Dancers: Elisabeth Tonev and Jacopo Tissi | Photo: Hugo Thomassen Poignant classic Choreography Rudi van Dantzig Music Sergei Prokofiev Set and costume design Toer van Schayk Lighting design Jan Hofstra Musical accompaniment Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Koen Kessels Main sponsor Junior Company Partners Junior Company Premiere 14/10/2025 Subsequent performances: 16, 17, 18, 19*, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28 October, 2*, 6, 8, 9*, 11 November 2025 | Curtain-up: 19:30/ *14:00 | Ticket sales start on: 8 May 2025 | Price Category: A | Location: Main Stage, Dutch National Opera & Ballet The universal power of Shakespeare’s play about the impossible love between Romeo and Juliet is evident just from the thousands of letters addressed to Juliet that the post office in Verona is still receiving from all over the world. Rudi van Dantzig’s ballet version of the tragic love story also has this timeless power. The ballet may take place in the Italian Renaissance, but we can all identify with the fact that love is not always a bed of roses. First full-length production Van Dantzig created his Romeo and Juliet in 1967, at the request of Sonia Gaskell, the company’s artistic director at the time. It was the first full-length production made in the Netherlands and the ballet immediately made a deep impression. And it continues to do so, also when staged in Hong Kong, Canada and Finland, among other countries. Vibrant and gripping Van Dantzig took inspiration for his ballet from the original version created by Leonid Lavrovsky in 1940 for the Mariinsky Ballet, in Russia, to the music of the same name by Sergei Prokofiev. But in comparison to that production and other versions of the ballet, Van Dantzig’s choreography stands out for its vibrant liveliness and gripping realism. Through subtle character sketches and sensitive atmospheres, he shows how the conflict between the noble Montecchi and Capuleti families destroys everything: not only the carefree youth and budding love of Romeo and Juliet – a love they have to pay for with their lives – but also the lives of the poor people of Verona. Renaissance painting The continued success of Van Dantzig’s production is certainly also thanks to its wonderful designs. Toer van Schayk’s sets look like a Renaissance painting in pastel and dark red shades that has been brought to life. When the curtain goes up, you immediately imagine yourself in the Italian town of Verona a few centuries ago. Heart-rending love drama The lively Italian street scenes, the realistic fights and especially the heart-rending encounters between the two young Veronese lovers in Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet leave nobody unmoved. Come and see how a new generation of principal dancers turn this challenging and poignant ballet into yet another unforgettable experience. “ Van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet is moving and spectacular” de Volkskrant Since its inception in 1965, Dutch Ballet Orchestra has been the musical partner of Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater. From classical ballet to modern dance, Dutch Ballet Orchestra – with Koen Kessels as its principal conductor – is the leading orchestra for dance in the Netherlands. 75
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