da:ns festival 2015 Nederlands Dans Theater 2: An Evening of Five Works House Programme

9 & 10 Oct 2015

Fri & Sat, 8pm Esplanade Theatre

DA:NS TURNS

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

2 hrs, including two 20mins intermissions

About Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay Esplanade is Singapore’s national performing arts centre and one of the busiest arts centres in the world. Since its opening in 2002, the centre has presented more than 31,000 performances, drawing an audience of 22 million patrons and 84 million visitors. This architectural icon, with its distinctive twin shells, houses world-class performance spaces complemented by a comprehensive range of professional support services. Its two main venues are the 1,600-seat Concert Hall and a Theatre with a capacity of 2,000. In March 2014, Esplanade’s Concert Hall was listed as one of the “world’s 15 most beautiful concert halls” by Hamburg-based building data company Emporis.

Esplanade’s vision is to be a performing arts centre for everyone and it seeks to enrich the lives of its community through the arts. The centre’s programming is guided by its mission – to entertain, engage, educate and inspire.

Its year-long arts calendar of about 3,000 performances presented by Esplanade, its collaboration partners and hirers cater to diverse audiences in Singapore and span different cultures, languages and genres including dance, music, theatre, visual arts and more. More than 70% of the shows that take place each year at the centre are non-ticketed. In May 2015, Esplanade was chosen as one of SG Heart Map’s 50 special places.

Esplanade regularly presents world-renowned companies and artists that attract international attention and add to Singapore’s cultural vibrancy. The centre is also a popular performance home for arts groups and commercial presenters who hire its venues to stage a wide range of programmes. These carefully curated presentations complement Esplanade’s own diverse offerings for audiences.

Esplanade works in close partnership with local, regional and international artists to develop artistic capabilities, push artistic boundaries and engage audiences. The centre supports the creation of artistic content and develops technical capabilities for the industry nationally.

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is operated by The Esplanade Co Ltd, which is a not-for-profit organisation, a registered Charity and an Institution of a Public Character.

Visit www.esplanade.com for more information.

Board Members Mr Lee Tzu Yang (Chairman) Mr Benson Puah (Chief Executive Officer) Dr Beh Swan Gin Mrs Rosa Daniel Ms Kathy Lai Dr Jennifer Lee

Mrs Christine Ong Mr Ramlee Bin Buang Ms Saw Phaik Hwa Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei Mr Yap Chee Meng Mr Andre Yeap

Esplanade is a proud member of

Association of Asia Pacific Performing Art Centres www.aappac.net

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Please note that photographs and videos of patrons may be taken at this event for use in our archival and publicity material.

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Festival Message Where has the time gone? da:ns festival turns 10 this year and it seems like only yesterday when we presented our first edition.

At da:ns festival, our sense of time shifts. As we watch bodies move on stage, or as we ourselves dance, time as we know it, is suspended, and we become attuned to time driven by the body and its unique rhythms in movement. Over the years, we hope the festival has given you several experiences and memories that have expanded your sense of movement, and opened you up to different expressions of dance.

The festival team has had the pleasure of creating this dedicated event, growing a myriad of platforms in our festival that support the development of dance. To encourage more people of all ages to try dancing, we have worked with Singapore dance studios to provide fun and easy dance lessons that everyone can enjoy both inside our rehearsal studio, outdoors along our waterfront and around Singapore. Last year, we welcomed over 28,000 participants to these sessions and the overall da:ns festival has doubled in audience size since it’s first year.

To support the creation of new dance works, da:ns festival commissions, co-produces and provides residencies for artists. This has led to long-lasting relationships with artists we deeply admire for their dedication and creativity, and enabled 23 new dance creations, the majority from Asian dance-makers.

So this year, for our special 10th anniversary, we have invited several of these artists to celebrate this special occasion with us, some of whom are marking significant milestones in their own personal careers. We host the legendary Sylvie Guillem, who returns to da:ns festival with her final world tour before retiring from 35 years of dancing, while Singapore choreographer Kuik Swee Boon creates a work that brings together leading dance-makers in their 40s back to the stage.

The festival would have not been possible without our supportive audience of dance lovers, the dance-makers who continually inspire us, our festival sponsors and partners who have shared our belief in the significance of dance in our lives, and our group of dedicated festival volunteers—the da:ns Kaki Ambassadors.

With deep gratitude to everyone— thank you for being part of 10 years of da:ns festival together.

Faith Tan Producer da:ns festival

Esplanade’s da:ns festival programming team (L–R: Marlene Ditzig, Iris Cheung, Faith Tan, Emily J Hoe, Rydwan Anwar, Christel Hon & Shireen Abdullah.

