Dutch National Opera

Labs: Where Our Eyes Meet

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Dates

14-23 March 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Entrance hall

Running time

1:00

Tickets

Free (no reservation needed)

Seeing and being seen

In the entrance hall of Dutch National Opera & Ballet, a unique musical and theatrical installation comes to life. This digital opera, created by students from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and the HKU University of the Arts in Utrecht, blends digital media, composition, and dance. The students are collaborating with Alexander Álvarez Silvestre, who is part of Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company—exploring the tension between observing and being observed.

Where Our Eyes Meet

In a world where every gaze holds power, this digital opera invites you to step into an immersive loop of spiraling thoughts, fleeting encounters and collapsing scripts.

Where Our Eyes Meet explores the paradox of revealing and escaping the all-perceiving system, while simultaneously seeking connections, yearning to be noticed and understood.

Through a fusion of compelling melodies, colorful vocal textures and dynamic visuals, this work challenges you to reflect on the nature of perception itself. The intricate dance between watching and being watched unravels the quiet tension we encounter as we inhabit this world.

In this dance of trying to direct the gaze while feeling the need to escape it, does it become possible to break out of this capturing system?

Performance information

Experience the premiere moment on Friday 14 March at 18:45, set to live music. Free admission.

This film opera will be screened on a constant loop on the giant LED screen in the entrance lobby. Headphones will be available for visitors.

Look here for the time schedule

With students doing the Musician 3.0 Bachelor’s at the HKU University of the Arts (Utrecht) and students doing the Master’s in Non-Linear Narrative at the Royal Academy of Art (The Hague).

Credits

Music Marius Blokhuis, Floor Dijkstra, Zaza van Duijvenbode (HKU University of the Arts - Utrecht)
Mixing Marijn Kuijlman
Camera and editing Laura Flethe, Stefano Cattani (Royal Academy of Art - The Hague)
Camera and production support Carmen Draxler
Choreography Alexander Álvarez Silvestre (Junior Company, Dutch National Ballet)
Dancers Alexander Álvarez Silvestre, Zaza van Duijvenbode, Floor Dijkstra, Marius Blokhuis, Laura Flethe, Stefano Cattani
Seamstress Marina Lagerwerf, Zaza van Duijvenbode
Tutoring & Support Sjaron Minailo, Maurits Huijgen

Show times

14 March	15 March	16 March	21 March	22 March	23 March
22:00 - 23:00	14:30 - 14:50	15:00 - 16:00	14:00 - 15:00	14:00 - 15:45	12:30 - 12:45
	16:15 - 16:45	18:00 - 19:00	16:30 - 17:00	17:30 - 17:55	14:30 - 14:45
	18:30 - 19:00	21:30 - 23:00	19:30 - 19:45	18:30 - 18:45	15:30 - 15:45
	20:00 - 20:20		21:35 - 21:50		16:30 - 16:15
			22:30 - 22:45