Transatlantic

They live in New York, London, Berlin and Amsterdam, yet share the same passion: taking ballet in totally new directions on the basis of classical technique. In Transatlantic, Dutch National Ballet is bringing together four young ‘rebels of dance’ from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Justin Peck, George Williamson, David Dawson and Ernst Meisner will present the state of the art of twenty-first-century ballet, in Transatlantic.

Rising star Justin Peck might be new to Dutch (and European) audiences, but on the international stage he's already made quite an impact and of course made headlines for becoming the young, new resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet in 2014. Although he is only 27, he has already produced more than 20 works, which haven given contemporary ballet 'a shot of adrenalin'. In this programme Peck's acclaimed Year of the Rabbit will be performed, set to music by singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Combining pure joy of dance with a wonderful feeling for structure and switching between group and solo parts in unexpected ways, this choreography is an ode to the power of imagination. The New York Times' review of Year of the Rabbit said: ‘It was a triumph not just for Mr. Peck but also for the New York City Ballet (..) The audience responded with ovation after ovation. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who wished the whole 30-minute dance could have been encored immediately.’

Even younger than Peck is the talented British choreographer George Williamson. In 2013, at only 22, he was nominated for a Benois de la Danse (the Oscar of dance) for his work Firebird, along with fellow nominees Hans van Manen and Christopher Wheeldon. As associate artist at the English National Ballet, he has shown great passion for the craft of choreography as well as an unmistakably individual style. Commissioned last year by the Dutch National Ballet to create a new work for their Junior Company, he choreographed Dawn Dances, a wonderful ensemble piece which gives each individual dancer the opportunity to shine as well. The success of Dawn Dances has led to a new commission for Transatlantic.

The third work in this programme, David Dawson's Overture, has also received nothing but praise from press and public alike. Created for Dutch National Ballet in 2013, Dawson's choreography was nominated for the Dutch 'Zwaan' for Most Impressive Dance Production. In this dazzling ballet inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem The Four Quartets, eighteen dancers combine graceful, powerful and virtuoso dancing with vulnerable emotions of suffering and love.

Transatlantic will be concluded with a world premiere from Dutchman Ernst Meisner. In 2013, Meisner left as a dancer with Dutch National Ballet to become artistic coordinator for the Junior Company. In this role, as well as elsewhere, he has demonstrated his exceptional talent as a choreographer. Having danced with the English Royal Ballet for years as well, his work is influenced by both Dutch and British ballet styles, incorporating them into a new, individual and very refreshing idiom.