Not in photo: Suhana Laila Abdul Shukur, Fezhah Maznan & Joyce Yao)

About

Nederlands Dans Theater

Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) is one of the world’s leading contemporary dance companies, under the artistic guidance of choreographer Paul Lightfoot. NDT is based in The Hague, but performs on a yearly basis for an international audience worldwide in Europe, the USA, Asia and Australia. Since its foundation in 1959, this rebellious pioneering company has built a rich repertoire of over 600 ballets, by master choreographers Jiří Kylián and 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, Gabriela Carrizo, Hofesh Shechter and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar.

In 1978, NDT founded a junior division specifically focusing on talent development. Over a period of three years, NDT 2 prepares sixteen classically trained dancers from around the world for NDT 1. Both companies are celebrated as two of the world’s most distinctive dance ensembles.

NDT 2’s varied repertoire consists of work by established choreographers as well as upcoming talents, such as Jiří Pokorný, Imre van Opstal and Marne van Opstal. One of the objectives of NDT 2, is to acquaint the dancers with a lexicon of dance languages. Working together with young choreographers, the company offers the dancers the opportunity to work within a range of styles and genres in which technique is a means to the goal of getting to their artistic core as dancers and performers in general.

NDT is keen on creating crossovers with various art forms along the choreography by involving visual art, music composition, and innovative light and set designs. These elements all come together in NDT’s home base, the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague in the Netherlands. www.ndt.nl/en

Photo by Joris Jan Bos

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“The dancers are beautifully articulated, knife-edge virtuosi, with an assurance that belies their youth.” – Dancing Times

Programme: Schubert Some Other Time -intermissionSara mutual comfort -intermissionCacti

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

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Schubert

by Sol Le贸n and Paul Lightfoot

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Music Schubert: String quintet in C - Adagio Costumes / decor Sol León and Paul Lightfoot Light Tom Bevoort World premiere 4 November 2014, Theater aan het Spui, The Hague Duration 6 minutes Schubert premiered during the anniversary performance 25 Years León & Lightfoot. This pas de deux, danced on a piece of music by Schubert is, besides being an emotional ballet exuding a love story between a man and a woman, a highly technical work that emphasizes NDT 2’s extraordinary talent level.

“..all of {León and Lightfoot’s} characteristics can be found in the duet Schubert and the quartet Some Other Time (with eight shadow dancers) ranging from grinning humor to deep melancholy..” – Volkskrant

Photos by Rahi Rezvani

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Some Other Time

by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot

Music Max Richter: Thermodynamics; I was just thinking; Broken Symmetries for Y; When the northern lights / Jasper and Louise; A sudden Manhattan of the mind; This Picture of us. P.; Found song for P.; H thinks a journey; Lullaby from the Westcoast sleepers; So long Orpheus; Mercy (violin by Hilary Hahn & piano by Cory Smythe) Costumes / decor Sol León and Paul Lightfoot Light Tom Bevoort World premiere 4 November 2014, Theater aan het Spui, The Hague Duration 24 minutes

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“The juniors already have their own, significant style, full of vigor, extraordinary flexibility and exceptional passion.

The group impresses by strength, cogency and talent.” – Le Quotidien Some Other Time premiered at the anniversary performance 25 Years León & Lightfoot. A white floor and black decor pieces that seemingly float across the stage, highlight the contrast between the feeling of oppression and breaking free that the dancers poignantly portray in this ballet. All dressed in black and with a wide variety of pas de deux and solos, Some Other Time is an extraordinary exercise for the NDT 2 dancers in the emotional dance language that is characteristic of choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot.

Photos by Rahi Rezvani

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9

mutual comfort

by Edward Clug

Music New composition PErpeTuumOVIA

by Milko Lazar Light Tom Visser Decor and costumes Edward Clug World premiere 19 March 2015, Lucent Danstheater, The Hague

Edward Clug’s choreography is detailed and sharply defined. Often at times, 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.

Duration 13 minutes

“NDT 2 is a distinct phenomenon, and phenomenal”

– The Independent Photos by Joris Jan Bos

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SARA

by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar Music Composition by Ori Lichtik; The Knife - From off to on Light Tom Visser Costumes / decor Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar World premiere 4 April 2013, Lucent Danstheater in The Hague, The Netherlands Duration 10 minutes

“Every time NDT 2 hits our stages, the usual superlatives fall flat in speechless admiration at 16 dancers, who can handle anything the topranking choreographers care to task them with.”

– The Herald

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Israeli creators Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar have been an innovative pair in the contemporary dance world for years. For this creation for NDT 2 they worked with long term collaborator and musician Ori Lichtik. In these multi-disciplinary efforts movement, sound and lighting stand side by side, creating pieces that exceed the borders of ‘traditional’ contemporary dance and turn all the elements into equal protagonists.

Sara was created in 2013 and has been composed for NDT 2 especially. The choreography revolves around memories, dreams, emotions, inspiration, loneliness, sorrow, and sharing. “It springs from the subconscious, but is very humane at the same time”, says choreographer Sharon Eyal.

The mysterious dream world originates fully from the creators’ feelings and intuitions.

