Generation Dance

The American-based Rena Butler is not only a strikingly athletic and explosive dancer – “she eats up space”, in the words of one critic – but also a very talented choreographer. Although her roots are in the modern dance scene, she has now created her first works for ballet companies, including a very earthy, virtuoso pointework piece for The National Ballet of Canada, which caught the eye of artistic director Ted Brandsen.

From deliciously languid to sparklingly upbeat

Alongside Butler’s new creation Persephone, Generation Dance presents two highly acclaimed premieres from recent ballet seasons. In his swinging Blake Works I, William Forsythe creates an infectious ‘visualisation’ of seven numbers by singer-songwriter James Blake. In line with the songs, Forsythe varies the tempos and moods, ranging from deliciously languid to sparklingly upbeat. Ted Brandsen also chose for a pure music ballet when creating his Classical Symphony. The driving force of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 inspired him to make an exciting ode to the male dancer, with a dazzling array of high jumps and dizzying turns.

Van Manen: beautiful and timeless 

The ‘godfather’ of Dutch dance, Hans van Manen, closes the Generation Dance programme with his contemporary classic Four Schumann Pieces. This beautiful, timeless ballet to Schumann’s String Quartet No. 3 is not only Van Manen’s most romantic work, but also one of his most frequently performed ballets worldwide. The challenging main role has previously been performed by such famous dancers as Anthony Dowell, Rudolf Nureyev and Han Ebbelaar.