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Angela

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  1. Hamburg Ballet season 2024/2025: "The Times Are Racing": “Adagio” by Pina Bausch, “Variations for two Couples” by Hans van Manen, The Thing with Feathers” by Demis Volpi and “The Times are racing” by Justin Peck “Slow Burn”: World premiere by Aszure Barton and "Blake Works 5" by William Forsythe (Hamburg has not seen a Forsythe ballet in the repertoire ever) Revival: Death In Venice. A Dance of Death by John Neumeier Creation: “Demian” by Demis Volpi after the novel by Hermann Hesse https://www.hamburgballett.de/en/schedule/overview_2425.php?type=premieren&season=2425 https://www.hamburgballett.de/en/news/editorial.php Download the brochure here Principal Karen Azatyan is leaving the company to go to Zurich, Futaba Ishizaki, Charlotte Kragh and Daniele Bonelli are following the company from Ballett am Rhein as soloists
  2. https://www.staatsoper.de/en/inhalte-staatsballett-home/spielzeit-2024-25
  3. Well it was 15 min for Hilaire, but yes, the opera and the concert stuff had 75 min. 😒
  4. Bavarian State Ballet season 2024/25: Premieres: „La Sylphide“ by Pierre Lacotte Triple Bill „Wings of Memory” with Jiří Kylián, Bella Figura Sidi Larbi Cherkoaui, The Faun Pina Bausch, The Rite of Spring the third edition of “Spheres” curated by Sol Leon and Paul Lightfoot with one piece by them and three young choreographers they chose Revivals: Peter Wright's Giselle Illusions – Like Swan Lake by John Neumeier Guest Company at the ballet week in spring: Lucia Lacarra's company with “Lost Letter”, choreography by Matthew Golding
  5. Dresden Semperoper Ballet season 2024/25, the first under new director Kinsun Chan: Premieres Kinsun Chan and Martin Zimmermann: „Wonderful World“, Premiere at the Playhouse Dresden John Neumeier’s “Nijinsky” Double Bill “Vice Versa” with “Noetic” by Sidi Larbi Cherkaouis and a creation by Imre and Marne van Opstal At Semper Zwei, the experimental, smaller stage at the Semperopera, there will be a triple bill celebrating 200 years of dance at the Semperoper with works by Francesca Frassinelli, Julian Nicosia and Giovanni Insaudo. For the same occasion, there will be a Ballet Gala called “Dresdance 2025“ with all companies of the town. Repertoire: Swan Lake and Peer Gynt by Johan Inger, a triple bill “Classics” with George Balanchine, Justin Peck and Twyla Tharp, and the old Nutcracker by Aaron S. Watkin and Jason Beechey after Petipa https://www.semperoper.de/interim/ballett-2024-25.html
  6. Well, all these opera directors, music directors and playhouse directors still think that Germany is a land of opera, classical music and spoken word. WE KNOW DIFFERENT 💪
  7. The Bavarian State Opera will livestream their season presentation 2024–25 of the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Bayerisches Staatsballett and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester on Saturday, 16 March 2024, 10 a.m. CET Go to https://www.staatsoper.de/tv/ to see Laurent Hilaire present the next season
  8. To be honest, Tattin, I find Neumeier's version very clear and rather easy to understand - I mean, Shakespeare's comedy is as complicated as it gets, but in Neumeier's version you get introduced to all the characters, you have a very clear musical distinction between the court (Mendelssohn-Bartholdy), the fairies (Györgi Ligeti) and the amateur players who make their music on a barrel organ by themselves. The costumes for the court are historical, the costumes for the fairies are very modern - you always know in which world we are. Neumeier's trick is to combine Theseus/Oberon and Hippolyta/Titania in one dancer respectively one ballerina. That was not his idea, but the famous British director Peter Brook invented this in 1970 for his staging at the Royal Shakespeare Company. I don't think you have to feel sorry for the dancers, except maybe for the extra-difficult lifts for Oberon and Titania. I guess it's the same problem that an American audience has with Neumeier's works - I read reviews about his Lady of the Camellias where the critic just did not get the story. If you're used to the old classics like Sleeping Beauty and to abstract, neoclassical works, it may be a little bit difficult to understand drama ballet or "literature ballet", as Cranko, MacMillan or Neumeier are called in Germany. With Neumeier, you have to watch very closely, but then everything is clear and you can understand it all.