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

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Cacti

by Alexander Ekman

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

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Music Joseph Haydn: sonate no V “Sitio” from Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze, Hoboken XX, 1B; Ludwig van Beethoven: string quartet no. 9 in C, Opus 59, section from: Andante con moto quasi allegretto; Franz Schubert: Presto from stringquartet Der Tod und das Mädchen, arranged for orchestra by Andy Stein and for stringquartet by Gustav Mahler; Allegro

by Joseph Haydn from string quartets Opus 9, no 6 in A major.

String quartet recorded by Harmen Straatman: Tinta Smidt von Altenstadt (first violin), Saskia Viersen (second violin), David Marks (alto violin), Artur Trajko (cello)

Light Tom Visser Decor / costumes Alexander Ekman Lyrics Spenser Theberge World premiere 25 February 2010, Lucent Danstheater, The Hague Duration 27 minutes

In Cacti, Ekman turns his keen eye upon the scene that birthed him: contemporary dance itself. A gleeful and knowing parody of the art form’s greater excesses, Cacti is an affectionate, pointed and often hilarious deconstruction of the affectations of dance.

Sixteen dancers stand, seemingly trapped, on oversized Scrabble tiles. While a string quartet plays, and spoken recordings give tongue-incheek narration of the action, the dancers run, fall, writhe and try to escape their invisible prisons; eventually—and this is the important bit—they each acquire a cactus. But what does it all mean?

Cacti was created in 2010 and is one of Ekman’s most succesful pieces.

It was given as a gift from Queen Beatrice of Holland to the royalties of Norway on a state visit in Oslo 2010. The piece was also nominated for the pristigeous Swan award for best new dance production in the Netherlands 2010.

“Ekman has pulled off one of the most difficult challenges in dance, which is to be genuinely funny. Cacti is a delight: witty, effervescent, playful, surreal and joyously physical.” – The Australian

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Gerald Tibbs Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater 2 Gerald Tibbs was born in Richmond, Virginia, USA. At the age of 19, he attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he enrolled in the drama department. Soon thereafter, he switched to the dance department and a year later he joined the North Carolina School Company. He danced with them for a period of two years. Then he went to New York for further training with David Howard.

Assistant to Artistic Director In 1986 Nancy Euverink was a Prix de Lausanne finalist, after which she attended the Summer Dance Program of Boston Ballet and performed with Boston Ballet 2 and 1. She joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in 1987 and NDT 1 in 1989 until 2007. Euverink was awarded the award of achievement by Dancers Foundation ’79 in January 2005. Euverink has danced choreographies of renowned choreographers such as Jirí Kylián, Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo and also the duo Lightfoot & León.

After her dancing career she traveled around the world staging choreographies of Jirí Kylián, Lightfoot & León and Jorma Elo for diverse and international ballet companies. Euverink has been the Director of the Dance Department of the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague since September 2011 until 2014.

Since August 2014 she has worked as assistant to the artistic leader of NDT 2.

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Photo: Joris-Jan Bos

Photo: Joris-Jan Bos

Nancy Euverink

Photo: Joris-Jan Bos

In 1975 he joined the Nederlands Dans Theater and has since danced with the company for 15 years, working with significant choreographers as Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Glenn Tetley, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Christopher Bruce and Nacho Duato. In 1990 Gerald Tibbs was appointed artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater 2.

Peter Chu Repetitor Peter Chu began his training as a competitive gymnast, later nurturing his artistry at Dussich Dance Studio where his evolution into a dancer began. As a BFA student at The Juilliard School (under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy), Chu was pushed further as a technical mover and began an explosive journey into choreography. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreography.

As a performer, Chu has danced with BJM _Danse, as the lead in Christina Perri’s Jar of Hearts music video, in Celine Dion’s Las Vegas spectacular A New Day, and with Crystal Pite’s company, Kidd Pivot. In 2008, Chu formed a Las Vegas project-based company, chuthis.

His multi-disciplinary dance company combines innovative lighting and sound with live contemporary theatrical movement. Works include: Smile Masking (2015), Face Her (2015), and Nothing Sticks (2011).

Recipient of the prestigious 2010 Capezio A.C.E. Award for Choreography, Chu has created for Naomi Stikeman’s Çaturn (consulted by Robert Lepage), and for the ninth and 10th seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. Chu has created pieces for companies such as Orlando Ballet Theatre, Houston Met Dance Company, and Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) Summer Intensive (2013 & 2014). In August 2015 Chu started as the repetitor for Nederlands Dans Theater 2.

biographies - creative team -

Choreographer & Artistic Advisor In their 25 years as a choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot have built a rich repertoire of over fifty ballets which show a wide range of compelling pieces that, however diverse, share a strong, innovative artistic voice. They have mastered a powerful, yet tender and sometimes humorous dance aesthetic that is consistently rooted in emotion and often leans on theatrical aspects. As house choreographers of NDT since 2002, the artistic voyage of both choreographers and their partnership, is a celebration of their unpredictable and idiosyncratic style, and their inexhaustible work ethic. León and Lightfoot have shown no fear in bearing their fragility, their euphoria or their personal struggles through their work. By doing so they have given colour to the company as one that is not afraid to take artistic risks and that pushes the boundaries of creativity, highlighting NDT as one of the best modern dance companies on national and international level.

