Oh, to be young and talented. Or in the case of the dancers
of Nederlands Dans Theater II, performing April 12 and 13 in Royce
Hall, to be young and employed by the junior branch of one of the
most well respected dance companies in the world.
The group of 14, generally between the ages of 18 and 22, is
hand-picked from an international pool and tours extensively,
performing works often created specifically for it by some of
dance’s most established choreographers. Marian
Sarstädt, overseeing artistic director of the Nederlands Dans
Theater organization, which also includes NDT I (the parent
company) and III (the seniors), describes the process of selecting
dancers for the young, elite group.
Daily Bruin: What special qualities do you look
for?
Marian Sarstädt: Well, first of all, technique. But also
young people who want to dance, who can move. Musicality is very
important. And personality ““ if we feel they won’t go
with the other 13, it’s a problem. We also keep in mind,
“Is this a person we could take into the main company
someday?”
DB: Is the audition process rigorous?
MS: We get very many people, so we make groups of 45 and give
them a full ballet class. Then from there, we pick the dancers we
think might be suitable and have them do repertoire (steps from
choreographic works). We see how they react to corrections, how
flexible they are with different movements. It’s a full
day.
DB: What makes dancing for NDT II such a unique opportunity
for these dancers?
MS: They really get a chance to be choreographed on (as opposed
to performing already existing work). Since there are so few
dancers, we get a chance to work with them intensively. In the two
years that each spends in the company, they get to perform many
parts, unlike in the main company of 32 dancers where the work is
more divided. In NDT II, they get to experience what it’s
like to work with many choreographers and be coached really well.
It’s very beneficial for them.
DB: But being that you have so many applicants, it must be
hard to choose only 14.
MS: They come from all over the world to audition. It’s
heartbreaking.
Interview conducted by Kim Okamura. E-mail Okamura at
[email protected].