Musica Antica - La belle danse

French is chic, that goes without saying in The Hague. France's leading position reached its peak under the reign of Louis XIV. His passion for dance is legendary and his nickname Le Roi soleil comes directly from his own performance as Apollo in the Ballet Royal de la Nuit in 1653. Louis was only 15 years old, but he established his position as monarch, art lover and dancer in one fell swoop with this stunning, thirteen-hour spectacle.

The revolution in dance that this unleashed was emulated throughout Europe, and no self-respecting court was complete without a French dance master and orchestra based on the French model. The masterful duo Ricardo Barros and Kathryn Waters dance to the sounds of Antoinette Lohmann and her students. They put The Hague on the artistic map in an international programme full of flair and elegance.