Berlin is a very lucky city for its vast, colourful and accessible cultural landscape.
One pillar of this is the Staatsballett Berlin.
New artistic director Christian Spuck started the season 2023/2024 with his work, the fabulous BOVARY, based on Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. With his prima ballerina Weronika Frodyma as his muse and collaborateur mapping out the inner workings of the heroine, Spuck used live music by the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, recorded pieces and live on stage video content to adapt the text through music and movement. I was lucky enough to work on the live stream of BOVARY’s premiere last year and it was a smashing success. At the moment it is not available online, but if you have the chance to see it on stage, you should definitely lookout for it (and hopefully it will pop up again online).
Weronika Frodyma in Bovary mit Dominik White Slavkovský, Wolf Hoeyberghs, Ross Martinson, Dominic Whitbrook, Matthew Knight. Photo: Serghei Gherciu
With Spuck’s own ballets, golden oldies like GISELLE and SWAN LAKE, an evening with works of William Forsythe and new pieces by Sharon Eyal and Sol Eyon, the season 23/24 was incredibly successful, playing at a whopping capacity of 98,2 %. Frodyma won the coveted Dancer of the Year award for her role as Madame Bovary and the company was named Company of the Year in the influential “Jahrbuch 2024” of the magazine tanz. I’m not such a big fan of the older pieces, and while I can appreciate the excellent dancing, ensemble and that these are crowd pleasers that sell tickets, they don’t speak to me in the way the newer works do. Those touch my heart and tell me more about the now and how dance and art can relate to me.
So this season has big (dance) shoes to fill, but it shapes up to be just as spectacular as the last one. Berlin will host the Netherlands Dance Theatre, see the return of repertoire favourites and has already had the premieres of a two-piece evening with works by Sharon Eyal and Nahad Oharin.
Minus 16 at Staatsballet Berlin
It’s not easy to have an evening like this, where both ballets are equally strong and engaging.
The first one SAABA, with hypnotic use of the extraordinary ensemble moving in unison like one organism is the fourth work by internationally acclaimed choreographer Sharon Eyal and composer Ori Lichtik, who skillfully weaves pop into the musical composition, which alternates between genres. Sharon Eyal‘s unmistakable style of hypnotic, pulsating power also unleashes its full effect in this sound spectrum.
Minus 16 blew me away.
The second one, with choreography by Ohad Naharin is MINUS 16 which literally engages the audience, first by having the dancers perform while the theatre goers enter after the interval and, secondly, by inviting people on stage for an exuberant display of joy and togetherness to the sounds of popular Cuban and Israeli music. Naharin’s half-hour piece is a lively choreography performed by a large ensemble.
If you are in any doubt – the Staatsballett really is that good and well worth a trip to Berlin. I am really looking forward to all, the new season has to offer and will be first in line for the next performances.
For what to expect this season and maybe plan a visit, here is the calendar of season 2024/2025
www.staatsballett-berlin.de/en/schedule.html
See more of my reviews of Berlin arts here: Sabine Bee Koch
