Sigrid Kaag was present at the glamorous BN’er premiere of the ballet classic Raymonda yesterday, but did not want to be photographed or filmed by the media. “Because of Ukraine.”
The glamorous premiere of the ballet classic Raymonda in the building of the Dutch National Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam was attended by countless stars yesterday. Pernille La Lau, Caroline de Bruijn and Angela Groothuizen, among others, paraded over the red carpet. Who else was in the party? Sigrid Kaag.
Sigrid is playing hide and seek
There was quite a bit to do about her presence, says Albert Verlinde at the desk of Show news† “You are all ready – the cameramen, the photographers and the reporters too – and in advance it was said: ‘Sigrid Kaag is here, but she prefers not to be photographed or filmed before going to that premiere. ‘.”
Strange, Albert thinks. “Then you think: why so?! And if you keep asking, it has to do with the fact that she finds it difficult with the war in Ukraine, that you go to something like that. Then I think: yes, or don’t go, or go in through the back door, then nobody will see you, or make a statement.”
Dutch attitude
Sigrid could have given it a nice twist, Albert thinks. “It is also true that Olga Smirnova is a Russian dancer who has fled and will soon also play the leading role in this performance. Then she could have said: ‘I also want to support the dance world and her and that’s why I’m here.’”
Now she is acting very strange according to Albert. “She could have said anything, but hey, we have a photo of her indeed peeping a bit from behind on the red carpet. Look, here you see it. I hope she had a nice afternoon, but I think it’s a weird, a bit Dutch attitude too. Either you go and you go for it or you don’t.”
“Then don’t go!”
Inconvenient, Shownieuws presenter Tooske Ragas thinks it is. “Yes, then you better not go.”
Story boss Guido den Aantrekker: “But she was there as a private person, I take it? Because I don’t think there’s really a link with her work.”
Albert: “No, but D66 is of course the club of culture, so I can imagine that you enjoy being there.”
Mark Rutte
Albert then hands out a compliment to his own party leader. “What is special is that Mark Rutte always pays for his ticket himself, isn’t it? All the time. He never goes to a performance for free. I know that from experience. At one point I said, “Come and see Billy Elliot or something.” Then he said, ‘I want to, but I want to pay.’”
Guido: “I think that’s neat.”
Photographer William Rutten laughs: “There are still a lot of people in the Netherlands who still receive money from him. Maybe he can pay that one time too.”