at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, accompanied by Dutch Ballet Orchestra
On Friday 4 and Saturday 5 July, the Dutch National Ballet Academy will once again be presenting its end-of-year production, Dancers of Tomorrow, on the big stage at Dutch National Opera & Ballet. This year, too, the pupils and students will be dancing an extremely varied programme, with live accompaniment from Dutch Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Rowe. Eye-catchers this year are three highlights from the repertoire of master choreographers Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Jiří Kylián and Hans van Manen. They will be combined with classical works and with exciting new creations, both for the youngest classes and for the talented dancers who will be graduating this summer or next year. Ticket sales are already booming, so order you tickets soon for this special edition of Dancers of Tomorrow!
A first for the Netherlands
It gives us great pride to open this year’s Dancers of Tomorrow with Concerto, by the British master choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan. It is the first time a Dutch company or academy has danced one of his works. MacMillan did not create Concerto for The Royal Ballet, where he was resident choreographer for many years, but for Staatsballett Berlin. His goal of giving the dancers of this company the opportunity to advance their technique resulted in an extremely physical, virtuoso work for 27 dancers, which also forms a big challenge for today’s generation of dancers.
Dutch grand masters
A second important and challenging acquisition is Jiří Kylián’s penetrating, mysterious Whereabouts Unknown, from which the Bachelor’s students will dance an excerpt in this edition of Dancers of Tomorrow. Since Dutch National Ballet recently took work by the former artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater into its repertoire, it is important that our students also become familiar with his style. No less of a challenge, but then for our younger pupils, is Hans van Manen’s Unisono. Its minimal – but according to the choreographer ‘damned difficult’ – steps make the ballet an exercise in concentration, collaboration and musicality.
New creations
And of course this year, too, the Dancers of Tomorrow programme will include some new creations. Mthuthuzeli November, Artistic Associate with our academy since August 2024, is making a new work for the AD 1 and 2 students, in which he will once again blend his two areas of expertise: African dance and classical ballet technique. In keeping with tradition, there will also be a new work by world dance teacher and choreographer Iva Lešić, performed by NBA 1 to 4. This time, her work will also include a connection to the Royal Ballet School, as Lešić is choreographing her second work for the British academy this season. Another, very recent, piece is Clouds, the mind on the wind, for which AD 2 student Noortje Willemse received high praise at the last edition of our Choreographic Project. In her work for six dancers, she presents a convincing combination of live dance and video images.
Classical repertoire
And of course our AD students will once again take up the challenge of the classical ballet repertoire. New to the school is the scintillating Tarantella from the ballet Napoli, by the famous Danish choreographer of the nineteenth century, August Bournonville. The ballet for several couples showcases the typical Bournonville style, with its technically complex footwork and small jumps, which all have to be performed at top speed. Like last year, the festive finale of Dancers of Tomorrow will be a Grand Défilé, performed by all the pupils and students, culminating in choreographic fireworks for the upper classes of the school, compiled by artistic director Ernst Meisner.
Dancers of Tomorrow 2025
Order your tickets here