The Dutch National Ballet is putting an electronic spin on Swan Lake for a special show at Amsterdam’s famous Gashouder during Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE).
When electronic music’s foremost industry gathering returns to the Dutch capital for its 30th anniversary edition this fall, “Swan Lake Remixed” will fuse ballet, hip-hop dance, and electronic music in a reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s classical 19th-century ballet at the gas factory-turned cultural venue in Amsterdam West on October 21.
Directed by Ernst Meisner and Marco Gerris, composed by Rik Ronner, and performed by the Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective, the one-off show will help kick off ADE’s opening program of cultural events as part of the conference and festival’s 30 YEARS ADE Icon series.
Professional and junior dancers from the national ballet company will join forces with performers from the collective for what’s described in a press release as a compelling production “in which tradition and innovation challenge and enrich one another.”
“Themes from Swan Lake, such as longing, freedom, temptation and the tension between light and darkness, are given new relevance and urgency at Gashouder,” reads an excerpt from the release. “After all, the questions at the heart of this famous ballet may be more relatable today than ever: How can you be who you want to be? Which temptations do you give in to? And how do you find your own way between the pull of darkness and the longing for light?”
In addition to ADE’s 30th anniversary, the production is also meant to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Swan Lake in 2027, 10 years of partnership between the Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective, and 25 years of XSAGA, the concept and production agency leading the tech behind the show.
Across the rest of the city, ADE unfolds over five days and five nights from October 21-25, featuring performances from more than 3,000 artists at more than 1,000 events held in over 200 venues.
For more information or to purchase ADE passes, visit amsterdam-dance-event.nl.
Featured image courtesy: Amsterdam Dance Event. Credit: Michel Schnater.