What happens before the curtain goes up? Where does a movement begin, and how does an idea take shape?
Foto: Iris hendriks
Discover Scapino Salons
Scapino Salons are inspired by the intimate house salons of cities such as Milan, Paris and Berlin, where artists, thinkers and audiences once gathered to exchange ideas, art and music. Scapino brings this tradition into the present, inviting you to meet dancers, choreographers, musicians, artists and guest speakers and discover a world of movement, music, costume, light and film.
This edition centres on La Mer, a production in which the ocean is given a voice and a body. Rooted in an age-old fascination with the sea as a source of beauty, power and imagination, La Mer also confronts the fragility of that same landscape. Rather than offering answers, the production creates space for wonder, questions and discomfort.
During the Salons, you discover how this world is created. How do you translate the ocean into movement? How do dance, music, costume and video art relate to one another? And how does an initial idea gradually become a performance?
Foto: Iris hendriks
Evening programme
19:00 | Doors open
19:30 | Welcome and start of the programme
22:30 | Joint closing
Language: Panel talks will be in English.
Please note that access to the building before 19:00 is not possible.
From the moment you enter, you step into the world of La Mer, beginning with an installation by Ellis Holman that immediately sets the tone for the evening. Throughout Scapino's studios, scenes from the production unfold, music emerges from unexpected corners, images appear on the walls, and conversations develop between makers and visitors. After the joint opening, several performances, talks and artistic encounters take place simultaneously throughout the building. There is no fixed route: you decide where to go, which conversations to join and where you would like to stay a little longer.
The programme is still taking shape. Here is a preview of what you can experience during the evening:
- Experience selected scenes from La Mer at close range in Scapino’s studios, close enough to see the effort and feel the energy of the dancers
- Join panel talks with artistic director Nanine Linning, La Mer dramaturge Peggy Olislaegers, and ocean experts Annet Pauwelussen and Christiane Bosman
- Meet composer Yannis Kyriakides during an artist talk about his music for La Mer and its dialogue with Debussy's work
- Discover the costume design process with Petra Finke, Head of Costume, including the opportunity to see sketches and examine the costumes up close
- Hear visual artist Heleen Blanken discuss the creation of the video projections for La Mer and how these visual worlds interact with dance and music
- Attend a behind-the-scenes talk with a dancer and ballet master in the dressing room
- Take time to explore the building, ask questions, have a drink at the bar and follow your own route through the evening
A detailed programme schedule showing exactly what takes place in each space and at what time will be shared approximately two weeks before the event.
This is not simply a look behind the scenes, but an invitation to step inside the creative process itself.
Foto: Iris hendriks
Tickets and registration
- This evening is open to all Erasmus alumni interested in dance, art, music or the creative process. No prior knowledge of ballet or Scapino is needed.
- Registration will open soon. Ticket prices and registration details will be published on this page shortly.
- Erasmus Alumni Club members will be able to register by signing in and using the green registration button at the top right of this page.
- Not a member yet? You can attend one event as an external guest to get to know the Club before deciding whether you would like to become a member.
- Create an external guest account to register.
- Please note that creating an external guest account does not make you a member of the Erasmus Alumni Club.
Accessibility
The building is largely wheelchair accessible. The only exception is Studio 3, which unfortunately cannot be accessed by wheelchair. As the evening consists of multiple activities taking place across different spaces, other programme elements remain accessible.
About the Art & Culture Circle
This event is organised by the Art & Culture Circle of the Erasmus Alumni Club. The Circle brings Erasmus alumni together to encounter art, culture and new ideas, creating opportunities to experience the arts not only as an audience, but from the inside.
Foto: Brooke Trisolini