  9. Tattin, I don't think you have to pay for arte concert, as far as I know it's for free. Or geoblocked 😔
  10. Tattin, I'm sorry - no idea how they distribute the availability on arte concert. Former arte links seem to have worked in Britain, at last. There's a DVD, but I'd only recommend it if you like Neumeier's religious works very much. https://hamburgballett-shop.de/p/dona-nobis-pacem
  11. And here we go, the first season announcement for 2024/2025 - the winner is Ballet Leipzig which has a new director, Rémy Fichet. Leipzig Ballet explores new choreographic languages New Ballet Director, Rémy Fichet, has curated a highly emotional programme for his inaugural season. The focus is on new story ballets and the creative further development of classical technique. On 26.10.24, the American choreographic talent Lauren Lovette opens with a new take on the famous love drama »Romeo und Julia«, which she transposes into the world of theatre. A two-part ballet evening by Sofia Nappi and Louis Stiens celebrates its premiere on 1.2.25: »Humans«, to music by Clara Schumann, Henry Purcell, Franz Schubert, Werner Egk and others. The third premiere takes place on 12.4.25: Martin Chaix, whose previous solo career also brought him to Leipzig in 2006 for a three-year stay, is choreographing one of the oldest Japanese legends, »Die Mondprinzessin« (The Moon Princess), to the music of Henryk Mikołaj Gorecki, Koyama Kiyoshige, Sōmei Satō and Arvo Pärt. In collaboration with the Bachfest Leipzig, the »Black Box« will become a choreographic case study of various forms of artistic expression, and for the first time on 20.6.25, will see Marcelino Libao, Daniel Róces Gómez and Vincenzo Timpa of the Leipzig Ballet engage with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The 24/25 season will feature the return of two choreographies as a special tribute to the legendary choreographer Uwe Scholz to mark the 20th anniversary of his death. Until his passing in 1991, Uwe Scholz played a key role in shaping the identity and programme of the Leipzig Ballet. »Scholz-Symphonien« (Scholz Symphonies), premiering on 6.12.24, includes his symphonic ballets »Siebente Symphonie« (Seventh Symphony), music by Ludwig van Beethoven, and »Zweite Symphonie« (Second Symphony), music by Robert Schumann. The Gewandhausorchester, which plays for all Oper Leipzig performances, also provides live accompaniment for the performances of the Leipzig Ballet. The ballet season gets underway on the 31.8.24 with an open training session, followed by a talk with Rémy Fichet. Full brochure available at https://www.oper-leipzig.de/de/publikationen
  12. John Neumeier's latest creation "Dona nobis pacem" is on arte concert now. https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/109725-000-A/john-neumeier-dona-nobis-pacem/
  13. Munich March 16th Hamburg March 18th Berlin March 27th Stuttgart - somewhere near the summer holidays 🙄 I'll try to post everything as soon as I know!
  14. The premiere of John Neumeier's "Lady of the Camellias" will be live streamed from Vienna on March 24th at 18.30 CET https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/event/4dfb69e2-63b2-4be0-9ded-6af3a9a56fa1
  15. Berlin, March 6, 2024 --- Iana Salenko, Principal Dancer of the Staatsballett Berlin, will receive the honorary title «Berlin Chamber Dancer" on March 17, 2024. Joe Chialo, Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, will present the award after the performance of Giselle at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Following her performance as Giselle in the production of the same name, Iana Salenko, Principal Dancer of the Staatsballett Berlin, will be honored with the honorary title «Berlin Chamber Dancer" on March 17, 2024. Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion Joe Chialo will present the award, recognizing her exceptional artistic achievements. «On behalf of the Berlin Senate, as well as personally, I would like to thank Iana Salenko for the many wonderful and magnificent ballet evenings she has provided for her audience. I thank her for her connection to our city and her commitment on so many levels. Since the beginning of the Russian attack on her homeland, Ukraine, Iana Salenko, who was born in Berlin's partner city of Kyiv, has been extraordinarily dedicated to the needs of war victims and artists in Ukraine. With her ballet gala 'Ballet for Live', she supports needy children in Ukraine. My gratitude is combined with recognition and respect for the achievements of this exceptional artist.» Iana Salenko herself is delighted with the recognition, which she now shares with her husband Marian Walter, who has also received this award. «I feel very honored to receive this German honorary title. And I am proud that my husband Marian and I are currently the only chamber dancer couple. The award inspires me to reach new heights in my career. I am looking forward to more exciting dance moments.» The exceptional artist impresses with outstanding technique at the highest international level, complemented by a great joy of playing. Throughout her career, she embodied leading roles in the most important classical productions such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Onegin, Giselle, La Esmeralda, La Péri and Cinderella. She dances choreographies by renowned choreographers such as Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Auguste Bournonville, John Cranko, Pierre Lacotte, Marius Petipa and Anton Dolin. In personal collaborations, she was able to bring her interpretation to works by Patrice Bart, Yuri Burlaka/Vasily Medvedev, Nacho Duato, Boris Eifman, Marcia Haydée, Giorgio Madia, Vladimir Malakhov, Alexei Ratmansky, Peter Schaufuss, Heinz Spoerli, Christian Spuck and Víctor Ullate. Iana Salenko completed her ballet training at the Pisarev Ballet School in Donetsk, where she also received her first engagement. In 2002, she became a First Soloist at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kiev. After meeting her husband Marian Walter, she joined the State Ballet Berlin as a Demi-Soloist, where she was promoted to Soloist in 2006 and First Soloist in 2007. Since then, she has danced leading roles especially in classical productions and received invitations for guest appearances in over 20 companies worldwide. From 2013 to 2017, she was a Principal Guest at the Royal Ballet in London. Since 2022, she has been committed to her home country, Ukraine, by founding the annual charity gala Ballet for Life by Iana Salenko. The title «Berliner Kammertänzer*in» has been awarded only to Oliver Matz (1995), Raffaela Renzi (1995), Gregor Seyffert (1999), Vladimir Malakhov (2014), Michael Banzhaf (2017), Polina Semionova (2017) and Marian Walter (2018). The rare honorary title is awarded by the Berlin Senate for outstanding artistic achievements and a minimum of five years of uninterrupted affiliation with a theater.
