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Bella Figura - Mindful Creation of a Personal Setting

Photo: Costin Radu

The visit to the last performance of 'Bella Figura' on 11th of November, 2012 at Semperoper Dresden was definitely different - the second visit to Semperoper Ballett's first premiere piece this season. With more than sadness the premiere on the 27th of October, 2012 was filled as Hans Werner Henze, creator of "Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber" choreographed by Helen Pickett, had died earlier that afternoon in Dresden.

"Bella Figura" is the title of this ballet evening with three, more than different looking, pieces. Contemporary dance orientated choreographers building on music from the baroque times to today. What shall the audience expect to see, hear, and feel? As frequent readers of my reviews on ballet in Dresden you may already know, the focus of this kind review is more on the overall impact, the notions that are set free by the evening (or not) and unseen connections into our lives, than on the technical perfection of the dance company itself.

One thing that is trickling through the minds of over a thousand opera visitors, as the room fills up, in their minds, as well as in mine these thoughts must have also come up, "According to the introduction in the basement, this is going to be not the normal performance. But what is it going to be?"

It seems quite so that Edgar Schein has been right in his short essay "The Role Art, and the Artist"with the point, "First, art and artists stimulate us to see more, hear more, and experience more of what is going on within us and around us". During the intermissions - as to jump forward for a second into the middle of the evening - I met friends, local tech-entrepreneurs to be exact, who were mind-wandering about the further development of the evening - a good sign, that emotion sensors have been activated by the artists on stage already!

The leading question this evening, "What is the bonding element that holds the pieces together, so to see it as a 'whole'?"

This time prior to the performance the "movie makers" of Semperoper Ballett, Ian Whalen and István Simon had shared on the Semperoper Ballett Youtube-channel personal interviews with the makers of the three pieces, to give the interested audience a sense about the intent of the choreographers.

One common theme that after some reflection (certainly not that very evening, as the emotional input was by far too much, as a dedicated ballet lover on Twitter wrote) within all three pieces, Bella Figura by Jiří Kylián, Zwischen(t)räume Hans Werner Henze: Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber by Helen Pickett, and Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin is the role of the individual in loose or uniformed group context struggling to find her/his own unique personality.

Bella Figura opening the evening, after the last bell ringing, the last visitors moving into a well filled Semperoper, the stage was already opened up, and some of the dancers where doing some exercises, jumps, and alike. For the onlooker not quite clear, "Is it part of the piece, or a pre-performance training in a modern public way?"And so all started with a clearing with the mind, and an unusual start into what normally is a fixed procedure with formal announcement of not taking pictures, and the dimming of the lights.

Photo: Costin Radu

Once again the audience could view an amazing performance of Claudio Cangialosi who not only performed individually with movement, even thinking about it yourself would wrinkle your brain fully already. What struck me personally most by this piece was that the baroque music of several Italian composers had been bound together by Jiří Kylián in such a way, that the performances of all dancers, whether performing solo, or in pairs, or groups naturally flowed from one stage to the other, and back - leaving the audience with (I guess) open mouths when all dancers, men and women, appeared in red skirts being apparently fully topless. In a world where lots of personality is shaped by clothes, and the "right" costume, this piece certainly brought back the notion that, despite apparent differences we have been all equals.

As always during ballet evenings like this not having a clearly to follow story, the murmuring on the staircases, and hallways was inevitable. What could be better for intended notion of bringing some new ideas, and thoughts to the audience's mind that shaking up with such a first piece?

After the break Helen Pickett's work based on Hans Werner Henze's music, brought not just in the ballet dance as such, but enriched it through theatrical moments, and conversation of the dancers (Oleg Klymyuk & Natalia Sologub). Both being amongst the top level ranked dancers of the company wonderfully showed that play, and voice is an more than enriching way to attach the audience in what is happening on stage. Ballet dance though wonderful to watch is for quite a few people (in and even more so outside the opera) difficult to decipher on what it truly means behind what we can see. Touching our other senses, also by bringing up a huge video screen in the background of the stage enables the serendipity encounters we then can make in our mind, reconnecting with our own stories of the past, the wishes, and struggles we have been through life, and perhaps hesitated to share with others.

The program then called for a break - normally it is like that. This time every seemed different.">Jiří Bubeníček was appearing in front of the curtain. And what happened then over the course of almost 20 minutes was not just hilarious, but amazing to see how a crowd of people, normally conditioned to walk straight into the pause, stayed on their seats to watch ">Jiří's comedian-like improvisation to the jazzy sounds that filled the vast Semperoper audience hall. Again the mind, which was expecting a ballet evening of a "traditional" form was led into an open space, letting go of traditional patterns of behavior. 

What followed then, as the curtain was going up again, was a glimpse of what positively can happen when different cultures hit the facilitating ground of music, and dance. 10 days after the last performance of Bella Figura (in the regular program of the 2012/2013 season) the events in the Middle East once again brought to memory that art provides a "cultural island" that enables trust-building, and understanding beyond imagination. It not only is the ground for individuals to grow, but also for groups to collaborate across "established" boundaries. Ohad Naharin, leader of the Batsheva Dance Company (scroll back to listen to his interview given while he was over in Dresden), has created something that I, and others have probably not have experienced in an opera house: concentrating the performance energy not just on stage, rather engaged the whole audience to become one large dance company over a period of time. While writing these lines, it becomes evident to me that writing a review about a performance can only capture a little piece of the feeling, and the emotions that hang in the air that night. So I will end this with answering the four questions of the PresencingStatus:

• Good: experiencing such an amazing evening a second time
• Tricky: bringing my emotions, feelings, and perceptions of what was going on into words
• Learned: combining means of communication (dance, voice, video, ...) enriches perception; don't get overwhelmed by surprises (just let it come, and act upon); music is life erasing the differences of human beings; stick to what you excel in, and search for the group that welcomes you graciously (and all win, one could see)
• Action: reflection of the effects of this evening; awaiting the next performance at Semperoper (25th November, 2012, 7pm, 'La Bohème" with Jessica Muirhead as Mimi)

Life is More Than an Experiment - It's a Surprise

Photo credit: Ian Whalen

Life is an experiment - and ballet dancers can tell a story of that on there daily work on stage, their journeys through life away from home, and in very private moments. They are as normal as everyone in our friend's, family's circles. This evening was a wonderful ballet performance that has led me spontaneously to write in a short review on Facebook at the event's page. Explore more in the depths of the camera's lens, and the audience hearts. 

Vernissage - Dancer's Life Through Dancer's Eye - photo exhibition

PS.: For my Non-Facebook readers here the slack link to the publicly available review.

Ein William Forsythe Ballettabend

by Angela Incampo & Ralf Lippold

The Premiere, and so just one performance, of 'Ein William Forsythe Ballettabend' at Semperoper was not enough. A new attendance as a follow-up performance was needed to understand and appreciate the choreografies created by the great choreogrepher Forsythe, and brought on stage by an always incredible ballet company, such as the Semperoper Ballet truly is. Everybody probably knows that Aaron S. Watkin is a former Forsythe dancer, and therefore more than every other ballet director can understand the difficulties, the efforts, and the great concentration these pieces require.

In a completely full theater (so full has been the Premiere as well) the music starts and the curtain rises. On stage the whole company starts with "Artifact Suite" a piece already performed to Semperoper's audience last spring in 2011 within a variation rich, and not thematic programme. Last spring the ballet company was asked to dance a classical piece (George Balanchine - 'Emeralds'), and two modern pieces (Mats Ek - 'She was black', and William Forsythe - 'Artifact Suite'). In this occation, the Ballett Company proved again their ability to switch from a classical piece to a modern piece and the dancing maturity they are capable to put on stage (for more information, here the relevant links to the articles). Not many companies are able to perfectly combine the movements typical of classical dance with those required by modern dance.

