The orchestra conductor dances the baton, the barber dances the scissors... On January 19, several concert halls in the Netherlands performed the play at the same time.
Last weekend, the Netherlands lifted some of its epidemic prevention measures and allowed gyms, barbershops and shops to reopen. However, cultural venues will remain closed until 25 January. But operators in related industries don't want to wait another week.
Feeling unfair, the show business turned the concert hall into a hair salon on January 19.
According to the European News Network reported on January 19, more than a dozen museums, concert halls and theaters in the Netherlands held protests on the same day. There are protesters taking yoga classes at the Coppola Museum of Modern Art in the capital Amsterdam.
"I just don't understand why these measures are still so strict," Alexandra Gerny told Reuters. The 130-year-old Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra invited her to get a haircut, and she gladly went there.
"Looking at the rest of Europe, I can't help but ask myself: Why is [the Netherlands] so cautious?" One of the audience members of the "Musical Hair Show" said.
Dozens of spectators in the audience wore masks and maintained social distancing. At the door, they showed a vaccination certificate or a negative nucleic acid test report.
More than a dozen museums and galleries across the Netherlands risked fines and participated in the protests, including the Van Gogh Art Gallery and the Frans Hals Art Gallery in Haarlem. Some venues also offer Tai Chi classes.
People in the Dutch entertainment industry hope to use this protest to draw attention to the government's epidemic prevention measures.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said such protests would not be tolerated and that she would "impose" the current protest measures.
In a tweet, Dutch Secretary of State for Culture and Media Affairs Gounaus expressed understanding of the protests but called on them to "proceed with caution." ”
"The cultural community is drawing attention to its situation in a creative way. I understand their call for help, and I understand the artists' desire to show their beauty. But the openness of society must be gradual. ”
"This is a protest from the Dutch cultural community," said Dominik Winterling, the new general manager of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, "and we want to make sure that politicians understand that we want to reopen." ”
The epidemic in the Netherlands is still not optimistic, with more than 35,000 new confirmed cases per day in the latest week.
Hopkins university data shows that on January 19, the Netherlands added a record 69,000 new cases per day.
(Editor: Yin Zi)