Dutch National Ballet Explained

The Dutch National Ballet (Dutch: Het Nationale Ballet) is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands.

History

The Dutch National Ballet was formed in 1961 when the Amsterdam Ballet and the Nederlands Ballet merged. The company has been directed by Sonia Gaskell (1961–1969), Rudi van Dantzig (1969–1991), Wayne Eagling (1991–2003) and is currently directed by Ted Brandsen. It attracts many international artists.

The company has been based at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet (formerly known as Het Muziektheater) in Amsterdam since 1986. It is a regular guest at major festivals across Europe, such as the Edinburgh Festival. The company 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.

On 13 September 2011, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala performance in the presence of Queen Beatrix.^[1]

Dancers

The Dutch National Ballet employs approximately 90 dancers. Below is a list of principals, soloists, grand sujets, and coryphées.^[2]

Principals

• Timothy van Poucke
• Constantine Allen
• Jakob Feyferlik
• Young Gyu Choi
• Qian Lui
  • Maia Makhateli Vito Mazzeo
  • Victor Caixeta Anna Ol
• Artur Shesterikov
• Olga Smirnova^{[3] [4]}
• James Stout
  • Anna Tsygankova Semyon Velichko
• Riho Sakamoto
• Jessica Xuan

Soloists

• Elisabeth Tonev^[3]
• Naira Agvanean
• Floor Eimers
• Suzanna Kaic
• Martin ten Kortenaar
• Salome Leverashvili
• Maria Chugai
• Nina Tonoli
• Jingjing Mao
• Edo Wijnen
• Jared Wright
• Sho Yamada
• Yuanyuan Zhang

Grand sujets

• Chloë Réveillon
• Erica Horwood
• Connie Vowles
• Joseph Massarelli
• Giorgi Potskhishvili
• Daniel Montero Real
• Daniel Robert Silva
• Sem Sjouke
• Jan Spunda

Coryphées

• Luiza Bertho
• Nathan Brhane
• Nancy Burer
• Khayla Fitzpatrick
• Hannah de Klein
• Kira Hilli
• Rémy Catalan
• Wendeline Wijkstra
• Davi Ramos
• Conor Walmsley

Previous company members

• , 1960-1970.^[5]
• ^[6]
• Benjamin Feliksdal^[7]
• Raven Wilkinson
  • Milena Sidorova, 2005–2022. Grand sujet (2013), coryphée (2011), corps de ballet (2007), élève (2006), aspirant (2005)^[8]

External links

• • Dutch National Ballet at Answers.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Queen Beatrix visits Gala - news - The Dutch National Ballet . Het-ballet.nl . 2011-08-24 . 2013-10-25 . 29 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190941/http://www.het-ballet.nl/en/news/news/2011/08/24/queen-beatrix-visits-gala/ . dead .
2. Web site: Dancers. Dutch National Ballet. 17 May 2021.
3. Web site: Prima ballerina Olga Smirnova and soloist Victor Caixeta make the move to Dutch National Ballet. Dutch National Ballet. Nationale Opera & Ballet. 18 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318104924/https://www.operaballet.nl/en/news/prima-ballerina-olga-smirnova-and-soloist-victor-caixeta-make-move-dutch-national-ballet. 18 March 2022. Amsterdam. 16 March 2022.
4. Web site: Olga Smirnova - Principal. Dutch National Ballet. Nationale Opera & Ballet. 23 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220323222237/https://www.operaballet.nl/en/dancers/olga-smirnova. 23 March 2022. Amsterdam.
5. News: Sylvester Campbell, 59, a Pioneer Among Black Classical Dancers . 2024-08-17 . The New York Times . en . 0362-4331.
6. News: Billy Wilson, 59, Director and Choreographer . 2024-08-17 . The New York Times . en . 0362-4331.
7. Web site: The history of Dutch National Ballet Nationale Opera & Ballet . 2024-08-17 . www.operaballet.nl . en.
8. Web site: Milena Sidorova Nationale Opera & Ballet . 2024-08-17 . www.operaballet.nl . en.