Dates

25-28 June 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

0:50, no interval

Tickets

NA

Dancers of Sasha Waltz & Guests
Photo: Hugo Thomassen

What happens when dancers make their own choices?

Prepare to be surprised by a ballet that takes shape in a truly unique way. Sasha Waltz’s In C consists of 53 choreographic ‘figures’ and gives the dancers both the freedom and the responsibility to experiment with them. All dancers start at figure 1 and end at figure 53, but they may repeat any phrase as often as they like, as long as they don’t drift more than a few phrases apart from each other. Waltz: “As a result, every performance is different, and each dancer is also a choreographer at the same time.”

Waltz has received multiple awards for In C. She was nominated for a Bessie Award, recently received the Helmut Schmidt Zukunftspreis, and was awarded the Deutscher Tanzpreis – the most prestigious dance prize in Germany. Discover how this vibrant and disarming work is now brought to life in Amsterdam by the dancers of Dutch National Ballet!

A positive virus

In C is the result of a daring and innovative project initiated during the corona lockdowns by the renowned German choreographer Sasha Waltz (whose successful Roméo et Juliette was previously presented in our theatre). To Terry Riley’s revolutionary composition of In C – also described as the ‘Big Bang’ of minimalist music – she created a collection of choreographic phrases with which the dancers of her company Sasha Waltz & Guests could experiment freely at home. Since its premiere in Berlin, the project has unleashed a worldwide movement – “like a positive virus” – with performances of In C in Ukraine, Georgia, India, Mexico, New York and various West-European countries, by continually changing groups of dancers. 

Each performance is different

Composer Terry Riley called his In C ‘the most democratic piece of music ever composed’. Published in 1964, the work comprises 53 short motifs in C major and the complete work fits on a single sheet of A4. Riley did not specify any instruments or duration for the composition, so it can be played by almost anyone, which has led to a wide variety of performances. This inspired Waltz to create an equally playful and variable choreographic system, based on 53 movement figures with plenty of scope for improvisation – following certain rules. Each individual performer is given creative freedom, but has to relate to the group. This is a pointed reference to our current society, because, as Waltz wonders: how can we retain our personal freedom without damaging others and our society?

Awards and honours

Sasha Waltz has received several awards for In C. In 2022, she was nominated for a Bessie Award in the category ‘Outstanding Choreographer/Creator’ at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 2024, she was awarded the Deutscher Tanzpreis – the most prestigious dance award in Germany – in recognition of her international impact, her commitment to the independent dance scene, and her artistically unique, cross-disciplinary body of work. Later this year, she will also receive the Helmut Schmidt Zukunftspreis, which she was awarded jointly with Olafur Eliasson for their cultural innovation and dedication to democracy, nature, and a free society.

Credits

This production is part of the Holland Festival

The original production In C was produced by Sasha Waltz & Guests and had its world premiere on 6 March 2021. The performance was created at Radialsystem. Sasha Waltz & Guests is funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion in Berlin.

Concept, light and choreography  Sasha Waltz 
Music  Terry Riley 
Costume design  Jasmin Lepore
Lighting design  Olaf Danilsen
Concept and dramaturgy  Jochen Sandig
Repetiteurs  Sebastian Abarbanell, Alessandra Defazio

Musical accompaniment  
Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Koen Kessels
and ensemble van het Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Musical coordination  Fedor Teunissen

The original production In C was created and performed by Davide Di Pretoro, Edivaldo Ernesto, Melissa Figueiredo, Hwanhee Hwang, Annapaola Leso, Michal Mualem, Zaratiana Randrianantenaina, Aladino Rivera Blanca, Orlando Rodriguez and Joel Suárez Gómez.

Cast In C

Follow the link below to view the cast for In C. Please note that casting is subject to change right up to the performance.

Online programme information

In addition to the printed programme booklet for In C, we also offer this programme information online. Here, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look and an overview of all the credits.

 

Sasha Waltz

“Everyone can dance in C’’

Choreographer Sasha Waltz on In C.

Reviews

In the media

"The experimental choreography concept ‘In C’ is a democratic process in a nutshell. And it works!"

26 June
Dutch Ballet Orchestra

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. Last season, this tradition was continued in the production Beauty and the Beast. 

hetballetorkest.nl

Partner In C

The Junior Company is made possible by