The Nederlands Dans Theater II First China Tour May 23, 2008

Time: 2008/5/23
Venue: Tian Qiao Theater
Price: 80/180/280/380/580
MSN: ponypiaoen@hotmail.com
Tel: 86-10-64177845

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Nederlands Dans Theaterhas been one of the leading dance companies world-wide since it beganin 1959. Although all its dancers have been classically trained, it ismodern dance rather than ballet that Nederlands Dans Theater engages in, at the highest international level.
Nederlands Dans Theateris unique in being three companies in one. NDT I is the main companywith 32 dancers; NDT II is a group of 14 young dancers up to the age of21 and with its own repertory, and NDT III is a small group of dancersof 40 plus years. The NDT II dancers are able to bring all theiraccumulated experience and expertise to a repertory devised to exploittheir theatrical presence. Thus NDT, as a three in one entity, is ableto present to its audiences the whole working life span of its artists.The current artistic director/choreographer is Jiri Kylian.

NederlandsDans Theater II (16 dancers) was founded in 1978 for dancers between 17and 22. Alongside ballets by Hans van Manen and Jiri Kylián, much workby young choreographic talent is performed. As a true pioneer, theensemble is constantly striving to give more room to new and braveinitiatives. Nederlands Dans Theater II is a top-quality,internationally recognized company with some of the world’s brightestyoung talent.

Programme

1. Minus 16 - Ohad Naharin
Minus16 is a phenomenal work for all dancers of Nederlands Dans Theater IIset to a thrilling musical compilation of cha-cha, mambo andtraditional Israeli music. This choreography came about by puttingtogether sections of previous works of Naharin: Zachacha, Anaphase,Sabotage Baby and Moshe.

‘…Minus 16 swings and is full of fun…’
Astrid van Leeuwen, Algemeen Dagblad

‘…It’s an orgie of dazzling, swinging and ecstatic dance…’
‘…Minus 16 is an absolute hit for Nederlands Dans Theater II…’
Ine Rietstap, NRC Handelsblad

2. Sleepless - Jiri Kylian
Decor: Jiri Kylian

Light design: Kees Tjebbes

JiriKylian has already made many masterpieces, one of them the fascinatingSleepless, a creation for six young dancers in which the set plays animportant part. It has a wall behind which dancers – or sometimes justparts of their bodies – appear, disappear and return. The set allowsunexpected entrances or creates hallucinating images of heads which ina grotesque way do not appear to go with the bodies.

3. Dream Play - Johan Inger
WithDream Play Johan Inger created an abstract yet narrative ballet toStravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps”. He gives a new perspective to theheavily charged story of the ritual spring sacrifice by reducing it toa daydream inspired by a fleeting encounter between the ***es. Whatfollows the meeting is a wish-fulfillment dream, an erotic andsometimes aggression-tinged game for four men and two women, in whichthe dancers occasionally have rough-handed contact with the inventivestage set. Inger’s earthy, expressive movements fit wonderfully withStravinsky’s raw sounds.

NederlandsDans Theater II has been nominated for the prestigious British theatreaward: the Laurence Olivier Award. The awards jury has announced this.Nederlands Dans Theater II has been nominated in the category ‘Best NewDance Production’ for Johan Inger’s choreography Dream Play, that wasperformed in the Sadler’s Wells theatre in London in May 2003.

The Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday 22 February in the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane in London, and will be broadcasted by BBC television.

The Dutch press about Dream Play:
“Dream Play is a feast for the eyes and the Nederlands Dans Theater II dancers are, one by one, worldclass
performers”

NRC Handelsblad
“The excellent young dancers of Nederlands Dans Theater II show every inch of their talent in Johan Inger’s work”.

De Telegraaf
“Johan Inger’s Dream Play is fresh and dynamic”.

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