Nationale Opera & Ballet
How can we bring all Amsterdammers together through dance as part of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary celebrations?
With the title ‘Amsterdam Dances Together’, we brought dance to all eight districts of Amsterdam together with Dutch National Ballet. Each stage in every district was highlighted with its own unique colour. On these stages, local dance schools came together to showcase their own styles, after which the audience was invited to join in and dance on stage themselves.During the grand finale at a sold-out Dutch National Opera & Ballet, 130 of these dancers came together for the performance of In C by Sasha Waltz. This contemporary ballet consists of 53 sections, in which dancers follow a framework of rules while having the freedom to decide how they respond to encounters with others.In an increasingly busy city, Dutch National Ballet wanted to bring this ballet to Amsterdam to show that we are all ‘dancing’ in the streets every day—through the interactions and connections we create with one another.
The colours of the district stages were also reflected in the costumes worn by the respective dance groups during the closing performance, creating a powerful visual connection that brought everything together.
Together with a specially produced opening film by XSAGA Video (directed by Rob Hodselmans), based on a newly written poem by Ellen Deckwitz, ‘Amsterdam Danced Together’ became a colourful celebration by and for the city.
