Dutch National Ballet Honors Hans van Manen at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

The Dutch National Ballet performed a program dedicated to Hans van Manen, a seminal 20th-century choreographer who died in December 2024, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. The program, curated by Vony Sarfaty of TranscenDanses, featured five works created between 1973 and 2005: Adagio Hammerklavier (1973), Franck Bridge variations, Two pieces for HET, Solo (1977), and 5 Tango's (1977). Adagio Hammerklavier, set to Beethoven's piano sonata, opened the evening with three duos in white costumes against a draped backdrop. Franck Bridge variations, for ten dancers, played with lyrical accelerations and intimate passages. Solo comprised three male solos, performed with virtuosity and humor. 5 Tango's, set to Piazzolla, closed the show with a contemporary ballet blending jazz, pointe work, and tango-inspired embraces, centered on a powerful female character. Van Manen, who choreographed for the Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater from the 1970s, shaped Dutch dance with his rigorous, music-connected aesthetic blending classical and contemporary vocabularies.