Masters of Movement

Three choreographers, three visions 

David Dawson, Krzysztof Pastor, and Alexei Ratmansky are three visionary artists, each enriching ballet with their own distinctive style. 

British choreographer David Dawson created Empire Noir (2015) as his first work following his appointment as Associate Artist at Dutch National Ballet. He described it as “about choreography, about dancers and how they relate to one another.” The result is an explosive ballet, centred on the near-manic urgency that can emerge in dreams. A rollercoaster of virtuosity. 

A new ballet for a large cast 

Like Dawson, Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor was a longtime dancer with Dutch National Ballet, where both began their choreographic careers. Both later became resident choreographers before pursuing international success. Pastor now mainly focuses on his role as artistic director of the Polish National Ballet. Recently, the Junior Company performed his dynamic Toccata, and now, for the first time since 2010, Pastor is creating a large-scale new work for Dutch National Ballet. 

A master choreographer 

The third ballet in Masters of Movement is a European premiere by the world-renowned Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. Recently, he has strengthened his collaboration with Dutch National Ballet. Following previous productions of his Don Quixote and several contemporary works, Ratmansky was appointed as an Associate Artist in November 2024, alongside Dawson.