Sol León (Córdoba, Spain) and Paul Lightfoot (Kingsley, England) started creating together 25

Photo: Rahi Rezvani

Photo: Rahi Rezvani

Sol León

paul lightfoot Choregrapher & Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater years ago. Since then the duo have created more than fifty pieces for Nederlands Dans Theater. In 2002 they were appointed house choreographers for the company exclusively. Together they have won prestigious awards, such as the Benois de la Danse and the Herald Archangel.

Sol León joined NDT 2 after graduating from the National Ballet Academy of Madrid in 1987. Two years later she joined NDT 1 and danced masterpieces of Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Mats Ek and Ohad Naharin.

She continued to dance up until 2003, when she decided to fully devote herself to choreography. León became artistic advisor for NDT in 2012.

Paul Lightfoot studied at the Royal Ballet School in London. He joined NDT 2 and moved to NDT 1 two years later, where he danced until 2008. During his dancing career, Lightfoot started choreographing and together with Sol León he created many pieces for NDT. Lightfoot became artistic director of NDT in 2011.

Awards and Honours Incentive Prize for Choreography of the Amsterdam Art Prize for Seconds (1992) Nomination Laurence Olivier Award for Best Dance Production for SH-Boom (1994) Lucas Hoving Prize 1994 (Paul Lightfoot) Incentive Prize Choreography 1997 of Stichting Dansersfonds ’79 (Paul Lightfoot) VSCD Golden Theatre Dance Prize 2002 (Paul Lightfoot) Merit Award 2003 of Stichting Dansersfonds’79 (Sol León) VSCD Dance Award Zwaan 2003-2004 for Shutters Shut and Subject to Change Benois de la Danse 2005 for Signing Off Herald Archangel, Edinburgh International Festival 2006 VSCD Dance Award Zwaan 2005-2006 for Shoot the Moon 16

www.braunbuffel.com

biographies - creative team Photo: Rahi Rezvani

Alexander Ekman Choreographer Photo: Benjamin Švarc

Alexander Ekman calls himself a ”rhythm freak”, as one of his trademarks is designing contemporary soundscapes. This choreography, for which he merely used classical music, resulted in a new arrangement of Schubert’s Der Tod und das Mädchen, created together with Holland Symphonia. In addition, the dancers become the instruments for the orchestra. According to the Swede, Cacti is his most dansant piece so far.

Ekman used all dancers to challenge the audience to reflect on the way in which art is perceived.

As a choreographer, he received international acclaim with Radio & Juliet (2005). Clug put the Maribor Ballet ensemble on the international dance map by participating in the largest theatre festivals, such as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (USA), The Stars of the White Nights festival in the Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg, Arts Festival in Singapore and Seoul International Dance Festival in Korea.

Photo:Tom Weinberger

Besides Maribor Ballet, Clug was repeatedly invited to create works for Stuttgart Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders and other companies around the world. Clug received international awards for his choreographies at dance competitions and festivals in Moscow, Belgrade and Sarajevo. He received the highest Slovene prize in culture, the Award of the Prešern Foundation in 2005 and the Glazer Charter in 2008. In 2014 the magazine Tanz acknowledged him as one of future’s hopes in the field of choreography.

Sharon Eyal Choreographer

Sharon Eyal was born in Jerusalem. She danced with the Batsheva Dance Company from 1990 until 2008 and began choreographing within the framework of the company’s Batsheva Dancers Create project.

Eyal served as Associate Artistic Director of Batsheva between 2003–2004, and House Choreographer of the company between 2005–2012.

Photo:Tom Weinberger

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In 2012, Eyal, with her longtime collaborator Gai Behar premiered Untitled Black in collaboration with the Goteborgs Operans Danskompani in Gothenburg, Sweden. Eyal is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2004 Ministry of Culture Award for young dance creators and the 2009 Landau Prize for the Performing Arts in the dance category. In 2008, she was named a Chosen Artist of the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation. In 2013, Eyal launched L-E-V with her longtime collaborator Gai Behar.

Choreographer Born in 1973, Edward Clug completed his ballet studies at the National ballet school in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) in 1991. The same year, he was engaged as a soloist at the Slovene National Theatre where he made his first choreography. In 2003, he became artistic director of the ballet, leading the company towards new and distinctive directions.

After a dance career with Royal Swedish Ballet, Cullberg Ballet and NDT 2, Alexander Ekman decided to solely focus on choreography. For NDT 2, Ekman created the international hit Cacti (2010, nominated for the VSCD Zwaan Award 2010) Left Right Left Right (2012) and Maybe Two (2013) among other pieces.

