First world war spy Mata Hari brought to life in new Dutch ballet
Almost as well known for her scandalous affairs as for her erotic, Eastern-influenced choreography, Mata Hari is the subject of the Dutch National Ballet’s new production almost a century after her execution for treason
Nearly a century after she was shot as a spy, the story of the world’s ultimate femme fatale, Mata Hari, is to be staged for the first time as a ballet in her native Netherlands.
Mata Hari opened to a sold-out premiere at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam last month. It seeks to bring to life through dance the woman whose name has become synonymous with unbridled sensuality and ultimately, fatal betrayal.
Frisian-born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, known by her stage name Mata Hari, was executed by a French firing squad on October 15, 1917, after being accused of spying for Germany during the first world war. She was just 41.
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In the years before the war, her daring, exotic striptease act had brought her notoriety, fame and adoration and she’s widely regarded as one of the world’s first-ever exotic dancers.
Her Oriental “sacred dances” act in pre-war Parisian halls pushed the boundaries of what was then considered acceptable and often saw her stripping to little more than a bejewelled brassiere and a silk veil – making her an overnight sensation in the French capital and elsewhere in Europe.
Now her story is being told “en pointe” for the first time.