  16. Wow that's interesting, Roberta - I rarely read the comments under videos, thank you! Dale Brannon, who wrote this, and Marcis Lesins were both in the creation of the piece in 1976, I suppose. Brannon talks about the circle of light that moves from midstage to the column in the back. As many times as I have seen "Requiem", I never once thought of Christ when I saw that light, but of John Cranko giving guidance and leading the way for his fatherless dancers...
  17. The casts for Giselle at Staatsballett Berlin: In five performances in March, new ensemble members will be performing in leading roles for the first time. Kalle Wigle will make his debut as Albrecht alongside Iana Salenko as Giselle and Elisa Cabrera/Vera Segova as Myrtha (March 8th and 17th). Haruka Sassa will embody Giselle for the first time alongside David Soares as Albrecht and Vera Segova/Bruna Cantanhede as Myrtha (March 16th and 22nd). And Polina Semionova will interpret Giselle with Martin ten Kortenaar as the new Albrecht and Eloïse Sacilotto as Myrtha (March 23rd).
  18. The casting for Vienna State Ballet's Lady of the Camellias is now online: 24.3. (premiere), 26.3. Ketevan Papava (Marguerite Gautier), Timoor Afshar (Armand Duval), Hyo-Jang Kang (Manon Lescaut), Marcos Menha (Des Grieux), Ioanna Avraam (Prudence Duvernoy), Masayu Kimoto (Gaston Rieux) 5.4. Olga Esina (Marguerite Gautier), Brendan Saye (Armand Duval), Liudmila Konovalova (Manon Lescaut), Alexey Popov (Des Grieux), Alaia Rogers-Maman (Prudence Duvernoy), Arne Vandervelde (Gaston Rieux)
  19. Forgive me if this is nitpicky, but the link does not provide Neumeier's statement, which I translated from the press release by Hamburg Ballet, but an article critizing Neumeier's decision with a few citations from his statement. The author thinks she is the moral authority on artists and their relations to Russia, she has an ongoing controversy with Neumeier about giving the rights to his works to Russian companies. Hamburg Ballet does not publish its press releases online, I fear you have to believe my translations without a link.
  20. You can watch this beautiful waltz in rainbow-coloured costumes and with the colours of Ukraine here - go to 32.25', don't be surprised to see Priscilla Presley in a box, and watch till the end to see a very elegant Alexei Ratmansky in tails, followed by the students of the Vienna Ballet Academy. I hope it works outside of Austria/Germany/Switzerland, it's online until March 1st. Scroll down to see the whole programme and the cast.
