There is intrinsically little difference between the two bodies, but how do you deal with your ‘primal body’ in a world full of technological innovations? In Remembrance, the 24-year-old choreographer Joshua Junker involves the audience in the physical development undergone by mankind throughout history, in which a role is played by outside influences as well as the return to our individual world of experience. The human body today, and the human body around 200,000 years ago. In the work, Kuindersma uses shadows and echoes, which can represent the other, but also a part of ourselves, and she consciously plays with gender equality. It is about we and the other, and how the two are ultimately interchangeable, but also about the different sides contained in each individual. “What I really like about this Spanish word is that it seems to be a contraction of we (nos) and the others (otros).” The piece, set to several compositions that are all linked to Bach, is about the strong mutual bonds between a group of people. This title was not quite the first one that Wubkje Kuindersma came up with for her new ballet, but it was very close. Set to the first part of Max Richter’s recomposition of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – the aptly named Spring – Blink is a cheerful and affectionate reflection on what it means to be a young adult. The result is a light, fresh and theatrical ballet about adolescence and everything involved in it. At the time, his aim was to create a work that was geared towards the young dancers’ stage of life, which would therefore suit the group really well. Juanjo Arqués created Blink in 2015 especially for the Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company. To music by American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the British composer Floating Points, Verwoert challenges the young dancers to bring out the maturity in themselves and each other, and to search for the balance between freedom and responsibility that is necessary for this. The eight-minute duet is a powerful and very physical dialogue between a male and a female dancer, full of dynamic partnering and pointe work. In his brand-new work Promise, Sedrig Verwoert wants to emphasise the maturity of the Junior Company talents, rather than their light-heartedness and youthful character. And apart from that, the choreography also requires perfect teamwork, great musicality and flawless technique. Particularly striking in the two male variations are the virtuoso leaps and neat batterie (where the dancer beats his legs together in the air). The two female variations feature elegance and delicate ports de bras (arm movements), as well as dazzling pointe work. Just like the complete Sleeping Beauty, this Pas de quatre is full of challenges for its performers. The group forms a major stepping stone to a successful professional career, demonstrated by the fact that forty percent of Dutch National Ballet now consists of ex-Junior Company dancers, including two principals and six soloists. It continues to be, and I hope always will be, a place that brings together formidable artists that dare and inspire.Talented young dancers from all over the world audition each year for a highly coveted place in the Junior Company. When I think back I remember a free, creative, wildness present at NDT. We were vulnerable together, we were amazing together and we were fearless together. I was inspired by generations of incredible dancers, artists, people, souls. I experienced worlds and worlds within worlds. I was humbled by it and at the same time felt completely a part of it. I continue to be grateful for this.įor twenty years at NDT, I was surrounded by creativity and a wonderfully intense, mad energy. I was able to travel many miles within myself and geographically as the moon princess. The creation process took many months and much exploration, discovering what our theater had to offer and how to combine this with Maki Ishi’s incredible music. Jiří created Kaguyhime using every aspect of NDT’s new home. One pivotal moment in my career at NDT was being a part of Kylián’s Kaguyahime. Carel Birnie was the most unorthodox financial director one could wish for and in reflection, I’d like to celebrate his venturesome spirit that made so much possible at NDT. This was for a film that NOS and the dancers put together to celebrate the feat of NDT having their own ‘designed for dance’ theatre, a project that Carel worked on for many years. I was just about to run over the wavy Rem Koolhaas rooftop of the theatre to the finale of Janáček’s Sinfonietta. “This photo of Carel Birnie and myself captures a very lighthearted moment but was taken during a transitional time in NDT’s history – the opening of the ‘new theatre’. Photo Carel Birnie and fiona lummis: sven ulsa
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