Pressemitteilung

Christian Spuck takes over as Artistic Director of Staatsballett Berlin at the start of the 2023/24 season and has already started rehearsals with the ensemble, which now includes 24 new dancers. The soloists Jan Casier, Matthew Knight, Martin ten Kortenaar, Meiri Maeda, Rafaelle Queiroz, Haruka Sassa, Michelle Willems, the demi-soloists Emma Antrobus, Cohen Aitchison-Dugas, Mark Geilings, Shaked Heller, Fiona McGee, Loïck Pireaux, and Kalle Wigle, along with group dancers Jessica Beardsell, Chloe Capulong, Gustavo Chalub, Désirée Guler, Leroy Mokgatle, Filippo Pagani, Blanka Paldi, Giovanni Princic, Anthony Tette, and Dominik White Slavkovský complete the ensemble.

The first performance of the season with the new ensemble is the two-part evening Half Life at Staatsoper Unter den Linden on September 2, 2023, at 7:30 PM. The choreographies LIB by Alexander Ekman and Half Life by Sharon Eyal break away from traditional ballet vocabulary, incorporating humor and hypnotic elements.

Behind the scenes, Artistic Director and choreographer Christian Spuck is already working intensively on his first creation for the company, which will also be the season's first premiere: Bovary, on October 20, 2023, at Deutsche Oper Berlin, a stage adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel "Madame Bovary." "I am very excited to finally create something new with the ensemble after a long period of preparation, and the intensive rehearsals for the first world premiere at Staatsballett Berlin have begun," says Christian Spuck.

For the first time, there will be an Artist in Residence starting this season, Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau, who was voted "Choreographer of the Year 2023" in the annual critics' poll of the magazine "tanz." Laudator Bettina Trouwborst describes the artist as "a wake-up call. His surreal, moving images grotesquely highlight historical as well as contemporary societal crises." To give the ensemble and the audience access to his work over an extended period, Morau will be associated with the company for several years. His first creation for Berlin will be presented alongside a work by Crystal Pite in the Overture premiere on April 28, 2024, at Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

Other highlights of the season include the two-part evening 2 Chapters Love on December 9, 2023, at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, featuring creations by Sol León and Sharon Eyal, two influential female voices of the present. Additionally, William Forsythe will personally come to Berlin to stage three choreographies for the premiere William Forsythe on February 16, 2024, at Deutsche Oper Berlin, illustrating his innovative approach to dance.

A glimpse into the future of dance can be seen in the new format Next Generation on May 11, 2024, at the Tischlerei of Deutsche Oper Berlin, featuring choreographic works by the company's own dancers. The past and the 20th anniversary of Staatsballett Berlin will be celebrated with a Ballet Gala on July 7, 2024, at Deutsche Oper Berlin, under the musical direction of Maria Seletskaja, once a soloist with the ensemble of Staatsballett Berlin.

As part of various event formats, Staatsballett invites the audience behind the scenes. Ballet class Up Close on October 1, 2023, at 3:00 PM at Staatsoper Unter den Linden allows the audience to witness how the dancers perfect and maintain their technique during their daily training. Ballet talks invite ensemble members, choreographers, costume designers, and other contributors to discuss their art. The inaugural session, focused on the theme of "New Beginnings," will be held on September 17, 2023, at 11:00 AM in the Apollosaal at Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The Forum will discuss socio-political topics related to dance and ballet with guests from the field of dance studies, other cultural domains, and the audience on November 13, 2023, February 21, 2024, and May 15, 2024, at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

For families and children, "Tanz ist KLASSE!", the education programme of Staatsballett, offers a wide programme for participation. The work can also be admired on stage in the Tanz ist KLASSE! On Stage format on May 21, 22, and 24, 2024, at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Tischlerei, as well as in the final presentation of the choreography and composition workshop in cooperation with the Junge Staatsoper, accompanied by the Staatskapelle Berlin on February 24, 2024, at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Apollosaal.

The start of the new artistic direction is accompanied by a new visual identity created by the design agency Eps51. Photographer Florian Hetz, known for his work exploring the power and vulnerability of the human body, was commissioned for the season campaign. He collaborated with eight dancers from the ensemble to create a series of images that will be featured in the city as part of a poster campaign.