Versopolis Podcast #42: A Hat of Glass

»FEDORA – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2025 Winner«

In this special series of the Versopolis podcast, poets from the Versopolis network recollect their impressions of premieres of FEDORA Prize-winning works by writing a poem. The invited poet experiences the performance, the artistic creation process surrounding it, and the atmosphere of the premiere from an audience member’s point of view. 

Gentlemen’s Jack is a ballet that premiered in May 2026 and won the FEDORA – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2025. Its prima ballerina, Gemma Coutts, plays the part of Anne Lister, a 19th-century entrepreneur often referred to as ‘Gentleman Jack’ and today regarded as the world’s first modern lesbian icon. Among the audience at the premiere in London in May 2026 was Ruth Lasters, the incumbent Poet Laureate of Belgium, who wrote a poem in response to the piece. 

We talked about why the ballet, inspired by the unconventional 19th-century entrepreneur Anne Lister, is relevant today and how themes of identity reverberate throughout the years. Why does loving mean losing all self-deceit? What happens when the hat worn by Anne Lister falls from her head in the middle of rehearsals, and why does the hat turn to glass in the poem? 

Ruth Lasters is an award-winning Belgian poet and novelist. Her debut novel, Poolijs/Polar Ice, won the Flemish Debut Prize in 2007. Her poetry collections include Vouwplannen/Folding Plans, Lichtmeters/Light Meters, and Tijgerbrood/Tiger Bread, which received several major poetry awards. Her work has been translated into German, Spanish and French, most recently Désirs à l’essai/Trial Desires (2026). Lasters has performed internationally at festivals including Poetry International. In 2022, she resigned as City Poet of Antwerp after the city rejected a poem addressing educational discrimination, an act that earned her the Ark Prize of Free Speech in 2023. In 2026, she became Poet Laureate of Belgium. 

Gemma Coutts is a ballerina from New Zealand who grew up in Thailand where she trained at the Aree School of Dance Arts in Bangkok. She continued her training in London and graduated at the English National Ballet School. Gemma is now in her fifth season at Northern Ballet. In that time she has experienced a range of corps and soloist roles which have allowed her to develop her artistic range and confidence. She was the principal ballerina in the ballet Gentlemen’s Jack which premiered on May 2026 and won the Winner of the FEDORA – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2025.