The Dutch National Ballet (Dutch: Het Nationale Ballet) is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands. Its forerunners were Ballet Der Lage Landen, Ballet of the Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam Ballet, and Netherlands Ballet (Nederlands Ballet). the company is directed by Ted Brandsen.
History The Ballet Der Lage Landen was a pioneering Dutch ballet company founded by artistic director Mascha Ter Weeme in 1947. The Ballet of the Nederlandse Opera was founded in 1949 by French dancer and choreographer Françoise Adret. The two companies merged in 1959 to form the Amsterdam(s) Ballet. Amsterdam Ballet in turn merged with the Netherlands Ballet (Nederlands Ballet) to form the Dutch National Ballet in 1961.
The company's first director was Sonia Gaskell (1961–1969). Gaskell was the founder of Ballet Recital, the forerunner of her more famous Nederlands Ballet (1954-1961). Other directors have included Rudi van Dantzig (1968–1991)Glenn Meredith Loney, "Evolution of an Ensemble: Rudi van Dantzig on the National Ballet of Holland," Dance Magazine (New York), March 1974, pp. 34-39."Farewell to a Choreographer: Profile of Choreographer Rudi van Dantzig as He Steps Down as Director of the Dutch National Ballet," Dance and Dancers (London), June/July 1991, p. 56.Cruikshank, "Rudi van Dantzig," obituary, The Guardian (London), 23 January 2012. and Wayne Eagling (1991–2003).Debra Craine and Judith Mackrell, "Eagling, Wayne", in The Oxford Dictionary of Dance (Oxford University Press, 2000).
On 13 September 2011, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala performance in the presence of Queen Beatrix.
Description The company has been based at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet (formerly known as Het Muziektheater) in Amsterdam since 1986. the company is directed by Ted Brandsen.
The company is a regular guest at major festivals across Europe, such as the Edinburgh Festival. It is committed to new choreography and performs work from current and past resident choreographers: Rudi van Dantzig, Toer van Schayk, Hans van Manen, Maguy Marin, and Édouard Lock.
Dancers The Dutch National Ballet employs approximately 90 dancers. Below is a list of principals, soloists, and grand sujets.
Principals NameNationalityTrainingJoined the Dutch National BalletPromoted to PrincipalOther Companies (incl. guest performances)Qian LiuLiaoning Ballet School20122016Liaoning BalletMaia MakhateliVakhtang Chabukiani State Ballet School20072010Colorado BalletBirmingham Royal BalletAnna OlKrasnoyarsk Ballet College2015N/A, Joined as PrincipalRussian State Ballet of SiberiaStanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko TheatreOlga SmirnovaVaganova Academy of Russian Ballet2022Bolshoi BalletAmerican Ballet TheatreLes Ballets de Monte-CarloHamburg BalletMariinsky BalletVienna State BalletTeatro dell'Opera di RomaAnna TsygankovaNovobirsk State Choreographic College2007Bolshoi BalletHungarian National BalletJessica XuanCanada's National Ballet SchoolDutch National Ballet Academy20132020National Ballet of CanadaYuanYuan ZhangSichuan Dance SchoolShanghai Theatre Academy20142024Constantine AllenPacific Ballet AcademyBallet HawaiiKirov Academy of BalletJohn Cranko Schule2018N/A, Joined as PrincipalStuttgart BalletYoung Gyu ChoiKorea National Institute for the Gifted in ArtsTanz Akademie ZurichSunhwa Arts School20112016Universal BalletGiorgi PotskhishviliVakhtang Chabukiani State Ballet SchoolDutch National Ballet Academy20202023Timothy van PouckeDutch National Ballet Academy2016Jacopo TissiLa Scala Theatre Ballet School2023N/A, Joined as PrincipalVienna State BalletLa Scala Theatre BalletBolshoi BalletSeymon VelichkoNovobirsk State Choreographic College20152020Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet TheatreStanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre
Soloists
Naira Agvanean Maria Chugai Floor Eimers Salome Leverashvili Jingjing Mao Elisabeth Tonev Nina Tonoli Joseph Massarelli Jan Spunda Edo Wijnen Sho Yamada
Grand sujets
Luiza Bertho Kira Hilli Erica Horwood Chloë Réveillon Connie Vowles Daniel Montero Real Daniel Robert Silva Connor Walmsley
Previous company members
Wim Broeckx , 1960-1970.
Benjamin Feliksdal Raven Wilkinson
Milena Sidorova, 2005–2022. Grand sujet (2013), coryphée (2011), corps de ballet (2007), élève (2006), aspirant (2005)
References
External links
Dutch National Ballet at Answers.com