The Staatsballett Berlin is Dancing Outside

The Staatsballett Berlin is Dancing Outside

photo: Jubal Battisti. 

At the end of August, the operas and theaters of Berlin will be able to reopen again after the lockdown. We are really happy about this but it’s not going to be the same with a lot of restrictions on stage and behind the scenes, as well as way fewer seats in the audience room. A lot of the new productions we were looking forward to were scrapped because they either didn’t comply with distance rules or could simply not be rehearsed due to the restrictions.

For a few months now the dancers of Staatsballett Berlin were not able to perform nor practice together. In an earlier stage of the lockdown, we already shared a really wonderful video initiated and edited by Principal Dancer Ksenia Ovsyanick that showed the dancers performing in their homes and gardens during self-isolation. Now, a few months later, the dancers were able to leave their houses and practice again, but still not together like they were used to. Following the big success of the first video, they now released two more videos that we want to share with you here.

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The Dancers from the Staatsballett Berlin Dancing From Home

The Dancers from the Staatsballett Berlin Dancing From Home

As you probably know we’re big fans of the Staatsballett Berlin here at iHeartBerlin. So naturally, this new video really warmed our hearts when we first saw it: Initiated and edited by Principal Dancer Ksenia Ovsyanick, 45 of the dancers recorded themself at their homes or wherever they spent their quarantine giving a little performance that seamlessly blends over from one dancer to the next as if they all danced together in unison. The result is a cute little collage of all the dancers that give us some positive vibes and smiles in these strange times. Thank you guys for that, we can’t wait to see you back on stage, hopefully soon!

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Of Strength and Liberation: Ekman & Eyal with Staatsballett Berlin

Of Strength and Liberation: Ekman & Eyal with Staatsballett Berlin

The latest double bill by Staatsballet Berlin brings together two exceptional and unconventional choreographers: Sharon Eyal and Alexander Ekman. Both have created brand new pieces for this show that premiered earlier this month at Staatsoper Unter den Linden. If you’re expecting to see some classical ballet you will be in for a surprise, because this is anything but! We had the chance to join one of the rehearsals and take a couple of photos and GIFs for you. Don’t miss this incredible double performance. The last show of the year is tonight, with more to come in March, May and June 2020.

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A Techno Ballet: Half Life by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar

A Techno Ballet: Half Life by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar

The contemporary dance piece “Half Life” by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar that is performed by the Staatsballett Berlin takes the viewer to an abstract world where intensity is marking every gesture and every decision.

A driving electronic beat makes the half-naked bodies of the dancers pulsate almost trance-like. The whole ensemble moves in unison as if it was one organism totally in synch with the music. The sweat on their skin makes every muscle glisten in the minimal light in front of the black background. Even though the choreography heavily relies on repetition there is a lot of suspense building up and the relief that the viewers experience when one movement breaks out of the formation feels a lot like that delicious “beat drop” moment during an excessive techno club night.

What is remarkable about this piece is the ecstatic reaction of the audience at the end of the performance which is often greeted with standing ovations and screams and shouts. This is not exactly a typical reaction of the Berlin opera and ballet audience.

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The Diverse World of Contemporary Dance at Tanz im August Festival

The Diverse World of Contemporary Dance at Tanz im August Festival

Company Wayne McGregor

The Tanz im August Festival is back showcasing the immensely diverse world of contemporary dance on the stages of Berlin! From the August 10 to September 2 you’ll be able to enjoy and experience a wide range of dances throughout the city. From international productions by established creators to newcomers and world premieres. On top of that, the program also includes talks and workshops so the public can engage by participating and learn through action. And now, without further ado, we present you our selection of the 10 most exciting pieces from this edition of Tanz im August. Enjoy!

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A Puppetry of Dark Ballet at Staatballett Berlin

A Puppetry of Dark Ballet at Staatballett Berlin

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Are ballet dancers just puppets hanging on the strings of their choreographers? Unable to act on their own will, damned to display moves that others have pushed on them. And what happens if the dancers cut their strings to roam the stage. Chaos or beauty? Or maybe a dark combination of both?

