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The rather imposing proposition of taking over the reigns from John Neumeier has fallen to Demis Volpi, who has brought fresh and explosive pieces into the repertoire at Hamburg.

Dominique Dumais ultimately seeks to address how humans long for contact and closeness, and explore the different meanings there can be behind a kiss.

There are many ways to tell the story of Giselle, and Demis Volpi’s version for Ballett am Rhein offers up more than the odd surprise.

The programme’s middle work sees a detour from Stravinsky, to the music of Richard Strauss, lending itself to more lyrical work and some respite from the drama it's sandwiched between.