Photographer: Costin Radu

"Artifact Suite" on music by Eva Crossman-Hecht and Johann Sebastian Bach, is an extremely beautiful piece. The green-coloured costumes of all the dancers are interrupted by the white-coloured suit of one single dancer, Vanja Vitman. She is the guide, she controls all movements of the Corps de Ballet and sometimes also the two dancing couples performing the pas-de-deux (Elena Vostrotina with Oleg Klymyuk, and Yumiko Takeshima with Raphäel Coumes-Marquet). She is the master who "leads the puppets", helped by a big lightspot. She decides when they have to move, and when they have to stand moveless. Homogeneity and heterogenity are both performed. The whole ballet company is involved in this huge choreography. The lack of coordination among the dances in some scenes and the strong coordination in other scenes are wildly interrupted by the curtain falling continuosly down. Is what we see performed on stage, the lack of co-ordination we experience in our daily life as personal individuals, and as members of the society? Is it a clear sign of the difficulties we always meet? A smooth life, with the different seasons coming quietly one after the other finds no room in today's human life. Also the movements, sometimes so slow and sometime so fast, mirror the current times.

Photographer: Costin Radu

William Forsythe has created and new arranged, expressly for the Semperoper Ballet, the second piece "New Suite". On music by Georg Friedrich Händel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Luciano Berio, Gavin  Bryars, Thom Willems are brought on stage, one after the other, seven couples (Chantelle Kerr* with Claudio Cangilosi*, Elena Vostrotina with Oleg Klymyuk, Julia Weiss and István Simon, Anna Merkulova and Jiří Bubeníček, Duosi Zhu and Pavel Moskito, Yumiko Takeshima with Raphaël Coumes-Marquet, Anna Merkulova and Jón Vallejo). The costumes, for this second piece are plain and perfectly co-ordinated between the dancing couples. No curtain falls down to interrupt the scene. The stage is completely free. They can perform in an open-space, in movements of pure harmony and disharmony, shaping the relationship between the sexes, expecially on Berio's music.

The third and last piece is "Enemy in the figure". The whole choreography is illuminated by a big spotlight free to be moved around on stage (a main figure on stage, as it gives more or less emphasis to the scene). The spotlight is continuously moved around by the dancers according to their internal needs. A rope cuts the stage in two and so does also a wavelike wooden wall, that "hides" the sight on what's happening behind it. Depending on the position in the audience, one gets a totally different picture of the scene, and what is visible from one side, appears invisible from another position. Very much in flow with reality, that can differ vastly from your own position, and perspective - seeing reality is not what one sees on the surface.

Photographer: Costin Radu

The dancers (Chantelle Kerr*, Raquel Martinez, Anna Merkulova*,  Ana Presta, Elena Vostrotina, Julia Weiss, Jiří Bubeníček*, Claudio Cangialosi, Raphaël Coumes-Marquet, Maximilian Genov*, Fabien Voranger) wear totally white, totally black or white and black (pierrot-like) costumes. Looking at the dancers moving on stage and hearing the rough music, the viewer can physically feel the dichotomy on stage. The dancers movements are strong. They cut through the air like sharp knives, they seem forced to move by some unseen force, acting like under fever. They restlessly try to free themselves from a force that is hosted inside themselves, deep in their bodies, and in their souls. Their fast movements show the need to re-create the lost balance, the harmony between all parts. The elements on stage (rope and wooden wall) are a clear further sign of the dichotomy the dancers are living in. All metallic and rough sounds, the dissonances are created ad hoc - very strongly in need!

Also in this piece the difficulty to live a quiet life can be seen; the forces that move our souls and our bodies, and that keep us away from acting in free-will. The desperate search for peace in all different moments of life, private and public, is strongly threatened by the difficulty to find the right balance between being our true selves, and play our roles according to the "outer world". The dancers are merely a mirror of our own experiences, so strong that sometimes people in the audience are overwhelmed, like the couple sitting beside us, leaving the house after 'Artifact Suite'.

Yet the creative process overwhelms the conformity every time. People like conformity in the sense of stability, which makes life easier, and yet everyone of us has experienced the moment when we move out to the edges, performing different due to our own thinking, and will to express thoughts.

A great power can be seen in the modern dance and especially in William Forsythe's choreographies. In opposite to classical dance and choreographers, a major pillar in dance history and dance movements, modern dance empowers each single viewer to discover in the pieces a meaning, an idea that in classical ballet is not possible to see (being the audience guided step by step through the execution of the piece).
In modern ballet, the audience is free to give pace to the own ideas, reflections and comparison with personal and social situation. Modern pieces are not fairy tales made to let people dream, they are a door opened into the inner soul and into the society soul.

A performance that really deserve to be seen!

* - Dancers on the picture beside; more pictures to be seen on Semperoper.
To explain the role of art and artist we recommend the following article by Edgar Schein.

Der Nussknacker kommt nach Dresden!

Last Saturday evening I finally saw The Nutcracker. I have never seen it before and having the chance to see it in the magic city of Dresden was like a dream coming true.
The Semperoper was completely full, no free seats available (the same happened to the Premiere one week ago)...everybody waiting for the exhibition to start.

After a few minutes the orchestra plays the first notes of Tchaikovsky music and the show starts. A lot of young children-dancers fill the stage (they are the young students of the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz). Being The Nutcracker a Christmas fairy-tale it is a pleasant surprise to see children expressing on stage their joy for Christmas.

I suppose that everybody knows the

story of the little Maria and the Nutcracker, therefore I avoid to summer it up here. For those who do not know it yet, I suggest to give a look at the trailer on the Semperoper website.

Copyright: Costin Radu

This Nutcracker takes place in Dresden (such an elegant city and an excellent place to give life to a Christmas fairy-tale). From the scenografy one can easily recognize one of the Zwinger’s doors with its beautiful crown and the Striezelmarkt (the traditional Christmas market). I have deeply appreciated the Dresden location. Making Dresden the ideal set for a fairy-tale it is like extending to our daily life the emotions performed on stage.

The light-games give even more emphasis to what on scene and the costumers, all so colorful provide brightness to the scenes. No one word can be heard during the show, everybody is completely fascinated by the dream performed on stage. The Christmas atmosphere has enchanted all!

Every single scene is made unforgettable by the great professionalism of the Semperoper’s soloists (Anna Merkulova, Istvan Simon, Yumiko Takeshima, Jiri Bubenicek) and of the whole Corps de Ballet. They give always great pleasure to eyes and mind and, most important, the joy they feel performing their ART is clearly felt by the audience!

We easily forget that most of the pleasure comes by the emotional tension the dances give to the audience…. the music, the costumes, the lights together with the choreographies and the scenographies are part of the huge work the dancers and all the staff make to give and share emotions with the audience. From the co-operation and the hard work of many people (most of the time unknown) we all receive those emotions and ideas that spread in our mind even many days after the performance.

A huge thanks to Aaron S. Watkin, to Jason Beechey and the young dancers of the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz, to all the Semperoper’s dancers and to all those people who made my evening unforgettable (the best start I could dream for the coming Christmas!).

Dreaming is important even when we are not children anymore!

Sparking to Think - and Act!

Copyright: iart.ch

Emotionally disrupting show, ConfronTension, by Dresden Semperoper and Dresden Semperoper Ballett 'On the Move' here at Military Museum Dresden. 

