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N.D.T. has no star system but relies on dancers of high quality, each a soloist in their own right and having a distinct personality ; trained daily in classical technique and equally at home on point or barefoot. Their ability to combine in a homogeneous group, melting into the same discipline and spirit, is another main strenght of the company. During 18 years of existence N.D.T. has presented about 200 different works, the vast majority of which have been created on or exclusively for the company, and this repertoire continues to grow by 8 to 12 new works a year. New creations are generally premiered in The Hague. N.D.T. gives every season some 150 performances, performing throughout Holland and internationally. Major Europian festivals have invited it to perform extensive tours in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Indonesia have witnessed fine talents. It is rightly considered an artistic Ambassador of Holland as well as one of the major contemporary dance companies of the world today. The ideal of building a bridge between the European traditional and American modern techniques was a major policy from the company’s inception and it has successfully achieved it. It was not a one way effort. The Americans who helped to achieve this goal at N.D.T. were mutually effected by the process, carrying back with them the ideals found and developed in the company. This American influence was carried on by the dynamic qualities of Louis Falco, Jennifer Muller and Margo Sappington, while the major initiative from Europe came from the sensitive and febrile mind of Jiry Kylian, who now is N.D.T. ’s co-artistic director together with Hans Knill who is artistic director (Swiss and an ex-dancer of many years with our company). Nederlands Dans Theater is guided by an artistic road made up from 3 of its ballet Masteres : Hanny Bauman, dutch and an active force in the company since 1961, Hans Knill and Rochelle Zide (American), its musical Director Jan Stulen en Carel Birnie (director and the only remaining member of the original 1959 company).

• • « J kylian f Jiri Kylian, 30 and a Czechoslovakian by birth, is at present co-artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater. As a choreographer he has already produced several critically acclaimed ballets for Stuttgart: » Paradox « (own musical collage) » Kommen und gehen« (music by Bella Bartok ) » Incantations « (music by André Jolivet) »Einzelgänger« (own musical collage) »Der stame Orpheus « ( music by Tom Takemitsu) »Blaue Haut« (collage offolkmusic for flute) »Rückkehr ins fremde Land« (music by Janacek)

»Nuages« (music by Claude Debussy). »Viewers« set to the score of Frank Martin’s » Petite Symphonie Concertante« is his first work specially created for Nederlands Dans Theater, premiered on 26.11. 1973, followed by »Stoolgame« (premiered 18. 7. 1974) on a score by Arne Nordheim and »La Cathédrale Engloutie« (premiered 14. 1. 1975) with Debussy’s music. Jiri’s early training was at the Praag Conservatory where it was necessary for him to study and train not only in his chosen discipline, ballet, but to pass examinations in related fields such as folk dancing, music, playing an instrument (for him a piano), choreography and the histories for these subjects. His ability and dedication after 5 years won him the coveted reward of a place in London’s Royal Ballet School for a year. Then on to Stuttgart. Bela Bartok was an earlier inspiration in his choreographic life and his own training in music enabled him to create a musical collage for one of his works produced for Stuttgart. In September 1975 he became Nederlands Dans Theater’s house-choreographer. Since then he has created many works for his company: »Verklärte Nacht«, (music by Arnold Schönberg) , prem. 21. 10. 1975. »Torso« (music by Toru Takemitsu), prem. 16. 12. 1975 »Elegia« (music by Dmitri Sjostakovitsj), prem. 15. 6. 1976 »Symfonie in D« (music by Joseph Haydn), prem. 18. 10. 1976 »November Steps« (music by Tom Takemitsu), prem. 17. 1. 1977 »Ariadne« (music by Arne Nordheim) , prem. 18. 6. 1977.

h ■ manen Hans van Manen, born Amsterdam, July 11th 1932. f? Hans has been associated with * Nederlands Dans Theater since the company’s inaugural performance on the sth of September 1959, which included two of his ballets. Since then he has choreographed 34 original ballets for Nederlands Dans Theater and established himself as one of the major choreographers in the world of today. He is at present engaged in creating a new work for the Company. He joined Nederlands Dans Theater as dancer-choreographer in 1960 and was appointed Artistic Director in 1961, a position he held until 1970. He was also resident choreographer during this period. His first direct contact with dancing came at the age of nineteen when he began to take ballet classes with a company named »Ballet Recital«, in Amsterdam. A year later, in 1952, he joined the Nederlands Opera Ballet Company with whom he danced for six years. In 1957 he created his first ballet » Feestgericht «, which was the result of