A year of Jersey’s National Ballet
ANNIVÈRSAITHE
happy birthday to us…
Since our inception, we have embarked on a journey filled with both challenges and triumphs, all of which have led us to this significant milestone. Our dancers have dedicated themselves tirelessly, refining their artistry and technique to bring you performances that touch the soul and elevate the spirit. Tonight, we mark not just a year of existence, but a year of growth, inspiration, and remarkable achievements in the world of dance.
This special anniversary performance is a celebration of the passion that fuels our art, the resilience that defines our journey, and the community that supports our vision. Our repertoire for the evening spans the spectrum of ballet, from classical pieces that have stood the test of time to contemporary works that push the boundaries of dance. Each piece has been meticulously chosen to showcase the versatility and talent of our dancers, as well as to pay homage to the legacy and future of our company. As the curtain rises, we invite you to immerse yourself in the beauty of movement and the stories told through dance, and to join us in looking forward to many more years of enchantment and innovation on stage.
The Programme
Deliberate Mistake was born out of an original concept from Yulia Makeyeva, who was inspired by the old Jersey custom of leaving an error in a knitted garment to identify the maker and the wearer—particularly drowned fishermen washed ashore. In the collaboration with choreographer Asier Edeso Eguia and composer Ilia Osokin, the piece grew to be more than the sum of its parts, touching on time and memory, culture and roots, manual labour and industrialism. In the excerpt you will see today, the Jersey woman painfully remembers the past, watched over by the dispassionate Time Master who will continue to knit the tapestry of our history either way.
anatomy of change
Katarzyna Kozielska
music:
Pale Blue Dot -Roger Goula
Petricor- Ludovico Einaudi, Daniel Hope
Neptune- Bryce Dessner, James McAlister, Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens
Created for BDJ this year, Kozielska’s Anatomy of Change illustrates a journey through trauma to enlightenment, and both the delicacy and resilience of the human spirit.
Seekers
Joëlle Le Boutillier
Inspired by the paintings of Jason Butler
Music Max Richter
Le Boutillier saw the Seekers paintings by Jersey artist Jason Butler back in 2016, and immediately envisioned the piece as a choreographic work. When she returned to the island during the pandemic in 2020, seeing this dream realised was the last thing she expected. The resulting piece took on the bitter-sweetness of Le Boutillier’s homecoming, re-discovering her roots, and seeking out her next chapter.
Smith’s work Footsteps was part of our very first programme. Knowing that he was amongst the first to work with this new company, Smith was intrigued and inspired by the concept of a group of individuals from different and diverse places, who came together to build something larger than themselves.
West Coast Swing champions Jakoubek and Rochefeuille had never choreographed for theatre until they found themselves in Jersey. Our classically-trained dancers in the company had to rapidly adjust to a new way of moving, and moreover, a new way of interacting physically with their teammates.
The piece they created was a case of life imitating art, and back again. The choreographers were inspired by the fledgling group of dancers trying to find home in a new place, realising that a “where” can only be as great as the people inside it.
Lozano Gomez’s 2014 work for Grand Rapids Ballet in the USA was part of the choreographers process in dealing with the illness and eventual death of his mother. The full work takes the audience through a universal cycle of life; the dependence of early youth, learning to stand on one’s own, learning to offer support to others, and finally, to accept help once again.
Ballet d'Jèrri first performed this work in 2023 at the Festival dei due mondi in Spoleto, Italy, in front of a sold-out audience of 1200 people.
Sand and Their Castles
Tess Voelker
Music C W Stoneking
Voelker’s first full-company commission, Sand and Their Castles looks at memory, childhood, and the strange yet universal paradox of children who wish they could grow up faster, and then ache to recapture their youth.
