Dancer: Olga Smirnova | Photo: Hugo Thomassen New production Choreography Marius Petipa Staging and additional choreography Rachel Beaujean Co-directors new concept and adapted libretto Priya Srinivasan, Kalpana Raghuraman, Rachel Beaujean and Ted Brandsen Historical research and advice on diversity and equality Priya Srinivasan Music Ludwig Minkus Set and costume design Jérôme Kaplan Lighting design James F. Ingalls Video design Bowie Verschuuren Musical adaptations Koen Kessels, Olga Khoziainova Musical accompaniment Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Koen Kessels (until 5 April) or Alexei Baklan (from 8 April) When Marius Petipa, the most important choreographer of the nineteenth century, presented La Bayadère in 1877, he had never been to India. Although he consulted various sources, his production shows a fantasised image of an exotic India – to Western eyes. In our new production, we want to distance ourselves from this orientalist approach. So this season, following extensive research, we are presenting La Bayadère with a new storyline, tailored to today’s insights. Rachel Beaujean is responsible for the staging and additional choreography, and joins Kalpana Raghuraman, Priya Srinivasan and Ted Brandsen in creating the concept and libretto. The Frenchman Jérôme Kaplan is designing the sets and costumes, inspired by seventeenth-century India, as well as by other ages and cultures. Overcome with grief and feelings of guilt The new Bayadère production is set in South-East India, where the Dutch had several trading posts at the time of the Dutch East India Company. The true love between Nikiya, a spiritual temple dancer, and Solor, a captain of mixed blood, challenges assumptions of race and caste. The ambitious Solor, however, allows himself to be manipulated by the Dutch governor William Carel Hartsinck, who wants him to marry his daughter Alida for political gain. When Alida hears that Solor’s heart already belongs to someone else, she decides to get rid of Nikiya. Following Nikiya’s disappearance, Solor is overcome with grief and feelings of guilt. He slips away into a dream state, in which fantasy and reality intermingle. He sees Nikiya again in the iconic ‘Kingdom of the Shades’, but cannot reach her. The consequences of the wrong decisions he made will haunt him forever. Tribute to Amany With this new version of La Bayadère, we are also paying tribute to Amany, an Indian dancer who influenced ballet, music and opera through her performances in Europe in the nineteenth century. Amany and Nikiya represent generations of Indian temple dancers: bajadères. The status of these women, who had been venerated for centuries, was degraded through colonisation. Projections showing Amany and her fellow dancers bring them to life again, in recognition of the influence they had on ballet and other Western cultural forms. Enchanting dream scenes At the end of March 2026, we’re presenting a large-scale new production of La Bayadère. It’s a vibrant version that cherishes Marius Petipa’s original dance gems, while taking a rigorously adapted libretto as its starting point. Historical figures and forgotten histories make their appearance in a compelling story of love, power, ambition and betrayal. “If you don’t enjoy La Bayadère, you really don’t enjoy ballet” Clive Barnes, The New York Times Premiere 26/3/2026 Subsequent performances: 28, 29* March, 1 , 3, 4, 5*, 8, 11, 12*, 14, 16, 18, 19* April 2026 | Curtain-up: 20:15 / *14:00 | Ticket sales start on: 28 August 2025 | Price Category: A | Location: Main Stage, Dutch National Opera & Ballet 89
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