Dutch National Ballet

The Dutch National Ballet is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands. Its forerunners were Ballet Der Lage Landen, Ballet of the Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam Ballet, and Netherlands Ballet. the company is directed by Ted Brandsen.

History

The Ballet Der Lage Landen was a pioneering Dutch ballet company founded by artistic director Mascha Ter Weeme in 1947. The Ballet of the Nederlandse Opera was founded in 1949 by French dancer and choreographer Françoise Adret. The two companies merged in 1959 to form the Amsterdam Ballet. Amsterdam Ballet in turn merged with the Netherlands Ballet to form the Dutch National Ballet in 1961.
The company's first director was Sonia Gaskell. Gaskell was the founder of Ballet Recital, the forerunner of her more famous Nederlands Ballet. Other directors have included Rudi van Dantzig and Wayne Eagling.
On 13 September 2011, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala performance in the presence of Queen Beatrix.

Description

The company has been based at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam since 1986. the company is directed by Ted Brandsen.
The company is a regular guest at major festivals across Europe, such as the Edinburgh Festival. It is committed to new choreography and performs work from current and past resident choreographers: Rudi van Dantzig, Toer van Schayk, Hans van Manen, Maguy Marin, and Édouard Lock.

Dancers

The Dutch National Ballet employs approximately 90 dancers. Below is a list of principals, soloists, and grand sujets.

Principals

Soloists

Naira Agvanean
Maria Chugai
Floor Eimers
Salome Leverashvili
Jingjing Mao
Elisabeth Tonev
Nina Tonoli
Joseph Massarelli
Jan Spunda
Edo Wijnen
Sho Yamada
Grand sujets
Luiza Bertho
Kira Hilli
Erica Horwood
Chloë Réveillon
Connie Vowles
Daniel Montero Real
Daniel Robert Silva
Connor Walmsley
Previous company members
, 1960-1970.
Benjamin Feliksdal
Raven Wilkinson
Milena Sidorova, 2005–2022. Grand sujet, coryphée, corps de ballet, élève, aspirant