You can hear the dull thud of pointe shoes on the ballet floor at Amsterdam's International Theatre: tap, tap, tap, tap! What should normally be as gentle as possible—landing on tiptoe—is emphasized by the 13 young dancers of the Junior Company of the National Ballet in In Your Footsteps. Their torsos bend forward, their hands scoop up invisible sand. And then suddenly a fast, classical port de bras and a magnificent grand jeté follow, with sand-colored skirts billowing in the summer air.
For In Your Footsteps, South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, established internationally for quite some time now, combines contrasting movement repertoires into a captivating whole. Characterized by group dynamics, the piece remains rather superficial because the lively rhythms, which combine ...
