Dutch National Ballet
Lecture | Dancing across cultural and national borders
Dates
13 May 2025
Location
Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Souterrain
Running time
1:15
Tickets
€ 12,50
Cross-cultural dance practices in a globalised world
For a long time, dance has been understood in the Western world as a universal art form with no cultural boundaries, as an artistic language that can be understood everywhere. Such narratives have dominated the western history of dance in the modern era. They were only challenged once cultural globalisation triggered criticisms of cultural appropriation, the hegemonic claims of the Western art scene and (neo-)colonialism.
How can we describe the cultural transmission of dance in a globalised world? What happens in this process? In this lecture, dance and performance scholar Gabriele Klein explores these questions in relation to both artistic dance (ballet and contemporary dance) and popular dance (hip hop and tango). Following her introductory lecture (until approximately 18:30), Gabriele Klein will engage in a discussion with Ernst Meisner, Associate Director of Talent Development and Artistic Director of the Junior Company.
Two open lectures
In two public lectures in English, dance and performance scholar Gabriele Klein will once again place the themes of performances of Dutch National Ballet in the context of current dance and socio-political debates. Using examples from classical and contemporary dance and supported by video material, she will demonstrate the relevance of dance for a democratic society and culture.
This edition is linked to the production How Anansi freed the stories of the world. Earlier in this series, the lecture Choreographing literature took place, which was connected to the production Lady Macbeth.
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About How Anansi freed the stories of the world
In this effervescent, colourful family performance, an international cast of opera soloists, musicians from diverse genres, a DJ, ballet dancers and dancers from the hip hop scene bring together a whole range of different cultures, languages, sounds and movement styles.
The makers – including hip hop choreographer Shailesh Bahoran, South-African composer Neo Muyanga and librettist Maarten van Hinte – deliberately opted for a non-Western source of inspiration: the story of the spider heroine Anansi, who has taken on the task of freeing stories of the jungle from the claws of an imperious tiger. The myth originated in Ghana, then travelled with the slave ships to Suriname and the Caribbean, where the popular story of the defiant Anansi grew into an expression of covert rebellion against the plantation owners.
Gabriele Klein - special professor for ballet and dance
Gabriele Klein is special professor for ballet and dance (Hans van Manen Chair) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) since 2022. Klein is the first university professor in the Netherlands in the field of dance studies. In addition to current issues such as the archiving and digitalisation of dance, her professorship focuses on historical, current and future developments in ballet and dance in the Netherlands and their relevance in an international context.
