The Premiere of DORIAN Announced At Dutch National Opera & Ballet, 11 May

The premiere of Dorian (14+) will take place at Dutch National Opera & Ballet on Thursday 11 May. Following the successes of Narnia and GRIMM, Dorian is the third joint production by choreographers Ernst Meisner (HNB) and Marco Gerris (ISH).

In this dance thriller, based on The Picture of Dorian Gray, the famous book by Oscar Wilde from 1891, ballet meets hiphop. It involves dancers from the Junior Company, ISH Dance Collective and Dutch National Ballet, starring Giorgi Potskhishvili and Anna Tsygankova in the premiere cast. The young composer Joey Roukens has written new music for the piece. Five performances will be given at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, from Thursday 11 to Wednesday 17 May. From Friday 19 May to Friday 16 June 2023, a further twenty performances will be given at nineteen theatres throughout the Netherlands.

Oscar Wilde's philosophical novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is about being totally wrapped up in the pursuit of eternal youth. The protagonist Dorian Gray wants to stay as young and handsome as the portrait painted by his friend Basil, wishing that his likeness in the painting would grow older and uglier in his place. In their production, Meisner and Gerris follow the storyline of Wilde's novel, but place it in an eccentric contemporary setting. The protagonist Dorian goes over the top in his craving for beauty and adoration, and suffers the consequences. He ends up in a downward spiral, becoming trapped in a labyrinth where he can no longer tell reality from fantasy. As in Narnia and GRIMM, Meisner and Gerris once again blend different dance styles in Dorian, in an exciting and vibrant mix of hiphop and ballet

Joey Roukens, one of today's best-known young composers in the Netherlands, is writing a new, full-length score especially for Dorian. In recent years, he has composed works for various Dutch and international orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where he was composer in residence. Meisner and Roukens previously worked together on the ballet In Transit. At the larger theatres, Roukens' new composition will be performed live by Dutch Ballet Orchestra.

Concept, choreography & direction: Ernst Meisner (HNB) and Marco Gerris (ISH)
Composer: Joey Roukens
Lighting designs: Mike den Ottolander
Set and costume designs: Dieuweke van Reij
Dancers: Junior Company, ISH Dance Collective and Dutch National Ballet

Performances of Dorian at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Amsterdam
Thurs 11 (premiere), Sat 13*, Sat 13, Sun 14*, Wed 17 May
Curtain up 19.30 hrs / *14.00 hrs

Musical accompaniment (performances at Dutch National Opera & Ballet)
Dutch Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Karel Deseure

Tour dates 2023
May
19 De Harmonie, Leeuwarden
20 Amare, Den Haag
21 Nieuwe Luxor, Rotterdam
23 Theater De Spiegel, Zwolle
25 Wilminktheater, Enschede
26 Parkstad Limburg Theaters, Heerlen
27 Orpheus, Apeldoorn
30 ITA, Amsterdam
31 De Goudse Schouwburg, Gouda

June
2 TAQA Theater De Vest, Alkmaar
3 Schouwburg Concertzaal Tilburg, Tilburg
4 Chassé Theater, Breda
6 Theater de Stoep, Spijkenisse
7 SPOT/ Stadsschouwburg Gronigen, Groningen
9 Stadsschouwburg Haarlem, Haarlem
10 Stadsschouwburg Haarlem, Haarlem
13 Junushoff, Wageningen
14 Het Park, Hoorn
15 Zaantheater, Zaandam
16 Parktheater, Eindhoven

Tickets for performances at other locations than Dutch National Opera & Ballet are available from the theatre presenting the performance. Information regarding ticket sales and admission prices is also available from the theatres concerned.