The Zuiderstrandtheater in The Hague premiered Ballet Blanc on 8 March. It is the new full-length performance by The Dutch Junior Dance Division. The young dancers tour the country with a collage of fifteen short pieces. Blanc is the unifying factor in a fresh mix of classical and modern ballet, with tragedy, poignancy and humour.
The juniors are part of The Dutch Don't Dance Division, a company from The Hague led by Rinus Sprong and Thom Stuart. These two choreographers have been working for years to increase support for dance, including through Christmas productions with amateurs alongside professional dancers and by participating in dance reality shows on TV. The Dutch Junior Dance Division is their coaching project for recently graduated dancers, who often do not find their way easily to the big companies. Dancing as well as touring is part of their experience path.
Most of the pieces in Ballet Blanc were previously seen in ballets by Sprong or Stuart or in one of the TV programmes, but there are also premieres and pieces by Ed Wubbe, Mikhail Fokine and Kirk Peterson, among others. Inspiration included the legendary dance couple Alexandra Radius and Han Ebbelaar. In his welcome speech, Sprong thanked them for attending this premiere evening.
Madness and Sibelius
Of course there are white swans on this evening. The dreamy Le Cygne by Saint-Saëns sounds twice, with classical and modern choreography. Tchaikovsky's tragic Swan Lake at an upbeat Madness version accompanies a comic group ballet. And then there is Sibelius' dark Swan of Tuonela, although it is not entirely clear whether the lavishly feather-clad, acrobatic dancing Lorris Eichinger is meant to be funny or serious.
Special and emotional is the self-choreographed solo Palladio by the athletic Michael Häfliger, in which he pays tribute to a friend's fight for survival. He shows not only the tremendous strength but also the elegance with which she successfully coped with her illness.
Naughty doctor's ballet
Besides Häfliger, more dancers get the chance to excel. Lorris Eichinger convinces through dance and expression in classical Grand pas de deux from The Nutcracker together with Corinne Cilia. His duet with Olga Markari (Orlando) is superb. Sidney Scully is believable as a rejecting lover in Peterson's Valse Triste, but also as a literally undressed patient in Stuart's mischievous doctor's ballet Intensive Care and as a love-struck 1920s girl in his brand new Moon about Manhattan.
Rinus Sprong dedicates a new piece to Thomas Schwenke, the Hague physician who 250 years ago cured the young Mozart of a debilitating illness. Sprong himself ventures onto the stage as he Nantes by Barbara sings and, without much ado, interprets the dying father from that song, while Corinne Cilia dances the role of the daughter who arrives late.
So there is a lot to see, and by the end of the show, it is difficult to keep the impressions of 15 pieces straight. This means that the programme is actually too long. A second critical note applies to the group work, which is not always entirely equal.
On the other hand, the pleasure of a colourful (as far as you can say of a white evening) hodgepodge of fine pieces, brought by beautiful dancers. Extra bonus point for the choice of music: even those who close their eyes (don't!) will have a wonderful evening with the sounds of Schumann, Pärt, Gershwin, Barbara, Mozart, Madness and Karl Jenkins, among others.
The Dutch Junior Dance Division, Ballet Blanc. Seen: Zuiderstrand Theatre, 8 March. Tour until 23 April 2016.
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