The Dutch National Ballet has just had a very successful year. The number of paying visitors rose from 81,936 in 2010 to 98,651 in 2011 – an increase of 17%. In 2011, houses were filled to 85% capacity, which was a rise of 6% compared to the previous year. This continues the upward curve for the Dutch National Ballet, as the figure was 76% for 2009 and 79% for 2010.
The programmes celebrating the Dutch National Ballet’s 50th anniversary sold to a very high average of 90% to 100% capacity. These programmes were, respectively: the Gala 50 years of the Dutch National Ballet, the anniversary programme Gold with ballets by Rudi van Dantzig, Toer van Schayk and Hans van Manen, and the classics Swan Lake and Nutcracker & Mouse King.
In the period from January to June 2011, the touring programme Hans van Manen- Master of the dance drew large audiences, as did the programme A la Russe (with works by George Balanchine, Krzysztof Pastor and Alexei Ratmansky) and the very first children’s ballet in the Dutch National Ballet’s history: The little big chest, by choreographer/dancer Ernst Meisner.
The number of visitors to the Dutch National Ballet outside The Amsterdam Music Theatre rose from over 25,000 in 2010 to 81,982 in 2011. These activities included performances by the company at the Lowlands Festival, TEDxAmsterdam, the Grachtenfestival and the Liteside Festival, as well as international screenings of Nutcracker & Mouse King and the Gala 50 years of the Dutch National Ballet.