71 Boekman, he is now making his official debut with the Junior Company. Rutkay has Turkish roots and blends influences from Turkish dance, hip-hop, contem- porary dance and ballet in his choreography. He is also exceptionally skilled at creating distinctive worlds of his own, while at the same time raising questions about where we stand as a society today. The second new talent is Luca Abdel-Nour. He danced with the Junior Company, is now a coryphée with the main company, and has already created several striking smaller works. He truly comes from within our own talent pool.” And you, yourself, are also creating a new work for the Junior Company. Will we see more choreography from you, perhaps also for Dutch National Ballet? “It felt right, during this transition period (as Ernst hands over the day-to-day leadership of the Junior Company to Christopher Powney – ed.) to strengthen my connection with our youngest dancers. I believe it is important to create a work for them that really challenges their classical technique. After all, that is one of the main reasons they came to the Junior Company in the first place. Perhaps, there will be (after the success of Narnia, GRIMM and Dorian – ed.) a continuation of my collaboration with Marco Gerris and his ISH Dance Collective in the future. But beyond that, I have no plans for my own productions. I see it as my responsibility to present as diverse a programming as possible and to give space to many different artistic voices. Putting myself at the forefront as a choreographer does not align with that.” You mentioned earlier that you would like to see Dutch National Ballet engage more with the society we live in. Could you elaborate? “Yes, this is very important to me, and it is already visible this season. Prey indirectly refers to the climate crisis, and Toer van Schayk’s Requiem is also a powerful reflection on our relationship with nature. In Play, Alexander Ekman questions our relentless drive to perform and achieve. In her new work, Kirsten Wicklund explores the state of gender equality and queer rights 25 years after the first same-sex marriage. And in his youth production Sounds About Right, William Tuckett raises the question: can we trust everything we hear and read? Children may not immediately pick up on it, but for adults there is a clear reference to fake news.” “The way Mthuthuzeli November looks at the world is very different from the way Jess and Morgs, Alexander Ekman, William Tuckett or I do. By giving space to as many different voices as possible, ballet can truly add something to people’s lives and perspectives. That doesn’t happen if, as an artistic leader, you look through only one lens. You must dare to look through many lenses. That is a challenge I am very eager to take on, together with others.” And do you still think about that nine- year-old boy at his first Swan Lake? “Absolutely! I was completely blown away and totally captivated by the production. That is the magic of theatre. If you ask me why I want to do this job, it is that moment: when the lights go down and you step into a completely different world. To experience something else for a while, to be swept away and lifted beyond the everyday. That magic can take many forms. Back then, at my first Swan Lake, it was a fairy tale. But magic can just as easily be socially relevant. The sensation is the same. When it is quarter past eight and the lights dim, I always feel that same love.” Text: Astrid van Leeuwen | Photo: Altin Kaftira Photo: Altin Kaftira Ernst Meisner during a ballet class (2025) Choreographer Mthuthuzeli November during a rehearsal of In Your Footsteps (2026)
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