At 3pm sharp, their 2nd show is going to kick-off.



'Love and Hate' is the theme of the starting point - both spark intense emotions, the question is "How do we deal with them (individually & collectively)? The emerging energy they unveil is powerful, in the right context/ social field this can be used to co-create a better future (even on diverse worldviews).

I am strongly reminded of Adam Kahane's talk on 'Power and Love' at the 3rd Global Forum in Muscat, Oman, in April 2008

While some friends are at downtown Dresden like Marco Dziallas, Florian Andreas Vogelmaier, ... I am at Dresden's most disturbing and emotionally touching point up on the outskirts of the city.

Toi Toi Toi --- for the second round on ConfronTension.

A terrific setting Daniel Libeskind has set for the future, and further emotionally touching discussions about the past, present, and future!

-------------------------

By now these performances are over, yet there is more to come around ballet and opera, that have (from my point of view) a rather strong connection to what we have seen today, and experienced around the world. 'Hate and Love' are all around us, only it is on us to deal with it accordingly for the better of it.

• Good: ballet in a new and inspiring setting; meeting lots of friends, sparking of memories
• Tricky: the dense spaces held some people back while trying to see the performances
• Learned: let yourself in the flow of action, magic and surprises will happen
• Action: putting my thoughts on "electronic" paper (which I am doing right now) and on Facebook (this actually done shortly before the 2nd run today).

Juwelen - Gems Rare & Polished

Since the beginning of July the regular stage performances were stopped for the overall needed summer holidays. The ensemble from singers to ballet dancers and regular staff was off to recharge their "batteries" once more - only to kickstart in late August for the second season of the "new era".

Dresden in those days was crowded with international folks from all around the globe being also on their holidays. I wondered, "How would they will have a chance to learn about Semperoper and the awesome stuff to see?" They shouldn't wait longer - on 21st of August the session restarted. And it restarted with a "big bang" so to say.

Weeks ago I saved myself some tickets for the main rehearsal of the new ballet performance 'Jewels" on last Thursday (even some Goethe Institute students could be made interested to come, actually from Moscow). This time the performance (actually rehearsal) time was quite different to what a normal go to the Semperoper would be. 11 o'clock AM, and the heat was on (actually more a day of performing 'Street Scene') around sweaty 30°C.  I thought by myself, "How easy it is for the 'knowledge worker' in the web age, just moving the fingers of the laptop keyboard. But the members of the Semperoper Ballett Company dancing 'Jewels' that morning in this heat definitely deserve more than just appreciation by applause. Having the choreography in mind, interacting with the team, and coping with the heat is definitely something not easily seen from the distance."

Photo: Costin Radu

The reality definitely outreached my deepest expectations. And it just was the beginning of something greater, a bit fuzzy to grab - yet after 'emeralds' and 'rubies' the dedicated crowd of ballet fans was asked to let the company finish off their daily work alone. Quite understandable. This fueled our's and others' desire to see for the premiere on that coming Saturday.

27th of August 2011 the first premiere of the season - George Balanchine's 'Jewels', a three-piece ballet evening.

... where to start? Too much in order to express the whole evening, which was one of the best ever, and one could clearly see that it is the SEMPEROPER BALLETT which brings the 'jewels' not just to sparkle in the stunningly set light (congrats to the folks managing the lighting - I wonder when there will be a time accompanying one evening and get the special feeling from this perspective?).

Three parts that could not have been more different in costumes, expressions, fun & joy, figures, music, and last but least the protagonists.

See the music - hear the dance (George Balanchine, 1903-1983)

Some extending thoughts in the PresencingStatus modus:

Good - Semperoper Ballett with all dancers from top principal ones to the corps de ballet and really new elevens, putting only five performances for this season increases certainly attraction, enthusiastic audience (there was not much missing for standing ovations in the end), new dance pairs which always show what great company we have here in Dresden, meeting Boris Michael Gruhl during the break and seeing his sparking eyes and enthusiastic voice as we had a short chat with him

Tricky - it is always challenging for me to sit at one place over the complete course of the performance (my mind urges me to shift perspective and grab new learnings about what is going on on stage, in the audience, and the whole "field" of the house which enables such magical moments as experienced that night

Learned - the team of Semperoper ticket service at Schinkelwache always open and providing extra info, thanking especially Mrs. Ansel, a former ballet dancer of Semperoper Ballett for her deep insight around Balanchine and that Semperoper Ballett is one of the few (!) in the world being licensed to dance Balanchine ballets, for sparkling 'jewels' on stage or in life it needs the main stone and the adjacent ones even more to bring them into visibility - congratulations to ALL DANCERS equally :)

Action - Looking forward to meet some of the dancers of 'Jewels' soon and learn more about the "hidden" work of ballet and what can be learned from the artist for life (this has been sparked by Edgar Schein's article about it)

PS.: More in press and audio about that stunning evening (in German mostly). A big THANKS to Valda Wilson, Australian soprano at Semperoper - who made me aware of ballet through her tweet back in September during Semperoper Open Day, which will be on Sunday, 11th of September this year - be sure to come as there is more ballet to be seen, I am pretty sure of that) -

MDR Figaro
Tanznetz
Musik in Dresden

Matinee der Palucca Hochschule: Today's children are ruling tomorrow's world

It's a bit weird to think that our little children are ruling the world, but this is the truth! In a few years they will physically have the power to decide of their future and of our future. This process, however, is already in progress.

Parents and society always work to create good enviroments for children, what about working to create good children for enviroments? (with enviroments I do not mean nature only but all the different aspects of society).

26/06/2011 Sunday morning - Semperoper. The Palucca Hochschule fuer Tanz has it's annual performance. The Semperoper is full, parents, relatives, friends and curious people are all there to see the show.

The students of the Palucca Hochschule are children and teenagers, not proper adults yet, but we all expect to see a great performance. To be honest the pieces to perform are not so easy!

What we are going to see on stage, it's what in future we will expect from them. They will improve their abilities and make lot of experiences, in the country and abroad, but the seed is already there, in their heart, in their soul. They are already living the future. Their way to move and behave is the mirror of what is to come in a few years. What does it mean? Well, something very easy: if we guide our children towards arts (figurative and/or performing), if we teach them the love for the Beauty, the value to work in a team and to feel a team, we will build their future and give them the correct tools to improve it and live life fully.

This is not an easy task, requires time, hard work, many efforts and waivers but the result is excellent as all the students of the Palucca Hochschule showed us.

At the end of almost two hours performance no one of them looked tired, sad or unsatisfied. They all looked happy for the work done as single dancer and as team and this general satisfying feeling could be felt by the audience. Lots of unending applauses called them back on stage many times. All the times they came back with a wider smile stamped on their faces.

Congratulations to the students, all very talented. Congratulations to the rector Prof. Jason Beechey and to the teachers for the excellent work done. Congratulations to the parents that made this possible (it's not easy today to teach children to love arts and to help them to live their dreams). Congratulations to all the people who help these children to go on and who encouraged them when they most needed support.

The base of adult life is build since we are children as we saw last Sunday morning at Semperoper.

Cinderella: Who says it is only for children?

25/06/2011 afternoon. Sitting in Semper 2 diretcly in the scene, I patiently wait that Cinderella starts, not knowing exactly what it's expecting me! A string on the floor delineates the space in front of me, separating the audience from the stage, a kindly request to leave the space free. A few minutes of patience and all will start I repeat in my mind...just a few minutes more and you will be guided in a new dimension, a fairy-tale demension. Actually, looking around me, I'm not the only adult here. Most of the audience is made by grown-ups. Is this Cinderella a fairy-tale for adults?

