BOD Dinner: The Art of Connection
Experience an extraordinary evening of modern ballet, opera, and live orchestra at a private BOD dinner in a prestigious national museum.
In a high-end national museum of The Netherlands, Plugged Live Shows was asked to create an elegant dinner show for a private BOD dinner. Our studio created three live show moments to stimulate new partnerships and enforce connection. With extremely limited access to the event location and extensive protocols to follow, this was no ordinary show. It required tight planning, military precision and an alternative process. At the same time, with art as our muse a world of possibilities opened up. The evening became an elegant spectacle of modern ballet, opera and a live orchestra.
A gorgeous table setting with flowers, plants and a prominent stage in the middle awaited the guests. With curator Sasha Bronwasser as the evening’s guide, performances inspired by Dutch grandmasters themselves and the table as our stage, each show was served on a silver platter.
Three show moments were introduced by the artworks that inspired them. Together they told the overarching story ‘The Art of Connection’.
The first show moment reflected the longing for collaboration between two worlds searching to become one, and forge a new reality. It portrayed tranquillity versus chaos, blue versus red. Performed by sisters Maria and Anuschka Pedano as light and shadow, in historically-inspired dresses, a new version of the song ‘Multicolor’ rang through the art-filled halls.
It is where different viewpoints meet, that the seed of potential is planted. For the second show, two primary ballet dancers engaged in a choreography that turned threat into tenderness. The two swans were supported by background dancers with water-like fans and blue lightning, displaying a great sense of togetherness.
When two different minds come together a shared vision is born. Once that vision is set, their dream can be created and blossom into a new venture. The final act was based on a still life of flowers, brought to life through the botanical scenography, with mechanical flowers rising up from amidst the live ornaments during the show’s climax. Fully in bloom. Two talented opera singers Judith van Wanroij and Karin Strobos performed The Flower Duet from the famous opera Lakmé. Finalising the acts of connection, they grew towards one another during an elegant performance.
The historical site that had become our event venue, hosted valuable artworks under strict security protocols. Moreover, it was in full use during the day, making regular rehearsals weren’t possible. All this made our production process exceptionally complex. Curious how we created a successful show nonetheless? Read our previous article on how to make complexity look effortless, where we lay out exactly how we turned this intricate project into reality.
Want to see the Art of Connection for yourself? Have a look at our full show page.