Dancing Dutch

The Dutch National Ballet premiere of Wings of Wax fulfils the dream of many a dancer with the company: finally getting the chance to dance a work by Jiří Kylián, one of the greatest choreographers of our time. In this ballet, inspired by the workings of gravity and the famous myth of Icarus, Kylián conjures with movement. It is never predictable and never looks forced, yet the eye can barely follow all that happens.

Humour and aggression

Hans van Manen’s Concertante is a fascinating ballet, interspersed with humour and aggression, set to Petite symphonie concertante, by the Swiss composer Frank Martin, who, in 2024, died fifty years ago. Even in the most dynamic solos and intense pas de deux, the work demonstrates the refined simplicity, visual logic and musicality so typical of Van Manen’s work.

Idealist ballet

Another important new acquisition is ANIMA ANIMUS, created by David Dawson in 2018 for San Francisco Ballet. The mesmerizing ballet, set in Dawson’s unique style, explores various contradictions: virtuosity versus humanity, light versus dark, individual versus group, and animus versus anima (the male aspect of women versus the female aspect of men).

Milena Sidorova – who has already created several successful works for Dutch National Ballet as a Young Creative Associate – is treating us to a world premiere as the fourth piece in Dancing Dutch.