In the new trilogy of Staatsballett by Gentian Doda, Marco Goecke, and Nacho Duato the dancers of the ballet company seem to be possessed by different spells of an old book. This triple-performance-night is the last contemporary premiere of the director Nacho Duato who is leaving the Staatsballett next season. And if you think ballet is family friendly amusement, you will rethink that after seeing this trilogy. It has even an age limit not allowing children in the audience.

For this particular night of exceptional dance, we are giving away 2×2 tickets to our readers. Find out how after the jump.

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Dancing Against the End of the World

Dancing Against the End of the World

photo: Paulio Sovari

Every form of artistic expression is capable of doing good in the world. Even ballet dance that was once created to entertain the kings and queens of this world with the movements that seemed almost superhuman at the time can become a tool of change. A change of society that needs to start through the arts from the stages of theaters, operas, and ballet houses. Because there it starts a conversation that is not motivated by politics but by an emotional perspective on our human life and society.

I’m quite excited that Nacho Duato, the current artistic director of Staatsballett Berlin, is creating another piece that is dedicated to a social topic. In his upcoming premiere called Erde he is creating a vision of our world under the current ecological circumstances of climate change. For this unique premiere he collaborated with locals from the Berlin electronic music scene like Pedro Alcalde, Sergio Caballero and Richie Hawtin just to name a few.

On the same night, there will be another premiere of this double bill evening. The British-Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter has now given one of his works to the repertoire of the Staatsballett Berlin called “The Art of Not Looking Back”. Shechter is internationally acclaimed and well known for his controversial pieces.

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Dancing through Berlin

Dancing through Berlin

Nearly every little girl dreams about becoming once a famous ballerina, right? And the dream never completely disappears even when you get older – the idea of being able to move gallantly through the rooms in a pink tutu, with your legs up in the air and the arms swinging like wings of a swan is to charming…

The photographer Luca Migliore captured this lightness of a dancer and photographed a ballerina in some iconic Berlin places – and we think that’s a winning combination. Here you can enjoy the acrobatic positions of the dancer and simultaneously see beautiful places of Berlin that show a lot about the history of Berlin. See the photos after the jump. Happy dreaming!

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Le Sacre du Printemps by Maurice Bejart at Tempodrom

Le Sacre du Printemps by Maurice Bejart at Tempodrom

photos: FrancoisPaolini

Composed and performed for the first time in 1913 in Paris the dance piece: Le Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring) by music genius Igor Stravinsky was one of the most shocking performances of this period. The dance narrates how after various primitive rituals celebrating the Advent of Spring, a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances herself to death. If you think about this story of the piece you understand even better why the chic Parisian people where so astonished to see this happening on stage of their usually soft and elegant ballets.

Now, 101 years later, one of the most beautiful versions of the ballet will be shown in Berlin this weekend. Maurice Béjart’s own dance company, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, which became the guardian and executor of his choreographic heritage after his death in 2007, now gives a guest performance at the Staatsballett Berlin with three of his masterpieces. „Ce que l’amour me dit“, which premiered in 1974, „Le Sacre du printemps“ from 1959, and „Boléro“ from 1961 are all key pieces of his oeuvre.

The three works, which the Béjart Ballet Lausanne will present at the Tempodrom Berlin, are unique. Once again, they will demonstrate the immense power and beauty of this legendary choreographer. Try to get tickets if you still can. More photos after the jump.

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Dimensions of Flatland

dansgroepamsterdam_flatland_karelzwaneveld_1

photo: Karel Zwaneveld

Dancing is about creating a space within and outside your body. With the perfect control of the movements and contractions you become enabled to create a world of textures, dimension and interaction with yourself and the others. The different perspective on the dimensions on space, time, light and eternity are the topics of the dance piece Flatland of the Dansgroep Amsterdam who are visiting Berlin on Sunday. More information after the jump.

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