Dear RESEO members,
I hope the year has started well for all of you Reseo members, and as a Reseo ambassador for dance I enter the year full of anticipation. We are all working in very different institutions and organizations, but through the Reseo network it becomes evident how much we have in common, of both goals and ambitions.
This season has offered a fresh start and a rare opportunity here in Oslo, the possibility of establishing The Norwegian National Ballet 2. This second company consists of 10 young dancers, between 17 and 23 years old. Even though the idea of having a second company or a junior company is far from new, we are now very fortunate to be able to contribute to the development of a new generation of artists. For the big classical productions we now count 65 dancers, but it is essential to also produce new work exclusively for NNB 2. The first premiere for NNB 2 in May will include 3 world premiers and one ballet from the Kylian repertory, to accentuate the importance of the Kylian heritage for our company as well as the development of new work.
Within the facilities of The Norwegian Opera and Ballet, and with the entire staff and health team behind them, the new company’s daily work is lead by our principal dancer Kaloyan Boyadjiev. We wish to develop dancers who are open minded, versatile, mentally and physically prepared for today’s and tomorrow’s art world. And the effect, after 6 months, is already visible:
“It is a company with young freshness, the dancers are motivated and positive, with a lot of spirit and passion“, says Kaloyan Boyadjiev, leader of The Norwegian National Ballet 2.
Our goal through these 10 dancers is also to enable more touring and meeting points with dance students and audience throughout Norway. We do see the need to be more visible for our stakeholders, and despite the long planning horizons of an opera house to increase our flexibility.
I know we are not alone in facing the demands of producing more for less, and my hopes for this year is to keep the focus on the details that make the difference while keeping a high level of activity.
I wish for all Reseo members a fulfilling 2016, and the best of luck with the important work you are doing on bringing our art forms out to new and existing audiences.
Ingrid Lorentzen,
Artistic director
Norwegian National Ballet