For NDT 1, Ekman created Definitely Two (2013).

In 2009, Eyal began creating pieces for other dance companies: Killer Pig (2009) and Corps de Walk (2011) for Carte Blanche Dance of Norway; Too Beaucoup (2011) for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Plafona (2012) for Tanzcompagnie Oldenburg, Germany.

Edward Clug

Gai behar Choreographer As a party producer, Gai Behar was a big part of Tel Aviv nightlife scene as well as a curator of multidisciplinary art events from 1999 till 2005. Behar joined Sharon Eyal in co-creating Bertolina in 2005 and has collaborated on the creations of Eyal ever since.

biographies - dancers Alexander Anderson

Fay van Baar

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

8 April 1992

West Palm Beach, Florida American

The Juilliard School [2010 - 2014] Professional experience

Edinburgh International Festival 2012 Tanztheater Wuppertal’s 40th anniversary celebration in Wuppertal, Germany (Revival of Wind Von West) 2013 Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2014

8 October 1995 The Hague, The Netherlands Dutch

Royal Conservatoire, The Hague [2007 - 2014] Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington DC [2014 - 2015] Professional experience

Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in September 2015

Nomination & Awards

Princess Grace Foundation Scholarship Award 2013 Alexander Moore Bayer Dance Award Dizzy Feet Dance Foundation Scholarship Award 2013

Benjamin Behrends

Alexander Cyr

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

1 July 1992

Santa Rosa, California. U.S.A. American

Education

Santa Rosa Dance Theater [2005-2008] Academy of Ballet, San Fransisco [2008] Boston Ballet Trainee Program [2009-2010] Teachers

Tamara Statkoun, Gina Ness, Richard Gibson, Zory Karah, Magaret Tracy, Kathleen Mitchell, Andre Reyes Professional experience

Smuin Ballet [2010-2011] Trey McIntyre Project [2011-2014] Post: Ballet [2014] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2014 Nominations & Awards

Lelystad, The Netherlands Dutch

Education

AS Ballet; Bern [2002 - 2007] Conservatoire de Fribourg; Fribourg [2007 - 2008] AFJD; Lausanne [2008 - 2011] Tanz akademie Zürich; Zürich [2011 - 2015] Professional experience

Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 as an apprentice in August 2015 Nominations & Awards

Bronze medal, Aix-en-Provence [2005] Silver medal, Aix-en-Provence [2006] Silver medal, Paris “Le Chausson D’or” [2007] Silver medal, II Cat, Solothurn [2010] Bronze medal, I Cat, Solothurn [2012] Migros Culture Percentage dancing study award, Zürich [2012] Migros Culture Percentage dancing study award, Zürich [2013]

Dancer portraits by Joris-Jan Bos

Boomerang Fund for Artists, Frank & Eleanor Pao Full Scholarship, 1st place in Sonoma County Dance Gild Men’s Ballet Competition, Sir Kenneth Brown Award

15 July 1995

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Miguel Duarte

Guido Dutilh

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

24 November 1997 Lisbon, Portugal Portugese

Escola de Dança do Conservatório Nacional (Portugal) Professional experience

Internship in Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo with Vasco Wellenkamp Will join Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2015 Nominations & Awards

Classical solist gold medal in Youth America Grand Prix semifinals, Belgium [2013] Gold medal in classical solist category in International Dance Festival Tanzolymp, Germany [2014] Japanese-Russian couple YUKARI SAITO AND NIKOLAY FYODOROV PRIZE to “Most talented dancers among the youngest competitors” at the Ekaterina Maximova Ballet Competition Arabesque, Russia [2014] The 4th scholarship and the Contemporary dance prize in Prix de Lausanne [2015]

Amsterdam, The Netherlands Dutch

Vooropleiding Nationale Balletacademie Amsterdam [2010-2014] Summer Intensives bij het Nederlands Dans Theater [2010-2012] Het Nationale Ballet [2011] Canada’s National Ballet School [2013] Professional experience

Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2014

Alice Godfrey

Graham Kaplan

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

4 January 1994 Windhoek, Namibia South African The Cape Academy of Performing Arts [2004 - 2012] Canadian National Ballet School [2013– 2014] Professional experience

The Cape Dance Company [2008 - 2013] Joined Nederland Dans Theater 2 in August 2014

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21 December 1995

12 February 1993 Vancouver, British Columbia Canadian

Arts Umbrella Graduate Program, Vancouver, British Clumbia Professional experience

Artist, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal [May 2013 - Dec 2014] Masterclasses/Workshops with Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet BC, Cedar Lake, among others Movement Invention Project 2012, NYC Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in January 2015

biographies - dancers Madoka Kariya

Gregory Lau

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

3 April 1993

Sendai, Japan Japanese

Maison du ballet Etoile, Japan [1998 - 2009] Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden, Germany [2009 - 2012] Internship Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Germany [2011] Teachers

Jason Beechey, Gerald Casel,Misako Kawamura, Michiko Nakamura Professional experience