The lights are switched off, the show starts!

Three funny dancers appear on stage: they are the Stepmother and the two Stepsisters. They move like one mind in three bodies, through their excellent dancing abilities they express feelings and emotions (I always find interesting to see how dancers give voice to emotions without saying one word but using only body and mimic, not and easy job I must say!Congratulations to Raphael Coumes-Marquet -Stepmother - Claudio Cangialosi and Jon Vallejo - Stepsisters - for the great job done). This trio made me really laugh and brought me back to my childhood when all around seemed to be easy and "normal".

Copyright: Costin Radu

Then Cinderella come on scene, a beautiful and excellent dancer (Anna Merkulova). Ralf told me she is good and after seeing her dancing with my own eyes, I can only confirm she really is. Light in movements and able to communicate emotions, she made my heart beat and stop beating according to the "moment" she brought on stage.

All the show lasted one hour but to me it seemed like one day, I felt into the action and lived phisycally the turn of day and night.

All dancers made a great job! Congratulation!

What more...great scenography made of few items, leaving enough room to the performance. Lovely the funny wig weared by the Stepmother and the Stepsisters, it helped them to enter into the role.

Beautiful music, loving Tchaikovsky it could not be different!

I really enjoyed the show and at the end of it I can say that Cinderella is a fairy-tale for adults too. The desires, feelings and emotions performed on stage are part of our daily life. When we are children we do not have eyes to see them, too ingénue for them but once we become adults we recognize them and we can choose which role we want to play on the life stage, if Stepmother/Stepsister or Cinderella.

Wochenende in Dresden - wunderbare Stunden

Finally it came after so long wait.

A few days in Dresden, visiting the city and of course attending a Ballet and Oper performance at the Semperoper.

I start with the Friday performance:

3 Colors Green:

Copyright: Costin Radu

The first piece is "Emeralds": As the name reads, the green Emeralds are on stage, first part of the Jewels choreography created by George Balancine (I already have written my impressions on this ballet as I saw it twice at La Scala). I love the sweet music and the soft movements of the dancers. Fauré's music is fantastic!

The second piece is "She was black". A completely modern piece, very different from Emeralds, simple and elegant choreography by Mats Ek. I already "met" him last year. At Teatro Verdi - Salerno the Italian Etoile Roberto Bolle performed Giselle (one of Mats Ek's most known pieces in Italy). The main theme was then love and madness.

Copyright: Costin Radu

Today Mats Eks' theme is TIME. Subjective and objective time. The way we feel it and we see it moving around us. On one side there is our personal perception of it, on the other side the Time with no feelings, no worries, no needs. Sometimes our subjective perception maches perfectly with the objective Time, but more often this does not happen. Is it not the same in our daily life?

In this "space" life runs from birth to death.

The "She was Black" of the title is exactly the Death. No one centimeter of skin can be seen, completely covered by black tights. Like a ghost it moves on stage, observing and interacting with the dancers daily life. For all the time of the performance no one knows if Death is male or female, only at the very end we discovered it was female. Like a mother gives birth, she takes life back.

Another figure hit me. A male dancer wearing an almost completely red dress with only one leg black. He (Raphaël Coumes-Marquet) dances always alone and always on his tips. He has never contact with the other dancers and he also moves like a ghost on stage.

The colour of the costumes caught also my interest. All male dancers dress completely in black, like the Death. On the female dresses, like on Raphaël's dress, the two colours (red and black) combine together, like to state that in life nothing is all black or red (white).

Copyright: Costin Radu

And now I come to the third piece: "Artifact Suite" by William Forsythe. A modern piece too. Also for this piece the Time is the main theme but in a competely different way. It is the beat and the backbeat to rule the game. The ballet assembly makes the choreography together with a few lights. A female in white tights guides all dancers on stage like puppets.

Two or three couples dance in the main role but there is no coordination among them. It is like if they cannot hear the music or if they feel it in a very personal way.

Only when the female or the male dancers dance alone on stage the perfect balance is reached, they move in a perfect coordination in the main role.

To cut the scene, like a sharp knife, the curtain goes up and down in the first part of the ballet.

All pieces were amazingly beautiful. I cannot say I liked one more than another. They all gave me strong feelings and opened my mind to new ideas and perceptions. Like everytime I attend a performance (Oper or Ballet), what is performed on stage touches my soul and makes me feel like if my body has no boundaries, a fantastic feeling, inexplicable.

So ended my first great evening at Semperoper.

My impressions on Rusalka (Opera) will come soon.

Mindshaking or Mindblowing - good question!

Tuesdays are in a way special, after starting off the week smoothly after the weekend, this day often inhibits surprising changes in life. So also yesterday when attending a public meeting where Rector Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen gave notice about the actual stand of DRESDENconcept and what its benefits for students may be. Despite the fact the second largest hall at HSZ (Fritz-Förster-Platz) probably roughly 500-600 only 50 students and myself found their way - what has not reached the public mind?

Quite similar patterns happen when looking at the Semperoper, and especially its ballet ensemble Semperoper Ballett - when I talk to people (not the ones who are already opera enthusiastic one) I often get the answer, "Too expensive. I don't get a ticket. Old fashioned. I need expensive and exclusive clothing to get in. What does it give me?"

Do these believes still hold true as many of the non-attending students in the afternoon at TU Dresden may have thought things are still the same as they used to be?

Anyway, I again took the chance to go for last minute tickets (luckily I live nearby so a 5-minute-walk is not a big deal, even if I would not get a ticket). Yesterday "3 Colors Green" (for the Twitter fans there is the hashtag #3ColorsGreen or more general #Semperoper) with its second performance  - and as always, I am in :-).

A ballet evening with three quite different pieces by Georges Balanchine, Mats Ek, and William Forsythe was on the program. This time and a more general audience, quite different to the première audience, yet as the evening should show as enthusiastic and ballet loving.

This time I focus on the larger picture and won't go into details on specific dancers - this will follow in my third review (after the Friday performance); I have written a short review directly after the première on Friday, 20th of May in Facebook.

Copyright: Costin Radu

First piece - George Balanchine's "Smaragde" - very traditional - customers with lots of sparkling stones - lovely semi-transparent stage space cover with over-sized smaragdes

It was like the crowd tuned in and followed the show, connected in mind with the known ballet pieces they had probably seen in the past. The break then offered some clarification by friends I met, "It's nothing special. Pretty slow. Looking forward to the next piece."

What was going on? They had seen a piece which connected pretty much with what they had known from the past. Nothing new they were emotionally shaken or didn't understand otherwise. So it was in way a "downloading" into old and known pattern of thinking/ seeing.

Copyright: Costin Radu

Second piece - Mats Ek's "She was black | Sie war schwarz" - the stage layout had been changed - pretty normal looking clothes - "strange" moves of the first two dancers on stage - music from loudspeakers - no time to applaud - subtile signs that triggered thinking, questions

... while the audience kept quite over the whole course of the performance, this energy flowed towards the dancers in massive applause, whistles, and "Bravo" shouting (I didn't count the rise and fall of the curtain, but more than three (!) times I'd say). This was mind-shaking, as the unexpected moves and figures of the dancers definitely opened up people's minds (unintentionally probably more than they felt). 

The "provoking moment" of arts was right then and there!

