Dance story
Ballett der Semperoper Dresden
Semperoper Ballett Dresden
Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin
New ballet director for the Semperoper Ballett starting with the 2024/25 season Kinsun Chan
Company Manager Adi Luick
Associate Choreographer, Stage Design David Dawson
The international artistic team and dancers making up Semperoper Ballett ensure the company’s brilliant reputation both in Dresden and around the world. With its Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin, the Semperoper Ballett is also making waves on the international ballet scene. British choreographer David Dawson is one of the leading dance makers working in classical ballet today. His choreographic style transforms classical ballet in new ways, and his signature works have been praised by critics and audiences.
William Forsythe has forged strong links with Semperoper Ballett since Aaron S. Watkin, a former soloist with the Frankfurt Ballett, took over as Artistic Director in 2006. Indeed, Aaron S. Watkin was put in charge of overseeing the transmission of pieces from the Frankfurt Ballett’s repertory to ballets all over the world, ranging from the Opéra de Paris to the Kirov Ballet in Saint Petersburg and the Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam. Born in Canada, and trained in classical dance, Aaron S. Watkin was also a dancer in Nacho Duato’s company in Madrid and was appointed Associate Artistic Director to the Victor Ullate Ballet in Madrid. He then went on to assist David Dawson at the Kirov Ballet, and Johan Inger at the Cullberg Ballet.
Performances organised by Mondigromax:
AN EVENING WITH WILLIAM FORSYTHE
Steptext
Choreography, stage, costume, and lighting design by William Forsythe
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Neue Suite
Choreography, stage, and lighting design by William Forsythe
Music by Handel, Berio, Thom Willems, and Johann Sebastian Bach
In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated
Choreography, stage, costume, and lighting design by William Forsythe
Music by Thom Willems
February 20 & 21, 2015
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
The program for the Liceu, Barcelona, William Forsythe portrait comprises three pieces: Steptext and In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, which went on to become part of Impressing the Czar, and figure in the Semperoper Ballett repertory. We then come to Neue Suite, specially conceived by William Forsythe for Semperoper Ballett and yet to be performed in Barcelona. The piece brings together a series of pas de deux that have left their mark on his work, set to music from Handel, Bach, and Berio, with the addition of extracts from Slingerland and New Sleep. The programme puts into perspective the deconstruction of classical vocabulary, testified to by the energy and fluidity of Steptext, set to the music of Bach, and In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated, which features music by Thom Willems. The sum total is a short, sharp dose of William Forsythe’s unique art.
Press quote
Brilliant, hypnotic, beautiful and electrifying was the dance of the Semperoper Ballett in “An Evening with William Forsythe”, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, on Friday night. The show nailed the audience to their seats, from minute one, intoxicated by the fluidity and richness of the choreographic phrases and the seductive stage game with which this artist seals his works. EL PAÍS
GISELLE
Ballet in two acts by David Dawson
November 8, 2010
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Press quote
A prodigy of sensitivity in the smallest flight of each gesture… LA VANGUARDIA
…magnificent and dynamic interpretation of each one of the dancers of the Semperoper Ballett. The choral work is overwhelming, and the individual takes the viewer’s breath away due to the feeling that exudes and the cascade of movement that motivates their dance. The rich choreographic phrases are unleashed at breakneck speed, creating a seductive contrast between classicism and modernity. EL PAÍS