Ballett Zürich Junior ballet, Switzerland [2012 - 2014] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2014 Nominations & Awards

26 May 1994 Honolulu, Hawaii American

The Juilliard School, New York Professional experience

The Juilliard School’s New Dances Cedar Lake Gala Masterclasses/Workshops with Nederlands Dans Theater, Cedar Lake, National Ballet of Canada Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2013 Nomitations & Awards

NFAA YoungArts Level I Winner in Modern Dance and Ballet

Tanzpreis der Freunde des Balletts Zürich (Friends of the Ballet Zurich Award) [2013] Scholarship from DAAD-Prize for the outstanding achievement of foreign student [2010] Silver medal in YAGP New York final Senior age division [2009] Gold medal and Audience award in the ‘All Nippon DATE Classic Ballet competition in Miyagi’ [2009]

Grace Lyell

Rachel McNamee

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

Teachers

Teachers

3 November 1996 London, England British

École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower [2011-2014] Iratxe Ansa, Paola Cantalupo, Jean Emile, Joelle Boulogne, Tom van Cauwenberg, James Urbain, Béatrice Belando, Jean Emile, Elise Lummis, Rodolpho Castellanos Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2014

Vancouver, Canada Canadian, British Arts Umbrella Professional Training Program and Dance Company in Vancouver, Canada [2005 - 2014] Artemis Gordon, Lynn Sheppard, Marquita Lester, Curtis Foley Professional experience

Performed in Switch ‘14 Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 as an apprentice in August 2014 Nominations & Awards

RBC Emerging Artists Fund for outstanding achievement in dance 2014 BC Arts Council Scholarship for excellence in dance 2012, 2013

Dancer portraits by Joris-Jan Bos

Professional experience

20 June 1994

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Aya Misaki

Xanthe van Opstal

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

19 December 1992 Osaka, Japan Japanese

Kobe College Japan [2011 - 2015] Takarazuka Kita High School [2008 - 2010] Shibutani Junior High School [2005 - 2008] Satzukigaoka Elementory School [1999 - 2005] Professional experience

Kobe College professional dance program: Contemporary dance, Toru Shimazaki Classical ballet technique, Jan Nuyts (3 years) and Owen Montague (1 year) Graham technique, Graham Mckelvie (3 years) and Alessandra Prosperi (1 year) Performed works at Kobe College and worked with renowned dance artists.

Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 1 in May 2015, to perform on tour; since August 2015 with Nederlands Dans Theater 2

13 April 1992 Arcen en Velden, The Netherlands Dutch

Codarts, Rotterdam [2009 – 2012] Vooropleiding Dans Venlo, under the direction of Liesbeth Wiertz [2004 – 2010] Teacher

Liesbeth Wiertz Professional experience

Apprentice NDT 2 [August 2012 – May 2013] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in May 2013 Choreographies

In creation with Marne, Myrthe and Imre van Opstal: “There Four” for the Amsterdamse Uitmarkt 2014

Nominations & Awards

Tsukuba Ballet Competition 2012 Contemporary Senior - 1st place Passion du Ballet a Kyoto in Summer 2012 - 1st place Passion du Ballet a Kyoto in utumn 2012 - 1st place Kobe Competition 2013 Contemporary Senior - 3rd place

Paxton Ricketts

Sterre Slijkhuis

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

5 March 1994 Copenhagen, Denmark Danish - Canadian Arts Umbrella, Vancouver, Canada [2006 - 2014] Teachers

Artemis Gordon, Lynn Shepard, Marquita Lester, Justine Chambers, Lara Barklay, Curtis Foley Professional experience

Wen Wei Dance [2013 - 2014] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2014

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24 June 1996 Doetinchem, The Netherlands Dutch

Royal Conservatoire, The Hague [2007 - present] Professional experience

The Sleeping Beauty, National Ballet [2007] Orpheus Reloaded, Tessa Cooke.

Holland dance Coproduction [2009] Abdallah- De Dutch Don’t Dance Division [2010] Ballet Masterclass Praag - summer course [2012] Bartholin International Ballet & Danisch Ballet School - summer course [2013] Young Talent Performance, Korzo [2013 & 2014] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 as an apprentice in August 2015

biographies - dancers Yukino Takaura

Hélias Tur-Dorvault

Date of birth

Date of birth

Place of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Nationality

Education

Education

27 April 1992 Hashimoto, Japan Japanese

School of the Hamburg Ballett, Artistic Director: John Neumeier [2009 – 2011] Rei Grand Ballet School (RGB), Japan [2000 – 2009] Teachers

Kevin Haigen, Marianne Kruuse, Yohan Stegli, Carolina Borrajo, Stacey Denham, Beatrice Schickendantz, Rei Kaiami Professional experience

National Youth Ballet, Hamburg (Art. Dir. John Neumeier [2011 – 2013] Nederlands Dans Theater 2 [2013 - 2015] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 1 in September 2015

