Mata Hari by Ted Brandsen, music by Tarik O'Regan
Anna Tsygankova (Mata Hari), Casey Herd (Rudolph McLeod), Jozef Varga (General Kiepert), Artur Shesterikov (Vadim de Masloff), Young Gyu Choi (Shiva) — Dutch National Ballet
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Cast
Ted Brandsen — Choreographer
Clement & Sanôu — Set designer, lighting designer
François-Noël Cherpin — Costume designer
Janine Brogt — Libretto
Anna Tsygankova — Mata Hari / Margaretha
Casey Herd — Rudolph McLeod
Jozef Varga — General Kiepert
Artur Shesterikov — Vadim de Masloff
Young Gyu Choi — Shiva
Wen Ting Guan — Temple Dancer
Emanouela Merdjanova — Frieda McLeod
Erica Horwood — Isadora Duncan
Nadia Yanowsky — La Madame
Edo Wijnen — MC
Anatole Babenko — M. Guimet
Roman Artyushkin — Lieutenant Ladoux
Program notes
Discover a superb new ballet by Ted Brandsen on a score by renowned composer Tarik O'Regan! The esteemed choreographer recounts the life of the legendary Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod née Zelle, the infamous dancer-cum-spy better known as the eponymous Mata Hari.
The ballet's first act takes us through the youth and unhappy marriage of the young Margaretha, followed by her departure for Paris. It is in the French capital that she reinvents herself and becomes Mata Hari, a dancer celebrated for her seductive charms and her great beauty. In act two, Brandsen dramatizes her exploits as a spy working for the German army during World War I.
Against a nighttime Parisian backdrop—the height of glamour—the tragic life of Mata Hari stands out: we cannot help but be struck by the contrast between the character's warmth and her chilling destiny, between her bright costumes and the glacial uniforms of the German soldiers, between the sensuality of her movements and the steel-girded landscape that surrounds her, typical of Belle Epoque architecture. The immense talent of principal dancer Anna Tsygankova, the realism of the more than 300 costumes created by François-Noël Cherpin, and the stunning set design by Clement & Sanôu immerse the audience fully in the wild universe of this complex and enigmatic historical figure.
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