20 Years of Staatsballett Berlin
Sun, 07. July 2024, 18:00
Anniversary Gala
The Staatsballett Berlin is turning 20 – reason enough to invite to a glamorous gala and celebrate together with the dancers, guests, and the Berlin audience. A lot has happened since its founding in 2004: the ensemble has performed around 2000 shows for more than 2 million spectators, with 72 premiere evenings, many of which were multi-part productions, brought to the stage. Over the past two decades, the ensemble has presented an extensive and diverse repertoire ranging from romantically classical to radically modern on the stages of Berlin's three opera houses and other venues. All of this is worth celebrating – but above all, the art of ballet and the people who are touched by it. In popular gala pieces like George Balanchine 's Tschaikowsky Pas de Deux , danced by Iana Salenko and Murilo de Oliveira , and also William Forsythe 's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated , performed for the first time by Polina Semionova and Martin ten Kortenaar , the soloists showcase their skills. Elisa Carrillo Cabrera and Giovanni Princic dance an excerpt from the audience favourite Caravaggio by Mauro Bigonzetti . Skew-Whiff , a rapid piece by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot that humorously experiments with different types of movement, will be seen for the first time. Also new to the Staatsballett is Aria , a mysteriously intricate pas de deux by Briton Douglas Lee , danced by Ksenia Ovsyanick and David Soares . In the piece COME BACK by Samantha Lynch , who has been discovered as a choreographer in recent years, five dancers explore a movable wooden box. Additionally, Artistic Director Christian Spuck is creating a miniature for six dancers to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In large group scenes from the repertoire, the entire ensemble appears. Additionally, two well-known companions honour the evening: Dinu Tamazlacaru and Marian Walter , both former principal dancers who shaped the company for over 20 years, will showcase their skills for this festive occasion. Furthermore, Elisa Carrillo Cabrera , long-time principal dancer of the Staatsballett Berlin, will bid farewell to the ensemble and the audience on this evening. The gala will be hosted by Petra Gute and Christian Spuck , with Maria Seletskaja , once a soloist in the Staatsballett Berlin ensemble and now a sought-after conductor, taking on the musical direction of the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Afterwards, all guests are invited to a joint conclusion of the evening in the foyer of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Those who want to learn anecdotes and background stories from the past 20 years have the opportunity to do so in a special edition of the Ballet Talk in the morning with former mayor of Berlin and longtime supporter of the company, Klaus Wowereit , former managing director and acting artistic director, Dr. Christiane Theobald , dance journalist Dr. Dorion Weickmann , and the long-standing ensemble members Polina Semionova , Bettina Thiel , and Michael Banzhaf , as well as Christian Spuck .