Copyright: Costin Radu

Third piece - William Forsythe's "Artifact Suite - Neufassung" - modern costumes - minimalistic layout on stage - mainly driven by light installation - geometric patterns - cutting off view by closing the curtain several times (and rearrange the setting of dancers on stage) - almost the complete ballet company on stage

After the mind-shaking middle-piece this again brought the mind again into steady and stabile flow - and still the thoughts were moving sort of "turbo-charged" - an interesting feeling. 

What can be learned by this evening and perhaps a proposal for future ballet goers who really want to take something out of the evening (lasting longer than the performance itself)?

1. Take the unexpected (even though you don't know what is coming) - Semperoper stands for high quality, a go is never a loss
2. Take friends with you or actively seek for them when strolling around the hallways in the breaks (conversations always clarifies some personal views or misunderstandings, and it gives a variety of other views of what the pieces may remind other persons of)
3. If you are working class (with a regular job) try to take off a half-day the following day in order to bring the built up emotional energy into output (either personal things or projects you are sort of stuck at work)

For the students which I mentioned in the beginning the above would flow into the following:

• take the chance to learn about unknown things (where no grades are behind (!))
• dare to run for evening ticket booth (write on Twitter with hashtag #Semperoper  - in order to meet other folks, either students or visitors)
• go through a phase where you feel uneasy and emotions almost taking over (but you can't leave in the middle of the piece); the outcome may be more positively outcoming than you ever expected.

... did I grab your interest to learn more about what ballet is capable of?

.... was sonst noch so passiert

Habe ich doch soeben festgestellt, dass die letzten Beiträge ausschließlich mit der Semperoper bzw. dem Semperoper Ballett zu tun hatten. Möge jetzt jeder annehmen, dass ich nur noch in Kunst unterwegs bin. Doch weit gefehlt.

Vernetzung von Kunst, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft - das ist, was mich wirklich wirklich treibt!

Vor einigen Minuten wurde ich Freunden aus Serbien via Facebook "gefunden". 1991 waren wir mit zwei Dutzend Studenten aus Italien, Deutschland, Türkei, Italien, England, Griechenland, Jugoslawien, Spanien, Frankreich, Belgien, u.v.m. zum Studienpraktikum in Athen. Alle in einem über die Semesterferien "verwaisten" Studentenwohnheim an der Hauptausfallstraße zum Flughafen untergebracht. Die erste Nacht war an Schlaf nicht zu denken, die nächsten sechs Wochen ging's sogar ohne Ohropax und bei geöffnetem Fenster.

Schon damals faszinierte mich die Vielfalt der Kulturen auf engem Raum. Wir unternahmen nach unserer täglichen Arbeitszeit und am Wochenende viele Ausflüge in die Umgebung und auch zum nahen "Souflaki Place" - einem Ort wo wir alle zu Europäern wurden.

War es das, was mir so im Gedächtnis blieb und mich im Herbst so vom Semperoper Ballett anzog, als ich gebannt gar nicht mehr den Trainingssaal verlassen mochte? Ein Mikrokmos von Global Citizens right in the city being the boundary community between the audience and the real world around us.

Wenn Menschen zusammenkommen, oft physisch und an einem Ort, geschehen Dinge, die man nicht vorhersehen kann. Doch wieviel mehr kann geschehen wenn sich dies mit dem "globalen Raum" des Web in unterschiedlicher Prägung verbindet?

Manche nennen es CoWorking, ich nenne es zusammenbringen, was zusammengehört :)

PS.: With the words of the Blues Brothers, "We are on a mission from God to bring the band together!"

A Sweet Spell of Oblivion - Zukunft aus der Gegenwart

Ein süsser Zauber des Vergessens [English Translation]

Eine Ode an den Tanz und die Tänzer

"Es gibt Momente, in denen die Vergangenheit neben uns steht
und sich die Gegenwart für eine kurze Zeit in ihr spiegeln darf. In
einem solchen Augenblick vermischt sich Vergangenes mit Ver-
gänglichem zu einer neuen Existenz, immer auch die Ahnung ei-
ner Zukunft in sich tragend."

Michaela Angelopoulos, Textheft "Drei Farben Weiß"

Ballet öffnet die Zukunftsfenster unseres Denkens, dessen wir uns
nicht bewusst werden können (ohne äußere Impulse). Ergreifen wir
diese in dem sich ergebenden Augenblick werden wir oft selbst von
unserer Courage überrascht. Otto Scharmer, Entwickler von Theory U,
Forscher am MIT und Gründer des Presencing Institute hätte es nicht
besser ausdrücken können.

Die Fragen, die im Raum stehen: 

• In welcher Weise lassen sich die individuellen Wahrnehmungen solcher Augenblicke gemeinschaftlich verbinden?
• Was wird möglich wenn dies geschieht (selbst wenn es nur eine Handvoll Personen betrifft?
• Welcher Raum/ "Container" (wie es in der Organisationsentwicklung heißt) benötigt es?

Bayadère - Personal Leadership on Stage

Yesterday afternoon I read a tweet by István Simon about his second show as Solor with Natalia Sologub as Nikija in Bayadère. Being a "last minute man" going with the flow I tried the very last minute tickets (in my Tevas, just coming back from shopping - which made me feel a bit awkward amongst the people in fine robes) and was lucky (and off I went for changing for trousers and jacket - living just across the street does make that possible ;-)).

Seeing after Coppélia my second story-driven ballet, this time arranged by Aaron S. Watkin,  ballet director of Semperoper. Also this time I knew the main characters in advance and had seen other work of István at the "Inner Voice" played at Albertinum in October last year.

Always stunned by how the humming audience is silenced the moment the announcement for shutting off mobile phones. The start in the story followed a real dramaturgic approach: slow in the beginning, tuning in for the dancers and the orchestra as well. Not sure why I look so sensitively but that is probably what my passion and skill is in general. This helps a lot in understanding the emerging processes in any disciplinary, may it be a production line at an automotive manufacturer, creating a CoWorking space, or just observing the emergence of a new technology within given processes.

Photo: Ian Whalen

István and Natalia (see on left at rehearsal) certainly had some role models in my head that they "compared" to: Jiří Bubeničeck (video interview by New York City Ballet on Facebook) and Yumiko Takeshima, both some of Semperoper's principal dancers. One could clearly see the development over the course of the play that night. In the first act an almost missed grip (at least I had the feeling to sense that) by István caused some "ahs" and "ohs" in the audience. Remembering situations on the field playing Ultimate Frisbee, when someone drops the disc - the real mental strength of people emerges in situations like that. István and Natalia not only managed to get across that situation but improved immensely till the end.

Again it was worth going into the unknown field of ballet - always positive surprises that the Semperoper Ensemble (singers, dancers, orchestra players) provide. THANK YOU ALL!!!

• Good: experiencing the high-level dancing and mental leadership (taking an error in performance as an accelerator for going beyond the possible), standing ovations for the "new" dance pair István and Natalia, the "Kingdom of Shades" with stunning dancers of the ballet ensemble (time could have been definitely longer - it was lovely to watch and analyze the perfection)
• Tricky: some seats are definitely not for tall people like me (how about mentioning the suitable ones on the seat plan?), feeling a bit absurd with bare feet (in Tevas) buying the ticket
• Learned: believe in yourself and go for the best (there is always more than you achieved till today (!))
• Action: taking István's experience (learning from (tiny) mistake at stage performance) for own life. "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined" - Henry David Thoreau

PS.: Thanks to Ian Whalen for always being a great source of stunning ballet photographies! Actually he danced yeasterday as well in the corps de ballet.

