Young Creatives

Last December, Dutch National Ballet appointed three new Young Creative Associates: Wubkje Kuindersma, Milena Sidorova and Sedrig Verwoert. In recent years, these three young upcoming talents have already choreographed various works for the company and/or the Junior Company, standing out for their great creativity and unique, specific and inspiring style. They are now demonstrating these qualities in Young Creatives with Memento, Rose and I Feel It Too: three dance films for which they devised the concept as well as creating the choreography.

Wubkje Kuindersma - Memento

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Memento was made at a time when the world was put on hold, due to COVID-19. Choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma says, “It’s in our nature to move freely and to flow like a river, but free movement between people has suddenly become restricted as a consequence of lockdowns. It’s as if the earth has lost its natural flow”.

Wubkje Kuindersma - Memento

Memento

Kuindersma chose the title Memento because this creation will always remind her of these strange times. In addition, the word ‘Memento’ is reminiscent of the expression ‘memento mori’. It is precisely this connection with the inevitability of death that reminds us to live: ‘memento vivere’.

For her choreography, she chose the poignant third song from Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. While the song expresses deep sorrow and loss, the voice also makes us feel deep love. Memento does not tell a story, but is simply a shared moment in dance and time, and serves as a reminder of this period.

Milena Sidorova - Rose

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During the first lockdown in the spring of 2020, Milena Sidorova had a big hit with her dance video Hold On, set to the number of the same name by the band from The Hague, Di-rect. The film was viewed hundreds of thousands of times on the various social media channels. Yet the Kiev-born choreographer sees Rose as her first dance film. This is because it is not just a recording of dance, but tells a real story that everyone can follow – even though it is told completely through dance.

Milena Sidorova - Rose

Rose

Rose is situated somewhere we can’t meet one another at the moment due to the corona measures: at the bar of a pub in Amsterdam. Talking to the barman, a woman tells of the relationships she’s had, which are illustrated by the duets she dances. The barman nods every so often, but is actually wrapped up in his own thoughts of his experiences in love. The film is set on the borderline of what is real and what only happens in our mind.

Sedrig Verwoert - I Feel it Too

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For his dance film I Feel It Too, Young Creative Associate Sedrig Verwoert also took inspiration from the times we’re living in at the moment, dictated by the corona pandemic. On the one hand, the world appears to have ground to a halt, but on the other the silence creates scope for thinking things over.

Sedrig Verwoert - I Feel It Too

I Feel It Too

In I Feel It Too, Verwoert tells his story in six key scenes. The story starts with the naivety of pre-corona life and goes, via the lockdown, to a sense of restriction and to a confrontation with our own mortality. The thoughts and voices of thirteen dancers, who kept on training tirelessly throughout the lockdown, are reflected in the story. The realisation that this is a universal story also creates scope for other themes, such as love, depression, femininity, diversity and solidarity. Composer and musician Tim Wes and spoken-word-artist Roziena Salihu also play an important role in I FeelIit Too. Wes’ music and Salihu’s poetry form a triangle, as it were, with the movement and the dance.

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Dutch National Ballet creates enchanting performances that touch and inspire. Almost everything that can be seen on stage is made with great craftsmanship in our own workshops. We are also committed to passing on the magic of opera and ballet to future generations through our education and young talent programs. The support that donors offer us in this is indispensable. Do you want to support us? Then you can do a one time donation via the link below.

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Wubkje Kuindersma

Choreographer Memento

Credits

Concept and choreography Memento

Wubkje Kuindersma

Film director Memento

Mathieu Gremillet

Film director, concept and choreography Rose

Milena Sidorova

Camera director and montage Rose

Arno de Haas

Creative director and choreographer I Feel It Too

Sedrig Verwoert

Film director I Feel It Too

Kevin Osepa

14 June

Sidorova lets her choreography sizzle with life in a dance language that keeps on moving you until the end.

14 June

Everything shines and swings, from the bar to the dance floor.

I will encourage all serious new choreographers to turn off everything, stop the distractions and watch this new ballet by Wukje Kuindersma with Dutch National Ballet. This is a dancers soul.

- Brian Peterman about Memento

Amazing! This is very impressive! I feel like watching a movie! Really enjoyable for its cinematic tone, beautiful dance! Thank you for sharing this!

- Ka Chun Chiu about Rose

Extraordinary! Fabulous... Really, everything was just right... Well done, such a top-notch production, well done Sedrig... well done everyone who has contributed to this... (+camera work +Costume/dressing +music... such a relief)

- Guido Stiglic about I Feel It Too