In the ballet Pearl the renowned Dutch Choreographer Ed Wubbe is celebrating the indulgent and decadent epoque of Baroque. Inspired by the beautiful music of Vivaldi, Merula and de Visée a passionate, energetic performance underlaid with a subtly vibrating erotic tension unfolds on stage. In a breathlessly rapid flow of divergent scenes the recipient gets carried away by a vast variety of emotions and dynamics. Tenderness and rigor, beauty and grotesque, loving care and cold rejection, jealousy and compassion, vibrant playfulness and decay are oscillating throughout this endearing piece. The dancers who, at first glance, appear flawless in their stunning dresses by costume designer Pamela Homoet, quickly give reason to question what's behind these pristine facades. Slowly and subtly, the dark side of this period reveals itself. Little gestures, veiled spiteful glances expose bit by bit the decay, bitterness and ugliness behind the sparkling surface. Dynamic group scenes, theatricality, tableau vivants and passionate solos and duets culminate in an energetically danced group scene where the orderliness of the stage gradually disintegrates into chaos. After this frenetic turmoil, in a passionate yet restrained duet, the masks finally fall. However hard they fight, the decay can finally be hidden no more: only the beauty of the music survives the decadence.