PPS.: Short video sequence of Natalia Sologub and István Simon in La Bayadère

Cinderella - Aschenputtel - Aschenbrödel ... three names one story

What could be nicer than attracting friends to a field of art that is for most of us situated only on the large stages of the operas such as Semperoper and somewhat out of scope (so to say)? Starting with the premiere of "Dido and Aeneas" Semper 2 now is attracting a wide range of newcomers and opera lovers. Always a pleasure to see age range from 10 to 80, newcomers and fans alike!

This time the 4th premiere on this cozy stage, just holding 200 seats, in a -you'd think boring-looking- cubicle was coming up with the ballet "Cinderella". Guest choreographer Stijn Celis had adapted the fairy tale with the music by Sergej Prokofjew and others to a one-hour show, which should certainly open some surprises - as the audience experienced pretty soon. For me the first surprise happened minutes before the start - but that's another story, which worked out fine. Patience is what is needed in tough looking situations, as "Cinderella" had to go through later on as well.

Off we go!

First protagonists on stage three man-looking women ("Hm, wasn't it a stepmother with two stepsisters?"). This was the moment to set the mind into gear, recalling the story on mind, racing back in time to the brother Grimm's fairy tale or the famous "3 Nüsse für Aschenbrödel" (a great czechoslovakian movie from the 70's which actually was filmed close by to Dresden, around Schloss Moritzburg). Again and again the ballet plays out surprises with a well-set choreography that -on purpose- leads the audience's minds through the story, sometimes on totally derailed thought routes.

George Hill as stepmother was just as hilarious as "her" two "daughters" (played by Claudio Cangialosi [main protagonist at "Silent Spring" a few weeks earlier] and Jón Vallejo [Franz in "Coppélia" together with Anna Merkulova as Copéllia]). A great compliment to the make-up artists, as this was just created beautifully!

A good start into the story, as the audience eased into to the flow of the story, and minds free to take the action on stage, actually right in front of some visitors (as seating goes well on the very edge of the stage, actually there is no stage, everybody is sitting or playing on the same ground - which makes it a very special feeling, and one "field").

Photo: Costin Radu

When Anna Merkulova appeared on stage in the role of Cinderella she struck again with her strong pantomimic expression, which made once again another shift in the setting that night. Now two counterparts on stage: the natural Cinderella versus the "artificial" stepsisters (which stands for the constraints in life, the struggles everyone of us encounters every day in life).

Being almost part of the play the audience was completely entrenched and part of the play on stage - amazing what can be achieved when it's not world of acting on stage and audience rather a combined "social field" in the room which the dancers had made possible in the first place.

The general take-away from this beautiful evening: life is always a surprise and one has to keep the hands open to capture the love (and personal vision) that arrives often out of the "blue".

• Good: A big THANK YOU to the whole team especially Anna Merkulova and Guy Albouy (on stage and behind the scenes [there are always surprises, like the snow flakes coming from top, one would not expect that moment], beautiful story setting (Stijn Celis) and costumes (Catherine Voeffray), audience being almost part of the play (sitting along the four walls), a crisp story wonderfully told by all the protagonists, new faces and friends.
• Tricky: Personally bound too much on the "3 Nüsse für Aschenbrödel" story - had to let go get in the flow of "Cinderella".
• Learned: I like the short performances a lot, as they enable to condense the essentials of the play and its implications to one's own world and experience much easier also through the closeness to the actors and dancers during the play.
• Action: Applying Cinderella's view of life even more in own life, enjoy and let the future come.

3 Farben Weiß / 3 Colors White - Dedicated to the people of Japan!

The sun is shining bright and innocently into the room here in Dresden. A beautiful day is going to start so it seems - and yet this is just locally felt. Other parts of the world, such as Japan where people suffer the aftermaths of the earthquake and the adjacent impacts, feel the other side of nature. A week ago the troubles in Japan really started to go beyond imagination. Even with the experience of the flood here in Dresden in 2002 there is no real imagination of what people really suffer in Japan right at that moment. The past week feels like a century as so much and unbelievable has happened.

I'd like to share my thoughts and how it connects to the Semperoper and my passion for it that has evolved over the past six months.

A while ago I got some tickets for the public ballet training a week ago. A great chance to experience the "field" of the ballet training space as on Semperoper Open Day in September 2010. Anne, a true ballet and Semperoper fan joined me last Saturday on the last training for "3 Colors White". We enjoyed it very much - not really knowing the extent of the disaster in Japan. Seeing the dancers was like being at Semper2 where "Young Choreographers" took place a while ago. Being almost a part of the action as audience gives you a quite different sense what it really means to dance and bring the emotions towards the crowd. Aaron S. Watkin, Ballet Director of Semperoper, invited everybody after the training session to come to the 2011 premiere of "3 Colors White" the following Friday. On that Saturday, the earthquake and tsunami had hit the Japanese East coast. Thoughts raced round the globe to be with the Japanese people as the flooding of the Elbe and the rivers coming down from the mountains flashed back to my mind.

Friday morning shortly before 8 AM the radio moderator on MDR Figaro, a local music station focusing on music arts, announced a short interview with someone of the Semperoper Ballet Ensemble from Japan. My awareness rose and something hit me (I can't explain what it really was, some spark stayed in my head) - which followed my mind the coming hours. In the Semperoper Ballet Ensemble a small Japanese community of six dancers represent a culture so far and yet so close. One of them, Kanako Fujimoto, appeared in a short interview about her personal situation concerning the events in Japan. One could sense that she was definitely with her thoughts in Japan and on the other hand she felt that dancing is the best way at present she can help her people back home.

Feeling helpless myself in these times seeing disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti or the revolutions down in Northern Africa. Other than back in 2002 when I was in Dresden when the flood hit the city, it is much more difficult as an "outsider" to put your own strengths into action. My passion is about networking and leveraging knowledge across boundaries, mostly using conversations and use of communication tools. I love to be amongst diverse cultures and how they interact together. That is what has driven me to become a fan of the Semperoper Ballet and the Semperoper in general - a global multicultural microcosmos in the city of Dresden. At the end of the interview it was stated that the evening show of "3 Colors White" would be especially dedicated to the people of Japan in these tough times.

These thoughts followed me all day until I decided to give it a try and go for last minute tickets. 90 minutes before opening I was 5th in row in front of the main door. Seeing familiar faces - the card sellers on the place (reminded me somehow of my 1993 opera visit when getting a ticket was only possible through this way) and going through the very special process of "standing in line" which seems to be working England but not in Germany ;-) Got a ticket and awaited the evening - as always a booklet with the program and this time an introduction into the evening followed.

The program consisted of three quite different parts "A Sweet Spell of Oblivion", "Spazio-Tempo", "Diamonds" (where I saw Elena Vostrotina and Raphaël Coumes-Marquet again, this time not in training clothes as a week ago).

It was amazing to see the dramaturgic setting of the three pieces. "A Sweet Spell of Oblivion" only with piano and Bach music. The stage picture resembling somewhat of a membrane between the now and the coming future with a tunnel-effect. It reminded me of being drawn into the future, where nature is sort of deciding what's next for humanity. Quite still and calm this was the moment for tuning in the audience for what was going to come.

After the break Jacopo Godani's "Spazio-Tempo" opened new lanes of thinking, breaking the conventional thinking of the audience. Computer sound and abrupt tempi changes really challenged the audience. You could feel the uneasiness and the shift in the "field". The following applause and lots of whistles (was it just the fan crowd in the audience, or more? Pretty sure there is a growing fan community of the Semperoper Ballet especially after their performances in Albertinum and Gläserne Manufaktur lately). Jiří Bubeníček and Yumiko Takeshima took the whole team with them and one could feel the energy flow - everything looked so easy. It may be that when it looks easy you happen to see masters at play - this was one of these moments!

