NDT 2 Tours U.S. this January

Wed, Jan 16 - Wed, Jan 30  2019

_A_fter the upcoming performances of Nederlands Dans Theater at Fall For Dance 2018, NDT will return to the United States in the new year! Between January 16 and January 19 2019, NDT 2 will present an exciting new program of no less than four ballets at New York City Center as a kick-off to the company’s US tour, after which they will continue their tour in Boston and Maryland. The evening will include works by NDT house choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, NDT guest choreographer Edward Clug and NDT associate choreographer Marco Goecke.

© Rahi Rezvani, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, “SH-BOOM!”

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SH-BOOM! – Sol León & Paul Lightfoot

Sol León and Paul Lightfoot created SH-BOOM! In 1994 for the annual Dancers Choreography Workshop, now called Switch. The piece marks the beginning of their successful collaboration and is therefore of great importance for the choreographic duo, not in the least because León herself performed in the piece. The work combines humorwith irony and expresses how people from different backgrounds conduct and relate to one another. Inspired by Francisco de Goya’s satirical black and white sketches, SH-BOOM! masterfully intertwines the dark side (irony) and the light side (humor).

©Rahi Rezvani, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, “SH-BOOM!”

Wir sagen uns Dunkles – Marco Goecke

“Today, my feelings belong to the dancers, more than ever before”, said Goecke after creating “Wir sagen uns Dunkles” (2017), one of his newer creations for NDT 2. On this work, his dramaturg Nadja Kadel explained:

“[The work] begins with encounters in the studio between the choreographer and the dancers. Their meetings appear unimportant, yet simultaneously they are more important than anything else; young, naughty and evil, playful and punky. […] A blink of the eye, a glance, a seemingly fleeting gesture. […] The sounds of Schubert and Schnittke meet those of Placebo, The Swan Song and Song To Say Goodbye. Then there are the rattling pants, its sound interfering with the music. The dancers they move limitless, fast, virtuoso, gesticulate in peculiar ways, unconscious yet self-assured, and – whether solo, in a pas de deux or larger group – they communicate in Goecke’s language, as if they had never learned another. Darkness Spoken, without words.”

© Rahi Rezvani, Nederlands Dans Theater, Marco Goecke, “Wir sagen uns Dunkles”

“mutual comfort” – Edward Clug

“mutual comfort” (2015) marked Edward Clug’s debut with NDT. The short choreography proved exemplary for Clug’s detailed and sharply defined choreographic style. Often, its most distinguishing feature tends to be twitchiness where the bodies flick and jerk so extremely and frequently that it can be interpreted as punctuation; a certain acknowledgment of the beat. As a choreographer, Clug is interested in highlighting the dancer’s individual experience by keeping it fresh in its approach. By doing so, his work leans towards emphasizing a personal experience that arises from the process of creation that is led by illuminating human contradictions, imparting surprising moments of beauty and spontaneous irony.

© Joris Jan Bos, Nederlands Dans Theater, Edward Clug, “mutual comfort”

“Sad Case” – Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot

“Sad Case” was created in 1998 when Sol León was seven months pregnant with their daughter. The piece acts as one of the main pillars of León & Lightfoot’s oeuvre. Surprising and earthly movements on Mexican mambo music show a continual search for the tension between satirical and classic moments.

© Rahi Rezvani, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, “Sad Case”

About Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT)

Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) is one of the world’s leading contemporary dance companies, under the artistic guidance of choreographer Paul Lightfoot. The Dutch troupe is based in The Hague, but performs on a yearly basis for an international audience of 150.000 visitors in Europe, the USA, Asia, and Australia. Since its foundation in 1959, this rebellious pioneering company has built a rich repertoire of over 650 ballets, by master choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, renowned house choreographers Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, associate choreographers Crystal Pite, and Marco Goecke and high-profile guests such as Johan Inger, Medhi Walerski, Alexander Ekman, Gabriela Carrizo, Franck Chartier, Hofesh Shechter, Edward Clug, and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar. In 1978, NDT founded a second division to feed the main company with young talent. In the time span of three years, NDT 2 prepares sixteen classically trained dancers from around the world for NDT 1.

Whereas the first company offers a chance for the dancers to further develop their artistic personality, the second company, NDT 2 offers a varied repertoire consisting of works by established choreographers as well as upcoming stars, such as Marco Goecke, Alexander Ekman, Edward Clug, and Imre van Opstal & Marne van Opstal. One of the objectives of NDT 2, is to acquaint the dancers with a lexicon of dance languages. Working together with upcoming choreographers provides the dancers with the opportunity to learn to react quickly to different dance languages, techniques, and working methods. At NDT’s home base in The Hague, all this comes together daily in surroundings that are regarded as a breeding ground, constantly moving ahead to contribute a new energy to contemporary dance in the Netherlands as well as abroad.

Tour Dates:

◊ 16 – 19 January | New York City Center | New York, NY | Tickets

◊ 26 -27 January | Boch Center | Boston, MA | Tickets

◊ 30 January | The Clarice | College Park, MD | Tickets

More information on NDT’s New York City performances can be found here. Please click this link to pre-order your tickets for one of the January performances at New York City Center. Keep an eye on our social media for updates!