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HorstVollmer

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  1. Regarding Berlin: Based on what the public knows today, it seems to me absolutely appropriate to talk about a "so-called scandal" at the Berlin school. Facts are: First investigations have been carried out (their results are available on the web since August 2020). Ever since no further (or "final") investigation has been launched. Before the first investigation was completed, the city of Berlin's government fired the school's two directors - and afterwards clearly lost each and every of many lawsuits arising from that. These facts, in my opinion, do not point to an actual scandal at the school but rather to a scandal in the political and social "environment" of the Berlin school in which knowledge, understanding and appreciation of classical dance is not well developed. Which, for example, leads the Berlin government to make a choreographer without any classical knowledge, experience and expertise the co-director of the classically trained State Ballet or an influential Berlin politician to seriously suggesting the State Ballet school schould no longer focus on artistic education...
  2. Indeed I was, Sabine. And loved the moment during the final applause when the audiecend seemed to do an "extra" to express appreciation for Marian Walter's return - and the happiness (and relief, maybe) I think one could see on Walter's and Salenko's faces. - Tonight, 7 October: Berlin State Ballet's 100th performance of its "Onegin" production. We might be there "together" again? I'm especially curious to finally see Alexandre Cagnat's Lenski.
  3. Having recovered from Long Covid, Marian Walter has returned to the stage with Staatsballett Berlin dancing the title role in Cranko's Onegin on 5 October. He gave a very strong and moving performance partnering his wife Iana Salenko as Tatjana. www.staatsballett-berlin.de
  4. In the field of dance, Germany has quite an upleasant history of fundamental fightings between followers of modern OR classical dance and dance training. Those fights were still very present in the public discussion in the late seventies (when I started seeing dance) and later on. Over time, those public disputes calmed down, and in recent years I was under the impression that both, classical and modern dance traditions had come to a state of at least peaceful coexistence here – if not more: In the art itself but also in the field of dance education there was a growing understanding that both dance traditions were based on similar principles and values the art form as whole could benefit from. And I think it is fair to say, that today there is an audience for all sorts of dance here and that many dance enthusiasts here have developed a good sense for the quality and beauty and relevance of very different dance styles and genres. That picture though looks completely different, when we’re looking at what is publicised about dance today in Germany and what the attidude is that informs how a signifcant part of the press here reports about dance. Quality dance journalism has never had a strong position in the field of newspapers here – but with the technical and financial challenges the news industry is facing in the context of the digital revolution, quality dance journalism here is simply in agony. I am afraid that this is the hidden truth between and behind the lines when we see the press here shouting „scandal“ about dance related issues often before facts have been investigated and proofed. Sex sells – but scandal sells just as good. Even some of the few remaining dance journalists here who practice dance journalism as a profession are among those who do not hesitate to scandalize things based on very little if at all any evidence. Interstingly enough, that’s especially the case when classical dance or classical dance training is involved – which brings me back to the public fights of the past between followers of modern OR classical dance. Today, it’s hard to find a dance practioneer here fighting those fights of the past again, at least they wouldn’t do so publicly. But even some professional dance journalists do. So, could it be that today, at least in Germany, the true fundamentalists who believe to know what is good or wrong in dance are working in the press? Not sure where this will take us to if it were so…
  5. As Angela responded before: German companies hardly ever tour within Germany. Without having statistic evidence at hand, I'd actually say: The bigger the production, the smaller the chances that audiences in other cities in Germany will ever see the production guesting in their own theatre. That is, of course, due to the technical and financial implications involved - but that's only a part of the explanation. The other, probably more relevant reason is identical with the biggest advantage ballet and dance companies in Gemany have. That advantage lies in Germany's theatre system where most ballet and dance companies are an integral part of a fully subsidised state or city theatre where opera productions and ballet productions share not only the same stage but also the same workshops and technical support teams. Those teams though are responsible for all productions in their theater - and sending them on tour with their ballet (or opera) company means they'd be not available to look after the performances taking place at their home theatre while one of the companies is travelling. That's still not the full explanation why German companies hardly ever guest in other German cities - but it is a seemingly tiny reason that often is one of the decisive ones whey ballet companies here can only dream of guesting more often elsewhere in Germany. The lobby organisation "Dachverband Tanz" has created programs aiming to improve the situation for ballet companies whishing to guest more often - but those programs still work best for companies of a smaller (or very small) size and not for "big" productions of big companies.
  6. This is just to add a (limited) Berlin view to Angela's perfect summary of the Dresden company and its situation: Very good company, certainly on the list of all here having more than a local interest in ballet - but far too small a number of performances per production and very limited options to build up and maintain a repertoire with signature qualities. The few performances I've seen over Mr. Watkin's years with the company, among them MacMillan's Manon and Balanchine's Jewels, were just brillant. I haven't seen the company's various Forsythe and Dawson nor Mr. Watkins' productions of the classics, but remember a flawless Four Temperaments and a marvellous staging of Graham's Errand into the Maze they did in recent years, alongside works by Justin Peck, Kylian, Shechter, Naharin... Not a bad prospect for ENB, I'd say, should Mr. Watkins aim to continue with what he stands for in Dresden. In early June 2022, at a small conference in Dresden on the subject of story ballets and their relevance (or non relevance) today, preceding the first night of Johan Inger's Peer Gynt, Mr. Watkins made a clear statement in favour of story ballets (which, in the context of the wider German dance scene, is a rather courageous statement). Regarding the classics, he critized any cancel culture and even asked NOT to "modernize" traditional details of classics which are seen critically today but to respect them as the heritage they represent and rather explain them and put them into context for today's audiences. To cut the story short: If I were a regular visitor to ENB's performances - I'd look forward to the things to come. PS 1: Even from Berlin, travelling (by train) to and from Dresden is not the easiest thing to do. But the city and its cultural life is worth any effort to get there. PS 2: As this is my first posting here after many years of following the discussions as a reader only: Thank you! to those who make this forum possible. I'd be glad if we had anything coming close to it in Germany.
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