The third part "Diamonds" by George Balanchine, really got back the mood into "Ahs, and Ohs" when the new and with oversized diamonds set stage picture was revealed. When music of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden sounded, the crowd really was fascinated and again connected to their expected opera experience.

So a great evening moved on and memories stick - still thinking about connections of thought I took from it (will write on separate post soon).

To finish up the four questions:

• Good: Jacopo Godani, 48nord, "Spazio-Tempo", got a ticket, seeing different ballet pieces in the evening
• Tricky: forgot to take the music journal with me
• Learned: stay in conversation with people who come for being in the Semperoper (the beautiful building) yet not see the deeper learning experiences when seeing deeper into the process of what is happening on stage
• Action: has been taken in form of writing down first thoughts

PS.: My deep thoughts are with the Japanese of the ensemble and all people of Japan in these tough times.

Cooling down with Hot Stuff

Copyright: Wikipedia

Tonight off to Gläserne Manufaktur, the car manufacturing plant in the middle of Dresden. Just a short ride by tram away from Semperoper, and yet centuries ahead (in terms of building concept). But why go there at 9 PM? To watch cars being made?
Not quite, as you might guess ;-)

"Silent Spring", the second performance of Semperoper Ballett in the cycle "On the Move" where the Semperoper Ballett performs at different venues outside their "normal playground" has been on tonight.

Eager to what expect. Memories raced back to October 2009 when Gläserne Manufaktur hosted the 2nd World Culture Forum. Culture as the enabler of change and economic prosperity was to topic back then. Still inherent within the building, in a way haunting and calling for more - which certainly has happened tonight. So wandering shortly around getting the invisible voices of the building and what might come on the following minutes - tuning in!

Istvan Szabo, Principal guest artist of Hungarian National Ballet Company, already gave on Twitter some info about an interview with Tim Couchman, the maker of tonight's piece. Pre-info on such a performance is always good, as I have learned as an emerging learner of ballet (and opera in general). And as ballet in Dresden is going way beyond the normal, the interview was taken by one of the protagonists tonight, Ian Whalen.

Taking this vast and open space, pretty different to the dense "living-room like" Semper 2, or the Semperoper itself, challenged the whole crowd -performers and audience alike - to keep the energy focused on spot. The wonderful lightning by Ted Meier, kept all insight, energy, joy, feelings, and emotions. Amazing what lightning can add to performances - and in a way light is SPRING, and SILENT as well ;-)

Even though the main part of the performance was based on Igor Strawinsky's "Le sacre de printemps" (just a small surprise added by myself), Robert Henke's "Piercing Music" started the crowd off into a journey of surprises (of which I won't tell all in the following - there is a slight chance to check yourself tomorrow, if you haven't got a ticket). Another excellent move to tune the crowd into the emerging evening as the music pretty much reminding of Star Trek and other SciFi movies such as "War Games" (which by some coincidence had opened up a couple of hours earlier while chatting with a flatmate while installing a dishwasher for the WG). In the middle of stage rubber boots and winter jackets piled up (as some pile of firewood) - and one could almost feel the raising frowns in people's minds, "What is this going to be?"

And as the sound carpet was lowering so much that the air-condition almost took over  - the tension rose.

... the inevitable opened up: REAL ACTION

Copyright: Matthias Creutziger

The dancing out of the winter could begin - with the jackets and rubber boots emerging in quite energetic dwarfs dancing like howling dervishs. The fairy tale of Rumpelstiskin came instantly to my mind, and a conversation on Facebook earlier this morning on tacit knowledge. Exactly this kind of surprises happen when touched by overtaking emotions - and ballet is certainly a way to encourage this.

.... and now the rest of the show just relax and enjoy - no more details ;-)

Copyright: Matthias Creutziger

Just another photo to give a glimpse of what you can expect tomorrow

PresencingStatus in short:

• Good: excellent and suitable venue, thrilled dancers, the youngsters (Elevenprogramm) "pulled" by the energetic team (working together of different age generations), short distance to stage (!), the lightning, diversity of audience (in age and place of origin).
• Tricky: my somewhere in the middle of nowhere caught cold a few days ago (which hindered a bit to express my wished appreciation - felt like at past Ultimate Frisbee tournaments when my team made through the finals).
• Learned: everything is somehow connected with everything else (mostly not directly seen, only in the right moment and incentive the connection become apparent).
• Action: looking forward to public ballet training with Semperoper Ballett next Saturday, 12th of March (one ticket to share - you'll find me on the Web ;-)).

PS.: In case you wondered about the headline - I had a good cup of tea starting the writing off :-)

Coppélia -Life is a Surprise

Parkett rechts, Tür D - links neben mir Smalltalk auf Russisch, rechts "Wie krieg' ich bloß mein Handy aus?"

Foto: Costin Radu

Am vergangenen Mittwoch auf zu "Coppélia"durch den Zwingerpark. Am Zwingerteich entlang entschleunigten sich bereits meine Gedanken in Erwartung auf das Kommende. Semperoper Ballett auf Facebook hatte bereits so manchen anregenden Clip eingestellt und meine Erinnerungen an den Tag der Offenen Tür tauchen vor meinem geistigen Auge auf. Damals waren die riesigen Teekannen noch im Rohbau in den Werkstätten zu sehen - es kann nicht hoch genug gelobt werden, was darin für eine Handwerkskunst drinsteckt.

Kaum bin ich in der Semperoper an diesem Abend umfängt mich auch schon eine ganz besondere Stimmung. Etwas Besonderes liegt in der Luft. Sollte ich doch etwas ausführlicher meine Sinne schärfen? Ein "Tuning In"? Ein lockeres neugieriges Wandeln durch die Gänge, Aufsaugen der Stimmung und Gesprächsfetzen, (eventuell) bekannte Gesichter treffen, das ist, was ich die kommenden Minuten mache. Komme mir vor wie ein Orchestermusiker, der sein Instrument stimmt, nur kann niemand "hören" wie ich mein "Aufmerksamkeitsinstrument" stimme.

Dieser Abend sollte ein Abend der Überraschungen werden. Anders als in der Premiere tanzten, wie dem Programmheft zu entnehmen war (übrigens immer ein Muss, dieses sich vorher zu besorgen (!)), Anna Merkulova (Svanhilda) und  Jón Vallejo (Franz). Ein kurzer Blick ins Heft, und die Sache war klar: Franz und Swanhilda ein Paar, Franz verliebt sich in Coppélia, die Tochter von Dr. Coppélius (Ralf Arndt). Dieser ist ein etwas schrulliger Erfinder, niemand in der Stadt weiß so genau, was er eigentlich macht. Swanhilda merkt selbstverständlich, dass Franz' Augen einer anderen zugeneigt sind. Franz hingegen scheint "blind" zu sein. Kommt uns das nicht irgendwie bekannt vor? Etwas Besonderes entsteht direkt vor unseren Augen, und wir nehmen es nicht wahr. Es kann die Liebe unseres Lebens sein, eine zukünftige Geschäftschance, oder einfach eine Idee, deren Zeit gekommen ist. Loslassen von Gedanken, die uns in bekannten Mustern gefangen halten wäre das Gebot der Stunde. Wie sollten wir anders die größeren Zusammenhänge erkennen? Hören wir in solchen Momenten guten Freunden zu? Oder braucht es andere Impulse? 

