Tribute to Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey played a key role in the growth of modern dance in America and his company, founded in 1958, is one of the United States’ oldest dance troupes as well as one of the most youthful and vital on the dance scene. In this two-part program, members of Ailey’s dance company perform three works choreographed by Ailey himself “For Bird with Love”, “Witness,” and “Memoria”, as well as a special ballet tribute choreographed by Ulysses Dove “Episodes.” Each piece is introduced by Judith Jamison, the dancer and choreographer whose career was nurtured to stardom by Ailey, and who is now Artistic Director of the company. The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is uniquely eclectic in range, repertory, and style. As a choreographer, Ailey explored the black experience and went beyond, finding universal human truths in all his work.

Der Dreispitz

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) was one of the last brilliantly creative composers of the Romantic, nationalistic tradition. The original version of “The Three-Cornered Hat” was composed for a pantomime, “The Corregidor and the Miller’s Wife”, which was adapted from a short story, “El Sombrero de tres picos”, by Pedro de Alarcon. This was produced in Madrid in 1917. Soon after, when Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes were touring Spain, Diaghilev urged him to arrange it as a ballet. The first performance of the ballet version with choreography by Massine took place in July, 1919 at the Alhambra Theater in London. The choreographer, dancer and ballet director Antonio (born Antonio Ruiz Soler in 1922) was the most famous Spanish dancer of his generation. A purist in his solo dances, he has tried in his ballets to create a synthesis of classic-academic and Spanish dance. His choreography of “The Three-Cornered Hat” was produced for television in 1974.

Beethoven Project – Ballet by John Neumeier

Mainly based on the “Eroica Variations” and Symphony No. 3, John Neumeier describes his idea of the Beethoven Project as follows: ” A choreographic poem inspired by Beethoven’s music, and perhaps by Beethoven himself.” Aleix Martínez – “a force of nature” (tanz) – dances the leading role as Beethoven at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. The dancers are phenomenal, a fantastic ensemble performance that can only succeed if a company dances at such a high level as the Hamburg Ballett.

John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew

John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew is one of the greatest ballet comedies of the 20th century. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s world-famous play, Cranko brings to vivid life the story of the shrewish Katherina whom no one wants to marry and the dashing and clever Petruchio who makes her his wife and “tames” her. Set to cheerful and boisterous music by Kurt-Heinz Stolze after Domenico Scarlatti and with colourful costumes and a charming set by Elisabeth Dalton, The Taming of the Shrew evokes the sunlit streets and gardens of Italy. The perfect ballet for the whole family, danced by the Stuttgart Ballet. “This company is world class.” (Tanznetz) / “Cranko’s adaption of Shakespeare’s comedy is an artistic gem.” (FAZ)

John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet

55 years after its premiere, the Stuttgart Ballet revisits John Cranko’s legendary Romeo and Juliet – the very choreography which laid the foundations for the “Stuttgart Ballet Miracle”, the company’s meteoric rise to fame. In this anniversary performance of the stunning, timeless production, experienced Cranko-performers and highly talented young dancers share the stage to tell the most famous love story of all time. John Cranko, who led the Stuttgart Ballet from 1961 until his death in 1973, created the choreography of Romeo and Juliet especially for his ensemble. Set to the superb score by Sergei Prokofiev, William Shakespeare’s story about two star-crossed lovers, caught in their families’ feuds, offers dramatic roles for the top-notch soloists: Elisa Badenes shines as “youthful, fresh, entirely natural and spontaneous Juliet”, while her partner David Moore dances a Romeo who is “expressing his love with the greatest sensitivity” (Der Neue Merker).

La Fille Mal Gardée (The Unchaperoned Daughter)

Premiered in Bordeaux two weeks before the storming of the Bastille, “La fille mal gardée” is the only classic 18th-century ballet still in the repertoire today. Critics found that the naturalness, sensitivity and humor of Heinz Spoerli’s 1981 staging make it superior to the benchmark staging by Sir Frederick Ashton, who brought the work back to life and worldwide fame in 1960.

Pulcinella

Following the success of Massine’s choreography in “Les femmes de bonne humeur”, Diaghilev wanted to present a work based on the music of Pergolesi. He collected the composer’s unfinished manuscripts and was able to persuade Igor Stravinsky to compose the music for a new ballet. Picasso was engaged to design the sets and the costumes, while Massine was responsible for the choreography. The effort was worthwhile. “Pulcinella” is one of those rare ballets in which the individual elements – plot, music, choreography, set design and costumes – form a harmonious and homogeneous whole. Heinz Spoerli presents his Pulcinella using the language of modern ballet. One of the most important choreographers of our time, Spoerli was born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1941 and became director of the Basler Ballet in 1973. Under his direction, the Basler Ballet has become a highly esteemed international ensemble.

Coppélia

“Coppélia” was premiered with great success at the Théâtre Impérial de l’Opéra de Paris on 25 May 1870. Since then, the ballet has lost none of its freshness and popularity. The librettist of “Coppélia”, Charles Nuitter, found the subject of his work in a tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, “The Sandman”. “Coppélia” is the first of many ballets which take as their theme the humanization of mechanical objects.