Junior Company on tour to Geneva
From March 21 to 23, the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet participated in the fourth edition of Danse en l’Île in Geneva, Switzerland. This biennial festival gives young dancers the opportunity to perform, and offers space for encounters and exchanges between young artists, teachers, and choreographers.
This edition of Danse en l’Île included two evening performances on Thursday, March 21, and Friday, March 22. During these performances, the Junior Company danced a total of four pieces – Tu me manques by Kirsten Wicklund and Echoes of Memories by Joseph Toonga on 21 March and Toccata by Krzysztof Pastor and Out in the Heartland by Beatriz Mira and Tiago Barreiros on 22 March. Both performances closed with a grand finale, in which all dancers from the participating companies came together on stage. Prior to this, the dancers had rehearsed this finale together in Geneva.
Additionally, Ernst Meisner, associate director of Talent Development of Dutch National Ballet and artistic leader of the Junior Company, gave a ballet class on 21 March. On 23 March, Caroline Sayo Iura, ballet master of the Junior Company, gave a masterclass to ballet students between the ages of 15 and 18.
Besides the Junior Company, young dancers from the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance (Twickenham, United Kingdom), Junior Ballet Antwerp, VERVE (the company of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds, United Kingdom), and Area Jeune Ballet (Geneva, Switzerland) also participated in the festival.