26 March 1994 Marseille, France French

Contemporary dance in “Les Studio du Cours” (Marseille) with Chantal Tur Ballet in “Studio Ballet Colette Armand” with Patrick Armand and Sylvie Bonsignore Hamburg Ballet School with Kevin Haigen [2011 - 2013] Professional experience

Bundesjugendballett, Hamburg [2013 - 2015] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2015 Nominations & Awards

Prix de Lausanne 2011 (International Ballet Competition)

Katarina van den Wouwer Date of birth

22 August 1993 Place of birth

Louvain, Belgium Nationality

Belgian

Education

Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, Belgium [2001 – 2011] Professional experience

Nominations & Awards

Gold Medal Contemporari dance at International Dance Contest of Biarritz (France)

Dancer portraits by Joris-Jan Bos

Royal Ballet of Flanders [2011 – 2013] International Summer Dance Classes with Nederlands Dans Theater [2009, 2010 and 2011] Joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in August 2013

24

NDT 2 Team Credits Creative / Production team NDT 2

Managing director Janine Dijkmeijer

Coordinator Planning, Music and Media Lobke Nabuurs

Artistic Director Paul Lightfoot

Company Manager NDT 2 Martijn Dijkstra

Artistic Advisor Sol Le贸n

Technical supervisor NDT 2 Koos Planken

Artistic leader NDT 2 Gerald Tibbs

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

25

Light Technician Tom Visser

Assistant Artistic leader NDT 2 Nancy Euverink

Audio/ video engineer Mette Collignon

Repetitor Peter Chu

Stage technician Olivier Schaaff

Manager Planning & Touring Linda de Boer

Wardrobe Helga Hoogstraten

2

1

The dancers are aged between

NDT 2 was founded in

1978

17 and 23

Did you know?

NDT 2

is the highly acclaimed junior wing of the Nederlands Dans Theater.

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

4

3

Sol León and Paul Lightfoot have created

over 45

works exclusively for NDT, of which all their works are titled beginning with the

5

Schubert and Some Other Time are the latest creations by house choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot.

Both ballets premiered during their anniversary performance 25 Years León & Lightfoot (The Hague, November 2014).

letter “S”.

6

NDT 2 dancer Xanthe van Opstal, who performs in Some Other Time, is the youngest of the Dutch Van Opstal family. Her sisters, Imre and Myrthe, as well as her brother Marne all dance with NDT 1. The fact that they are all dancers and dancing with the same company is very unique.

7

8

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

In Sara Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar create a mysterious dream world, which originates from the creators’ feelings and intuition. Pay attention to special contact lenses, worn by the dancers.

9

Photo by Joris Jan Bos

Choreographer Alexander Ekman created Cacti especially for NDT 2. The ballet became an international hit and was nominated for the VSD Zwaan Award in 2010.

The ballet mutual comfort was Edward Clug’s first creation for Nederlands Dans Theater. A first step towards an inspiring collaboration. Clug will create new work for NDT 2 in 2016 again.

Cacti is the only ballet in which all NDT 2 dancers are on stage at the same time.

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

10

26

da : ns f e st i v a l 2 O 1 5 c a l e ndar

CENTRESTAGE

9 OCT FRI

1O OCT SAT

11 OCT SUN

12 OCT MON

TANGO LEGENDS

NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER 2

BY MARIELA MALDONADO AND PABLO SOSA

AN EVENING OF FIVE WORKS

9 & 10 Oct 7.30pm

9 & 10 Oct 8pm

ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

ESPLANADE THEATRE

IMPULSE

四十不惑

by Kim Jae Duk & T.H.E Dance Company

by Kuik Swee Boon, Silvia Yong, Jeffrey Tan & Albert Tiong

10 Oct, 8.30pm 11 OCT, 8pm

9 & 16 OCT, 7.30pm & 10.30PM 10 & 17 OCT, 3PM & 9pm 11 & 18 OCT, 3PM & 7pm

ESPLANADE THEATRE STUDIO

ESPLANADE BACKSTAGE

RASAS

NEXT GENERATION

SHIFT

ABOVE 4O

FREE

13 OCT TUE

THE NEXT GENERATION

by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts & LASALLE College of the Arts

15 & 16 OCT, 7.30pm 17 OCT, 2PM ESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO

NORA DANCE EXPLORED

JAVANESE COURT DANCES

by Nora Thummanit Thaksin University Group

by Soerya Soemirat Mangkunegaran Royal Palace OUTDOOR THEATRE

9 & 11 Oct, 7.15pm & 8.30PM 10 OCT, 6PM, 7.15pm & 8.30PM

9 & 11 Oct, 7.30pm & 9PM 10 OCT, 6.30PM, 7.30pm & 9PM

CONCOURSE

CONCOURSE

WHAT’S YOUR MOVE?

