Acting
The turbulent life of the Dutch spy and dancer Mata Hari is at the heart of this large-scale ballet production by Dutch National Ballet. As the exotic, mysterious Mata Hari, she became one of the most famous dancers of her day. She travelled throughout Europe and had a network of lovers everywhere, which made her an ideal spy during World War I. She was accused – rightly or wrongly – of being a double agent, and she died in front of a French firing squad in 1917.
It tells the story of an almost perfect crime that happened in one of the most important circuses in the country, the Tihany Circus. Several are the suspects that will come to light, but only one is responsible for the murder of the important businessman. Only an old commissioner (Tincho Zabala) will be able to discover the real culprit.
The Dutch comedian Claudia de Breij looks back on the year 2022.
Tchaikovsky and Petipa's timeless ballet - acknowledged to be the most pure and demanding piece in the classic romantic repertoire – brings out Petipa's rich dance vocabulary with the sparkling virtuosity a superb performance needs. Recorded at Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam with The Dutch National Ballet in 2004. Choreographer Sir Peter Wright's sensitive staging closely reflects Marius Petipa's original work. Philip Prowse's ravishing Baroque sets and costumes add the glamour and grandeur essential to a ballet intended for the court of the Russian Tsar.
