Review: Dutch National Ballet Paquita/Carmen/5 Tango's-It was Beaujean-Brandsen-van Manen
- Ikuko
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
I went to watch the Dutch National Ballet's Paquita/Carmen/5 Tango's triple bill on 1st March 2026 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
My family members have annual subscriptions to the Dutch National Opera & Ballet and I usually get to go to ballet. This time, everyone caught cold so my better half and I invited a couple of friends to come along with us.
The Spanish-influenced triple bill bore a significant weight, in my opinion, because it featured works by Dutch National Ballet's three thoroughbreds: Associate Artistic Director Rachel Beaujean, Artistic Director Ted Brandsen and Hans van Manen. This programme marks the last time Beaujean and Brandsen presented their works together before retiring at the end of this season. Furthermore, it was the first time for the company to present van Manen's work since his passing in December 2025.
The matinee show opened with Paquita. I tend to think Paquita is performed at the end of any mixed bills in general. But in this programme, the order of the performances seemed to be in accordance with the hierarchy of the artistic team.
Paquita was created by Paris Opéra Ballet Master Joseph Mazilier in 1846. In the following year, Marius Petipa staged it in Russia. The second act of this Petipa version is the one widely performed as Paquita Grand Pas Classique, or simply Paquita, today.
The Dutch National Ballet version was based on Petipa's with the final touch added by Beaujean.
I like Paquita because I know what to expect. Any ballet enthusiasts, professional or non-professional alike, memorise it step by step (whether or not you can execute the steps is another matter). It is like watching precise fireworks. It is a showcase of pure virtuosic classical techniques by world-class dancers. It is like catharsis. It is a fee-good ballet.
And I enjoyed it! So did my friends, who were both professional ballet dancers. We spotted a bits of pieces of different steps from other companies' productions, which were okay. If you look at the cast sheet, who can complain, right?
My minuscule problem was the costumes. I was telling my friends that the costumes would need "refreshing" because, to me, they looked outdated. To which, one for them responded, "I have seen worse." Later on, however, I learned the costumes were not that old. Alas.
After an intermission, the second ballet was Carmen. Brandsen created this no-nonsense, gimmick-free ballet for West Australian Ballet in 2000, when he was the artistic director of the company.
The story was close to Bizet's opera than the original book by Prosper Mérimée although Micaela appeared as the fiancee of José (not Don José) instead of the messenger in the opera. She was also the story teller, whom I compared to Fate in Alberto Alonso's Carmen Suit. (better known as Maya Plisetskaya version). Escamillo was a playboy rather than a dashing toreador.
The setting was inorganically stripped down compared with other productions such as Roland Petit's Carmen. It was for multi-purpose in a sense that it looked like either a tobacco factory or a prison. Nor the title character wore a flower like Carmen in Carmen Suit.
All elements, the colourful costumes against the rough stage props, light, the music and choreography, blended well and was quite easy to focus on the dance and follow the plot. Stylistically, it was West Side Story-esque with conservative classical ballet technique -- I confess I did not like the ending but I guess this was called creative freedom inspired by an essence of the book that Don José was a prisoner to be garrotted.
The show's final event was 5 Tango's by van Manen, whose passing the world still cannot get over with. 5 Tango's premiered in 1977 in Amsterdam. This almost 50-year old piece is the most popular ballet of the great choreographer to this day.
I could understand why. The choreography was so masterful it made dancers really dance. The stage and costume designs showed their age but in a beautiful way. They made the dancers look even better.
Dancers made it look easy to dance these technical steps almost in a precision dance manner. Even more, I would see dancers enjoy dancing. And the joy of dance infected audience.
May be I am wrong - I had an illusion that I could trace many 20th and 21st century great choreographers back to this 23-minute abstract ballet. I cannot explain who to what elements. But I am sure it influenced many choreographers.
It is easy to say 5 Tango's is no longer current. May be so. But the Dutch National Ballet is the rightful heir or heiress of van Manen so this powerful masterpiece should be kept as it is. It will mature like good whiskey.
All images were taken by me with my iPhone and iPad. If you want to have a clearer look, here is the official trailer.