Aus anderem Kontext bekannt scheinende Melodien ("Woher kenn' ich sie bloß?") von Léo Delibes lassen mich langsam in das Geschehen eintauchen. Der allseits verbindende Faktor ist Dirigent Paul Connelly, der die Handlung auf der Bühne mit dem Publikum zu einem schlüssigen Ganzen verspinnt. Immer wieder wird er als wallender Kopf aus dem Orchestergraben zu erspähen sein, in Vertretung für das Orchester, das im Verborgenen bleibt. Swanhilda wird zum Dreh- und Angelpunkt des weiteren Geschehens auf der Bühne, beschleunigt durch ihre kindliche Neugier. Anna Merkulova, spielt die Rolle der enttäuschten und doch unendlich neugierigen Swanhilda grandios und mit schelmischen Können - zeitweise fühle ich mich wie im Kabarett. Wer sie nochmals sehen möchte, am 23. Februar spielt sie erneut in Coppélia.

Foto: Costin Radu

Liebe entfesselt oft ungeahnte Kräfte und verdrängt Angst vor dem Unbekannten und so erkunden Svanhilda und ihre Freundinnen neugierig das Studierzimmer von Dr. Coppélius (nachdem sie den Schlüssel vor seinem Haus fanden). Svanhilda findet rasch heraus, was es mit Coppélia auf sich hat: es ist nur eine Puppe. Doch halt, kommt da nicht Dr. Coppélius zur Tür herein? Zu allem Überfluss hat sich auch Franz in das Innere des Studierzimmers aufgemacht - doch über das traditionelle "Fensterln". Verdammt, an leises Verschwinden nicht zu denken. Also rein in die Kleidung und Coppélia gespielt - Anna Merkulova überzeugt nicht nur durch Tanz, ausdrucksvoll mimt sie die lebendig werdende Coppélia während ihr Franz leblos auf der Bank liegt. Irgendwie alles recht unheimlich, und schwupps ist da der Gedanke: geht es uns nicht oft auch so? Um uns herum geschehen Dinge, die uns irgendwie betreffen und doch sind wir nicht sicher, dass wir sie wissen möchten. Wir weichen aus und lassen das Umheimliche hinter uns (nur dass es uns oft dann doch mit Verzögerung einholt). Wie ist es mit den Themen Social Media, Entwicklung von Mensch-Maschine, Biotech, und Ähnlichem? Schrecken wir da nicht erst zurück und versuchen uns da rauszuhalten? Ist das wirklich machbar? Swanhilda und ihre Freundinnen haben Dr. Coppélius' merkwürdiges Studierzimmer und seine Automaten-Menschen sowie die vielen Bücher und Requisiten gesehen. Werden sie das Wissen für sich behalten? Oder doch Freunden weitererzählen? In Zeiten wie diesen werden die Neugierigen Svanhildas dieser Welt mit sicherem Blick das Neue ergründen. Doch wird es die Liebe zu denjenigen, die sich nicht so sicher fühlen in den neuen Gefilden, bedürfen gemeinsam zu lernen, was es heißt die Zukunft zu meistern.

Svanhilda und Franz finden wieder zu einander, Franz erkennt, dass er einem Trugbild aufgesessen war und so wird im 3. Akt anständig und mit großem Getöse Hochzeit gefeiert. Alles gut so scheint es. Doch eine Sache habe ich noch vergessen zu erwähnen. Es ist schon auf dem Weg nach Hause durch den Zwinger. Hinter mir läuft eine der jungen Tänzerinnen von der Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden mit ihren Eltern. Sie zu ihrer Mutter, "Du Mutti, weißt Du die anderen haben an einer Stelle falsch getanzt. Das konnte ich nicht mitmachen. Da hab' ich einfach richtig weiter getanzt und dann sind die anderen doch wirklich mir gefolgt mit den Schritten." - wenn das mal nicht Courage ist! Hut ab (den ich nicht mehr besitze) vor soviel Mut auf der Bühne. Schmunzelnd gehe ich weiter und genieße den Abend.

Fast zum Schluss noch eine Kleinigkeit, die mir die ganze Zeit durch den Kopf ging: warum toste nach fast jedem Solo der Beifall durch die Ränge? Sollte ich etwas missverstanden haben? Klatscht man nicht am Ende des Aktes oder Konzertstücks? Weit gefehlt, bei Ballett lauten die ungeschriebenen Regeln anders. Faszinierend in diesem Zusammenhang ist zu bemerken, dass sich die Tänzer wie auch die Orchestermusiker nach diesen Unterbrechungen mit Leichtigkeit wieder ins Spiel zurückfanden - als ob nichts gewesen wäre.

Ganz zum Schluss noch die obligatorischen vier kurzen Fragen, auch PresencingStatus genannt: 

1. Was war gut? Gratulation an Anna Merkulova, die ihr Debüt bei Coppélia feierte und das Publikum in ihren Bann zog, und auch an Jón Vallejo (der einem Jiři Bubeníček durchaus ebenbürtig war); ein gradezu phantastisches Bühnenbild, das die Blickwinkel des Publikums jedes Mal auf's Neue herausforderte; die Bühnenillumination durch die Lichttechniker, die es vermochten immer wieder neue Stimmungen auf die Bühne zu zaubern; eine gelungene Integration der jungen Palucca Schülerinnen und Studentinnen; das zu beobachtete Vertrauen der Tänzer untereinander (insbesondere beim Auffangen des Partners aus der Luft) - wenn Chefs in Unternehmen auch solches Vertrauen in ihre Mitarbeiter haben!

2. Was war tricky? Nichts, wenn ich mich so recht entsinne, außer dass ich im Parkett der Einzige war, der Standing Ovations feierte und mächtig ins Schwitzen geriet (im Geiste muss ich wohl mitgetanzt haben, ansonsten kenne ich solche Schweißausbrüche nur vom Ultimate Frisbee oder bei Vorleseabenden); Ballett birgt tiefere Wahrheiten, die sich mir als Zuschauer erst nach und nach eröffnen (die alleinige Wahrnehmung von Tanz, Musik und Gestik und das Verstehen der Handlung alleine über diese Wahrnehmung ist eine echte Herausforderung, der man sich nicht oft im Alltagsleben stellen muss); wieder einmal die persönliche Komfortzone des Lernens und Verstehens verlassen - wofür ich dem Semperoper Ballett sehr dankbar bin!

3. Was habe ich gelernt? Stets naiv und ohne feste Erwartungen sich in Neues begeben;  die Verbindung zwischen traditionellem Ballett und den allgegenwärtigen Hightech-Entwicklungen in der Welt sind enger als gedacht (Dr. Coppélius hätte auch Ray Kurzweil heißen und Coppélia das Titelbild des aktuellen TIME MAGAZINE sein können); Jung und Alt lernen am besten gemeinsam (wunderbar, wie die jungen Tanzschülerinnen der Palucca Hochschule für Tanz einbezogen wurden und bestimmt eine Menge von den Profis lernten); Ballett ist mehr als nur Tanz (bedingt durch die "untypische" Ausdrucksweise ganz andere Assoziationen beim Zuschauer auslöst).

4. Next Action? "Junge Choreografen" in #Semper2  (unter diesem Kürzel auch auf Twitter zu finden) besuchen; mehr Ballett sehen und verstehen (!); weiterhin über Dinge schreiben, die scheinbar nicht zusammengehören - bei genauerem Hinsehen eröffnen sich stets neue und überraschende Denk- und Möglichkeitsräume; dringend wieder Märchen lesen.