Dutch National Ballet

Jewels

George Balanchine

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Photo: Hugo Thomassen

Dates

12 February - 9 March 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

2:15, incl. 2 intervals

Tickets

From € 23

Yuanyuan Zhang, Jessica Xuan and Maia Makhateli in Jewels

Photo: Hugo Thomassen

Dancing emeralds, rubies and diamonds

Choreographer George Balanchine was not only crazy about women – “Ballet is Woman” is one of his memorable quotes – but also about jewels. The two come together in masterly fashion in his Jewels. In this triptych, inspired by the most exclusive precious stones, the most important choreographer of the twentieth century pays tribute to women, in particular, and respectively to the French, American and Russian ballet styles.

Dancing emeralds, rubies and diamonds

Balanchine (1904 – 1983) got the idea for his jewels ballet when he walked past the windows of Van Cleef & Arpels on Fifth Avenue one morning. The jewelers had set up “one window of diamonds, one of emeralds and one of rubies”, whereby “in the centre of each group, a beautiful diadem was displayed, just like at the court of the tsar”. “I was”, said Balanchine, “hypnotised on the spot”.

International ballet traditions

In 1967, the three types of gems served as the basis for three
glittering ballets portraying different worlds and ballet traditions. Balanchine, who was familiar with each of them, as he grew up in St Petersburg, created his first works in France for the legendary Ballets Russes, and then gained world fame in the United States, as the leader of the company he founded there: New York City Ballet.

Elegance, dynamism and splendour

Jewels opens with the refined and elegant Emeralds; ‘an evocation of the France of elegance, comfort, dress and perfume’. Rubies, flashy and razor-sharp, shows the influence that dynamic American life had on Balanchine. And the noble Diamonds, to music by Tchaikovsky, refers to the splendour of the court of the Russian tsars and its affiliated Mariinsky Theatre, where Balanchine began his career.

Credits

Choreography George Balanchine
Set design Toer van Schayk
Costume design Barbara Karinska
Lighting design Bert Dalhuysen

Music Emeralds Gabriel Fauré
Music Rubies Igor Stravinsky
Music Diamonds Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski

Musical accompaniment Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Fayçal Karoui

Extravagant jewel costumes
For the Dutch premiere of this choreographic crown jewel, Toer van Schayk designed a plain set whose subtle interplay of lines symbolises the facets of cut gems. The extravagant ‘jewel costumes’ are made following the original designs by Barbara Karinska.

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Ticket prices

We provide discounts tailored for certain groups to ensure our performances are accessible to all. Please visit this page to determine if you qualify for a discount.

Price category	Standard	CJP \| Stadspas \| Youth aged 16 and under
Premium	€ 83,00	€ 68,00
1^st	€ 72,00	€ 62,00
2^nd	€ 60,00	€ 50,00
3^rd	€ 47,00	€ 37,00
4^th	€ 34,00	€ 24,00
5^th	€ 23,00	€ 19,00

Dutch National Opera & Ballet uses a system of dynamic pricing. This means that tickets for popular performances may increase in price as the performance date approaches and more tickets are sold. All prices exclude the booking fee (€ 2 per ticket).

Student discount and student alert

Last-minute deal! When a performance isn’t sold out, students can purchase a ticket online for just € 19 on the day of the performance starting from 13:00.

To stay updated on more offers, sign up for our student alert. This way, you’ll be informed in advance about which performances you can attend for just € 19!

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Production partner

Dutch Ballet Orchestra

Dutch Ballet Orchestra is the leading orchestra for dance in the Netherlands. In every performance, the orchestra searches for inspiring synergy between music and dance, in order to give the audience a magical experience. From classical ballet to modern masterpieces, and from music education to talent development, Dutch Ballet Orchestra inspires the movement in dance.

Dutch Ballet Orchestra

From 1 August 2024, the Flemish conductor Koen Kessels (1961) is the new music director of Dutch National Ballet, and artistic director and principal conductor of Dutch Ballet Orchestra. He took over the baton from Matthew Rowe, who has fulfilled this special dual position since 2013 and who will be returning as principal guest conductor.

Since its inception in 1965, the orchestra has been the proud musical partner of Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater. One important mission of Dutch Ballet Orchestra is investing in the youngest generation of dancers and musicians.

In 2023, for instance, the orchestra issued an open call for young composers, in collaboration with Dutch National Ballet, resulting in a new work that was presented in the Junior Company’s touring programme, Ten. The orchestra has also been working for some years already with the Dutch National Ballet Academy. For example, the orchestra members provide the music for the end-of-year performances Dancers of Tomorrow.

Dutch Ballet Orchestra has also collaborated regularly on innovative – and award-winning – family and school productions. Creatures, in partnership with ISH Dance Collective, won the international Young Audiences Music Award and the production Hansel and Gretel, received various Musical Awards. Last season, this tradition was continued in the production Beauty and the Beast.

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Introduction

An introduction offering background information to enhance your theatre experience will take place 45 minutes before the performance. The introductions, held in Dutch, are free and require no reservation—simply present your ticket. They are held in the Souterrain.