About the work
"Legacies" is the season-opening programme of Dutch National Ballet's (Het Nationale Ballet) 2026/27 season in Amsterdam – a four-part bill with works by George Balanchine, Toer van Schayk, Hans van Manen and Kirsten Wicklund. The title refers to the legacy of great choreographers that the company preserves and carries forward, setting it against a world premiere by the young choreographer Kirsten Wicklund.
Plot
George Balanchine's "Symphony in C" is a tribute to the grandeur of classical ballet. Toer van Schayk's "Requiem", set to Mozart's work of the same name, is revived to mark his ninetieth birthday. Hans van Manen's "Simple Things", new to the Dutch National Ballet repertoire, is a dynamic quartet that unites movement and music with exceptional clarity. The evening culminates in the world premiere of a new work by Kirsten Wicklund to Willem Jeths's "Monument to a Universal Marriage". The programme thus spans a range from Balanchine's classical tradition through the Dutch school of van Schayk and van Manen to a new choreographic voice.
Cultural significance
"Legacies" embodies Dutch National Ballet's self-understanding as guardian of a rich choreographic tradition – from Balanchine, founder of American neoclassicism, through the Dutchmen Hans van Manen and Toer van Schayk who shaped the company, to the nurturing of its own emerging talent. The revival of van Schayk's "Requiem" for his ninetieth birthday honours one of the most important Dutch dance creators. Programmatically, the season opener combines repertoire stewardship with a world premiere.