Golden SponsorRing for Dutch National Opera & Ballet, &samhoud and Innovation:Lab for AI project Pulse
The AI project Pulse, a collaboration between Dutch National Opera & Ballet, &samhoud and Innovation:Lab, has been awarded the 2024 Golden SponsorRing for the best sponsorship case of the past year in the Culture category.
The SponsorRingen awards were presented yesterday evening, Tuesday 17 June 2025. These awards are regarded as the official professional accolades for sponsorship in the Netherlands and represent the highest recognition for outstanding achievements in innovation, effectiveness and creativity in sponsorship partnerships.
In its explanation of the award, the jury wrote: “Pulse is a revolutionary example of cultural sponsorship as co-creation, demonstrating perseverance, courage and technology that supports rather than dominates. Artistically powerful, strategically smart, and rich in substance that lingers. (…) The jury is impressed by the impact: all performances sold out, without a campaign. The AI tool is being shared open-source and continues to be developed. New collaborations have emerged, including one with Microsoft. Both audiences and business partners were inspired. Content with lasting value. A well-deserved gold award.”
Pulse
For Pulse, Dutch National Ballet (commissioner), Innovation:Lab Utrecht (developer and co-producer), consultancy boutique &samhoud (sponsor), and choreographer Peter Leung jointly explored the fusion of human and artificial intelligence in dance. They developed a technological installation in which live performers and audience members co-create together with AI. In this process, AI not only supports but also actively contributes to enriching the choreographic creative process, with the aim of creating an interactive experience between performers and audience.
With Pulse, art—and more specifically the traditional art form of ballet—was used as a platform for innovation and research. The aim of the collaboration was to contribute to both artistic and technological advancement through an open-source approach and audience interaction, and to generate insights that can be applied not only within the cultural sector, but also in business and beyond. The partnership with sponsor &samhoud extended beyond financial support alone.
Curious to see how the project came together? This video offers a behind-the-scenes impression of the process.
Pulse was presented in 2024 in the new Studio Boekman at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, as part of the Digital Culture/Techlab programming. After an initial sold-out run, the project returned to Dutch National Opera & Ballet in January 2025.
SponsorRingen
Each year, the SponsorRingen awards recognise the best sponsorship cases across ten categories, including Sport, Culture, Society, Events and Data & Creativity. The juries—comprising experts from the corporate world, media, agencies and research—evaluate the submissions based on impact, effectiveness, originality and relevance. The awards are the highest recognition for outstanding achievements in the sponsorship profession.
