Kalpana & Rutkay

Kalpana Raghuraman

Kalpana Raghuraman is a choreographer, dancer, anthropologist and artistic director of Kalpanarts. As the first creator with an Indian background to be structurally affiliated with a classical ballet company, she brings a unique voice to Dutch National Ballet. In her work, Kalpana blends Indian dance forms with Western contemporary dance, creating a distinctive choreographic language. For We are all hybrid, she explores what happens when ballet is added to that encounter.

In this new creation – her first as Creative Associate with Dutch National Ballet – the focus is on celebrating exchange and transformation. People are changed through encounters: when worlds meet, something new always emerges. We are all hybrid is all about that connection, revealing the ongoing dialogue between forms, perspectives and worlds.
 

Rutkay Özpinar

Rutkay Özpinar is a Turkish Dutch choreographer with a broad dance background, in hip-hop, classical ballet, Turkish folk dance and modern dance, among others. In his works, he turns these styles into an idiosyncratic mix, simultaneously approaching dance from a human perspective. In 2014, at the age of 23, Rutkay made his debut as the youngest choreographer in the Netherlands at The Hague's Korzo Theater, where he also became resident choreographer. Now he is creating a work for the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet for the first time.

In Dark Matter, Rutkay explores the inner struggle of people dealing with trauma. He gives shape to the uncertain, undefined feeling that lingers within as a result. Can dance itself play a role in that process?