  21. John Neumeier just offered an explanation about three performances of his “Anna Karenina” at the Bolschoi in March: “I have decided to allow the Bolshoi Theater to perform my ballet Anna Karenina - despite the fundamental distance I feel from the Russian state due to its deeply inhumane war of aggression against Ukraine. Anna Karenina conveys exactly the humane values that the current Russian regime so criminally disregards. This begins with the external form of organization as a German-Canadian-Russian co-production and does not end with the spiritual creator, a homosexual American. Last but not least, it also affects the substance of Anna Karenina: Just think of a character like the free spirit Lewin, who I let appear as a popular figure to the music of Cat Stevens. For all of these reasons, I see it as positive when performances of this work - and only this work - take place in Moscow. I will donate the royalties from the planned “Anna Karenina” performances at the Bolshoi Theater to a charitable cause. Since the war began on February 24, 2022, it has been natural for me to use my position and my diverse contacts to support Ukrainian artists. I made my ballet “Spring and Fall” available free of charge for performances and a film adaptation by the Kyiv National Ballet, I supported the rehearsal in Kiev by my ballet masters and invited the dancers to our traditional Nijinsky Gala in Hamburg. In addition to the spontaneous acceptance of young Ukrainian talents at our ballet school, the hospitality for Ukrainian professional dancers has developed into a permanent ensemble under the direction of my principal soloist Edvin Revazov: the Hamburg Chamber Ballet, in which refugee Ukrainian dancers find a new artistic home. The company is now established and will soon celebrate its one-year anniversary. In addition to artistic excellence and social commitment, for example with education projects, the Hamburg Chamber Ballet was able to make a significant contribution to Hamburg's urban society through my mediation in November, when the major cultural institutions spontaneously organized an evening of solidarity for the victims of the Gaza war under the motto “Breaking Silence”.” “Anna Karenina” was created at Hamburg in 2017, with subsequent premieres by its two co-production partners: the Bolshoi Theater Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. On the other hand we the French choreographer Martin Chaix, who created a ballet in 2020 for the Bolshoi and posted a statement on his webseite, that the rights for his ballet have expired, but the Bolshoi continues to dance it.
  22. According to a press release by the BBL, Julien Favreau will be Gil Roman's successor - as he was his successor in the company as leading male dancer. "Following discussions over the weekend, the Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Julien Favreau, currently a dancer in the BBL troupe, to take up the baton. The date of his appointment will be announced in the coming days. The BBL Board of Trustees is today pleased to announce the appointment of Julien Favreau as Artistic Director ad interim. His talent, his experience, his perfect knowledge of the company and its dancers, and his artistic qualities make him the ideal person to take on this position and to infuse the company with the energy and high standards needed to make the choreographies of his mentor, Maurice Béjart, shine. Julien Favreau has accepted the offer to "continue to bring Maurice Béjart's work to life, through the finest instrument he created, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, and in the company of the current artistic directors, who will support me in passing on Maurice Béjart's achievements. From the shores of the Atlantic to the shores of Lake Geneva Born in La Rochelle and trained in classical and contemporary dance, Julien Favreau entered the Rudra Béjart School in 1994. Quickly spotted by Maurice Béjart, he joined the Ballet a year later and was soon given important roles, including : The Chosen One in "The Rite of Spring", Freddie in "Ballet for Life", the Detective in "The Competition", Zarastro in "The Magic Flute", "Serait-ce la mort?", "Ce que l'Amour me dit", "Light" and numerous pas de deux. He has also danced as a soloist in creations by Gil Roman, Sthan Kabar Louët, Tony Fabre, Andonis Foniadakis and Yuka Oishi. Invited on stages all over the world and recognised as an incredible performer, notably for his role in the Mélodie du Boléro, the Foundation Board is convinced that he will also be an excellent artistic director, whose quality and high standards will enable the Béjart Ballet Lausanne to continue to bring Maurice Béjart's work to life. The Maurice Béjart Foundation confirms its commitment to the BBL The Maurice Béjart Foundation, whose committee members have been informed of this decision, is delighted to see the ballet's future secured in this way and confirms that the BBL will be able to continue to benefit from the rights to Maurice Béjart's choreographies under the current conditions."
  23. Yes it had, such great dancers! But who knows, maybe today's dancers could do the same, if there were choreographers who challenged their personality instead of using their flexibility. I know it's a cliché, but I honestly can't remember the same feeling of having seen a revelation, something life-changing in ballet that I had when I watched "Ring um den Ring" (the moment when the Ring turned into Parsifal!) , "Wien Wien nur du allein" (Jorge Donn's smile when the Blue Danube started among all the ruins!), "Ballet for Life" and all these evenings. And yes, jm365, Gil Roman was a stunning, devilish, wonderful dancer.
  24. At least his Bolero is in the international repertoire, Sylvie Guillem used to dance it very often on tour, in Japan for example. Or Roberto Bolle. Béjart made lots of full-length pieces and some of them were also danced by other companies than his own, the very funny crime-ballet "Le Concours" for example, or "Ring around the Ring", a four-hour ballet of Wagner's "Ring des Nibelungen". The Ballet of the State Opera in Berlin danced his works when Michael Denard was director there, Stuttgart Ballet danced Béjart back in den 1990s because Marcia Haydée loved his work and inspired him. Back in the 1960s, he was quite a revolution, having his company dance in jeans. Together with Cranko and Grigorovitch (all three were born in 1927), Béjart very much changed the aesthetics of the male dancer. Go to Youtube and look for Jorge Donn, you'll get a notion of what Béjart was. The American critics hate him with a vengeance 🙂, and I guess Britian did not see much of him, he was a French/continental thing. The first philosopher among choreographers...
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