie by George Balanchine, a virtuoso ballet full of jumps, pointe work and 'pas de chats', was originally presented as the second part of Glinkiana (1967), choreographed after four different compositions by Mikhail Glinka. The music, reminiscent of the waltzes of Frederic Chopin, is fast and light, and was nicknamed 'the melancholic waltz'. The female dancers move together around a single male dancer in a whirl of perpetual motion. It is pure dance, full of dynamics and rhythm.
Choreography George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Music Mikhail Glinka ('Valse Fantaisie in B minor')
Costumes Oliver Haller
Lighting Wijnand van der Horst
LE CORSAIRE
Pas de deux
The spectacular pas de deux from Le Corsaire was created in the late 19th century, and could be interpreted as an ode to the virtuosity of classical ballet. Its technical and expressive requirements have rendered it a favouvrite among soloists. In recent years, Dutch National Ballet's principals Maia Makhateli and Young Gyu Choi have made an international name for themselves with this pas de deux.
Choreography Marius Petipa / Agrippina Vaganova
Music Adolphe Adam, Le corsaire (1856), in an arrangement by Riccardo Drigo
Lighting Bert Dalhuysen
Ballet master Guillaume Graffin
Swan Lake
Pas de deux 2nd Act
Swan Lake (1895) is one of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century Russian imperial ballet. Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa managed to bring both music and dance to the highest level. The pas de deux that Odette dances in the second act with prince Siegfried is considered a miracle of lyricism and poetry in the art of dance.
Choreography Rudi van Dantzig, after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Paquita
With majestic elegance, a star couple and various soloists shine amidst the dancers of the corps de ballet. In her version of Marius Petipa's Paquita, associate artistic director Rachel Beaujean shines a fresh light on the pure dance divertissement from the narrative 19th-century ballet. Beaujean gives this ballet classic the schwung that suits our times.
Choreography Rachel Beaujean, after Marius Petipa
Music Edward Deldevez, Ludwig Minkus
Sets and costumes François-Noël Cherpin
CLASSICAL SYMPHONY
Choreographer and director of Dutch National Ballet Ted Brandsen created Classical Symphony for the male dancers in the company. With this choreography, he provides us with his own interpretation of the theme ‘Back to Ballet’. In this new work, fast pieces are alternated with more introvert ballet. The male dancers move athletically and masterly to the music of Prokofjev. Without classical costumes, but with classical steps.
Choreography Ted Brandsen
Music Sergei Prokofjev
Photos: Michel Schnater, Marc Haegeman, Angela Sterling, Altin Kaftira
Thu 09 Jul
Paquita - De Volkskrant
'Pointe variations like Bengali fireworks'
Thu 09 Jul
Valse Fantaisie - Theaterkrant
'...a virtuoso ballet full of jumps, pointe work and 'pas de chats' (literally: cat jumps), with the male as a central figure.'
Thu 09 Jul
Pas de deux Het Zwanenmeer - Theaterkrant
'And, of course, Swan Lake is not to be missed. Once again it becomes apparent how spicy a pas de deux is for a man, with the balancing of his partner, the meticulous weight transfers and numerous high lifts.'
George Balanchine
ChoreographerGeorge Balanchine made quite a mark on the development of theatrical dance - he is the maestro of story-less musical ballet. His ballets mostly stand out because of their architectonic composition of choreographic patterns and dance themes.
Marius Petipa
ChoreographerMarius Petipa (1818-1910), son of the French ballet master Jean Petipa, made his debut as dancer in 1828, in a version of Pierre Gardel’s Le Dansomanie staged by his father. In 1847, he was engaged as a dancer with the Imperial Theatres in St Petersburg. Seven years later, he became a teacher at the Imperial Ballet School in the same city.
Rachel Beaujean
Associate Artistic DirectorRachel Beaujean (Helmond, 1959) joined Dutch National Ballet in 1977 and was promoted to soloist in 1981. She took up the position of ballet mistress in 1997 and has held the post of head of the artistic staff since 2003. Since September 2017, Rachel Beaujean has been Associate Artistic Director.
Ted Brandsen
Director of Dutch National Ballet, Resident ChoreographerTed Brandsen danced with Dutch National Ballet from 1981 to 1991. In 1991, he retired from dancing in favour of concentrating on choreography. In 1998, Brandsen was appointed artistic director of West Australian Ballet in Perth. At the beginning of 2002, Brandsen returned to Dutch National Ballet, initially in the position of assistant artistic director and resident choreographer and since 2003 as artistic director of the company. Ted Brandsen has been the director of Dutch National Ballet since August 2012.
ORCHESTRA
Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Koen Kessels
Dutch Ballet Orchestra
Since its inception in 1965, the orchestra has been proud to accompany its partners, Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater. The working method is unique in the Netherlands. Dutch Ballet Orchestra, with Matthew Rowe as principal conductor, consists of a regular core of 45 musicians, supported where necessary by highly qualified guest performers. This gives the orchestra its unique character: flexible, dynamic and high-quality.
More information:
Main sponsor Junior Company
