During the weekend of 19, 20 and 21 November our new home Amare was festively opened. The family show Feest! (Celebration!) was part of the Open Festival. In this co-production between the Residentie Orchestra, Dutch Dance Theater, the Royal Conservatoire and Amare dancers, circus artists, actors and musicians together took over the new stage of Amare.

It was sprawling with cooperation. Accompanied by percussion students from the School of Young Talent young students in ballet performed the world dance choreography 'Samoa'. Third and fourth-year hbo-Dance students and the Royal Conservatoire's Dance Ensemble performed a fragment from 'Bliss' by Johan Inger, one of the choreographers from the Young Talent Project, in cooperation with the Dutch Dance Theater. A fragment from 'Indigo Rose' by Jri Kylian, with music by Couperin, was performed by third-year students in Dance from the hbo and members of the KC Ensemble Old Music. Three singers from the vocal department sang the 'Habanera' from Carmen, accompanied by the 'DoMu' choir (students in Music Education) and musicians from the Residentie Orchestra. On top of that, the Jazz department's Big Band played a new piece by Philippe Maniez.

Babette, a student in the Music Education department, got a role as a mover in the performance. ‘I was walking around with boxes to show, we will all be moving to this building together.’

Besides that, she also sang along with Habanera in the choir of the Music Education department. Together with the Residentie Orchestra, they accompanied three classical singers from the conservatory. There is a series of performances of Feest! for primary school children in the planning. ‘ The children who were in the hall all really liked it, because it was a very varied show and because the “adult music” was brought in a very accessible way.

It was awesome to make a performance together with all these people. Especially because what we made had such high quality. Of course, our new “housemates” are not just anyone. So I was quite proud to be on stage with all these people. I hope that we can have more of this kind of collaboration in the future.'

If it were up to Babette this cooperation between all new roommates would be the start of even more exchange. ‘I am really looking forward to moving to Amare. I like the fact that I can just hang around in my school to wait for a concert which will happen in the evening in the same building. You just know that all people walking around in Amare are busy with the same kind of stuff as you are. I hope that, because of this, I can more easily get in touch with people outside of my education. '

Pictures by Alex Schröder