Last seen in the UK in 2012, one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary dance companies, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, will return to the UK this spring. As part of a Dance Consortium tour, the company will begin in Woking in April and conclude at Sadler’s Wells, London in May. While the tour programme is subject to alteration, the company will also visit Southampton, Salford, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Bradford, Birmingham, Plymouth, Nottingham and Brighton.
Under the artistic directorship of British-born Paul Lightfoot, Nederlands Dans Theater has its headquarters at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague. Since its foundation in 1959, this pioneering company has built a rich repertoire of more than 600 works by choreographers Jiří Kylián and Hans van Manen, renowned house choreographers Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, associate choreographers Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke and high-profiled guests such as Gabriela Carrizo, Hofesh Shechter, Johan Inger, Alexander Ekman and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar.
In 1978, Nederlands Dans Theater founded NDT2, its junior division specifically focusing on talent development for young dancers aged 18-23. Over a three year period NDT2 prepares 16 classically trained dancers (plus two apprentice dancers for the UK tour) from around the world for NDT2. Working with more established choreographers, the dancers perfect a range of styles and genres in which technique is a means to achieving their artistic aims as world class performers.
At various venues during the tour, three works will showcase the choreographic relationship between NDT’s artistic advisor Sol León and artistic director Paul Lightfoot. León & Lightfoot started creating work together over 26 years ago and since then have created over fifty pieces for NDT. As part of the Dance Consortium tour, the work will be experienced by thousands of people across all parts of the UK, as Dance Consortium is made up of a group of 17 large scale venues. Since its formation in 2000 Dance Consortium has presented 37 tours by 22 different companies.