Hans van Manen has built up an impressive oeuvre over the last 60 years: full of poetry, humor and musicality. Van Manen’s plotless ballets tell intense stories about relationships, making us feel more than mere words can express. FIVE FOR HANS is an exemplary representation of van Manen's oeuvre, highlighting the musical spectrum covered by the Dutch master, but also the very different characters his ballets can have. Adagio Hammerklavier is permeated with tenderness, in Two Pieces for Het two dancers initially challenge each other harshly before they gently come together. Trois Gnossiennes is a sublimely musical interpretation of Eric Satie’s music of the same name, its calm surface belying the strong emotions underneath. In the dizzyingly fast-paced Solo, three dancers compete with one another as if in a relay race. Frank Bridge Variations, on the other hand, is characterized by simmering tension. The dancers are in constant dialog - whether playful, reproachful or conciliatory.