FREE

12 & 13 Oct, 7.15pm & 8.15PM

FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE

WALTZ

by The DanceSport Academy

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

SALSA

by ACTFA

SUNDAY FUNDAY

JIVE

by The DanceSport Academy

9 Oct, 8PM

10 Oct, 8PM

11 Oct, 8PM

9 Oct, 9.30PM

10 Oct, 9.30PM

11 Oct, 9.30PM

STAGE@POWERHOUSE

STAGE@POWERHOUSE

Tango

MILONGA

BACHATA by ACTFA

FLAMENCO by FLAMENCO SIN FRONTERAS

9 Oct, 10.30PM

DA:NS FUN WORKSHOPS & TALKS

FREE

STAGE@POWERHOUSE

PICTURE THIS!

9 & 10 Oct, 7PM 11 OCT, 6PM UPPER CONCOURSE

SHALL WE DANCE?

9 - 11 Oct, 6.30PM & 7.45PM VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND ESPLANADE

DANCES OF THE JAVANESE COURT

by Rury Avianti

10 Oct, 4.30PM library@esplanade

FREE

introduction to traditional javanese dance workshop

by Soerya Soemirat Mangkunegaran Royal Palace

11 Oct, 11aM esplanade rehearsal studio

w w w . dansf e st i v a l . c o m 14 14OCT, OCTTUE WED

15 OCT, WED THU 16 OCT, 15 OCT 16THU OCT

FRI

17 OCT,17 FRIOCT

18 SAT

OCT, SAT OCT, SUN 18 OCT19 SUN

TOROBAKA

SYLVIE GUILLEM

LIFE IN PROGRESS

BY Akram Khan and Israel Galván

13 & 14 Oct 8pm

16 & 17 Oct 8pm

ESPLANADE THEATRE

ESPLANADE THEATRE

CRY JAILOLO

SOFTMACHINE

by Eko Supriyanto

14 & 15 Oct 8pm

by CHOY KA FAI

17 & 18 Oct 3PM & 8pm

ESPLANADE THEATRE STUDIO

World Dance Alliance Singapore

ESPLANADE THEATRE STUDIO

ASIA PACIFIC DANCE BRIDGE

by MACOBA Dance Company, Fairul Zahid/ASWARA, Modern Table CompanY, T.T.C Dance, Frontier Danceland, Danang Pamungkas and Yvonne Ng

18 Oct, 6pm ESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO

ODISSI

MALAY COURT DANCES

Harao Seigonnabi

by ASWARA Dance Company

Divine Dances & Songs of Merrymaking

by Laihui Ensemble

14 & 15 Oct, 7.15pm & 8.15PM

16 & 18 Oct, 7.15pm & 8.30PM 17 OCT, 6PM, 7.15pm & 8.30PM

16 & 18 Oct, 7.30pm & 9PM 17 OCT, 6.30PM, 7.30pm & 9PM

CONCOURSE

CONCOURSE

OUTDOOR THEATRE

by Chowk Productions

FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE

LINDY HOP

by JAZZ INC 16 Oct, 8PM

by JAZZ INC

17 Oct, 8PM

18 Oct, 8PM

16 Oct, 9.30PM

17 Oct, 9.30PM

18 Oct, 9.30PM

STAGE@POWERHOUSE

STAGE@POWERHOUSE

STAGE@POWERHOUSE

PICTURE THIS!

16 & 17 Oct, 7PM 18 OCT, 6PM UPPER CONCOURSE

15 Oct, 7.30PM

esplanade concert hall

SUNDAY FUNDAY

HIP HOP

by DANZ PEOPLE

CHARLESTON

by JAZZ INC

IN CONVERSATION WITH SYLVIE GUILLEM

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

K-POP

by CAIUS COALITION

STREET DANCE BOLLYWOOD

by BOLLYBEATZ

SHALL WE DANCE?

16 - 18 Oct, 6.30PM & 7.45PM VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND ESPLANADE

Esplanade &Me

Be Involved. Be Engaged. Be Entertained.

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31 Dec 2016

31 Dec 2016

Sign up now to get your card! www.esplanade.com

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UEN: 199205206G Information correct at time of print.

“The beneficiaries discovered themselves better and found the session to be a therapeutic experience.” – A VWO facilitator on a creative workshop.

“It was a new experience and wonderful evening that was simply perfect.

We will remember this for a long time.” – On being hosted to a performance at Esplanade Concert Hall

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Your generous donations will help in creating incredible arts experiences for more.

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DA:NS TURNS

Esplanade Presents

Enjoy an entertaining, engaging and inspiring arts experience with us at our diverse programmes throughout the year as we celebrate our 50th year of nationhood. Join us in expressing who we are through the arts and collect limited edition Esplanade SG50 magnets at selected Esplanade Presents festivals or series throughout 2015.

Get your free da:ns festival magnet during the festival by showing us your ticket stub or a photo of yourself at a da:ns festival free programme.

Visit www.esplanade.com/sg50 for more details.

www.esplanade.com UEN: 199205206G Information correct at time of print.

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