Nederlandse Dansdagen Gala

Kalpanarts
Winged

Winged, the new production by Kalpanarts—the dance company led by choreographer Kalpana Raghuraman—in co-production with HIIIT, is a performance in which five dancers, two percussionists, and a light installation come together to form a single, fluid whole. Live music, dance, and light constantly influence one another, creating patterns that continually appear and disappear. The performance explores how rhythm and movement connect people to one another and to nature. Winged allows the audience to experience what it’s like to be part of a larger whole and reminds us that beauty does not arise from possession or control, but from connection and collective movement.

Dadodans | Gaia Gonnelli
LiCHT

It shines, dazzles, conceals, and reveals the colors of the world around us. Thanks to light, we can see and experience both others and ourselves in different ways. Inspired by natural phenomena such as reflections on water, shadows, and refraction, a dancer and an aerial acrobat bring light and reflection to life for the youngest audience members. Between the floor and the air, a play of concealment and revelation, colors, mirror images, and perspectives unfolds. In this sensory encounter, the performers discover each other’s stories and, together with the audience, embark on an adventure full of wonder.

Oxygen | Senf Theater
The Rise

In THE RISE, Oxygen brings the world outside the theater onto the stage. It is a tribute to Jennifer Romen’s impressive body of work: a celebration of growth, courage, and undeniable artistic power. Everything that has been built, created, and experienced over the past few years comes together in a single performance. Iconic choreography, extraordinary collaborations, and fresh energy merge in a performance that feels both like coming home and moving forward.

Mohamed Yusuf Boss
XANUUN

XANUUN means “pain” in Somali, and it is indeed a central theme in this poignant performance. The focus is on the pain of young Somali migrants who, in their search for safety and a new home, ended up in the United Kingdom, usually via the Netherlands. There, they often faced harsh conditions, discrimination, and violence.

The stories of these young people are at the heart of XANUUN. A performer on stage speaks from a radio studio reminiscent of the Rwandan hate radio stations used to spread propaganda on a massive scale.

XANUUN is a powerful dance performance about expression, heritage, power, identity, resistance, and memory.

Mthuthuzeli November | Het Nationale Ballet
In Your Footsteps

In Your Footsteps is a spiritual exploration of music, dance, and community. The spirituality of the choreography is enhanced by the music that November created herself. The powerful combination of percussion and traditional chants, together with the dance, creates an intense, immersive experience that at times feels almost trance-like.

“This young man is on a mission to find a new way of dancing, and how exciting is that? (...) November is searching back to his heritage and his cultural identity, and in offering this to these amazingly talented young dancers, we are witnessing a new birth.” (Dance Europe)