On the Move

This evening unites three generations of choreographers and three distinct artistic styles, with pieces by Christian Spuck, Louis Stiens, and Hans van Manen.

Starting with the 2023/24 season, Christian Spuck will take over artistic direction of the Staatsballett Berlin. His departure marks the end of an era for the Ballett Zürich. Spuck has led the Ballett Zürich since 2012, and in his time here, he has turned it into one of Europe’s leading ballet companies. After 11 years and many successful productions together, he bids farewell to Zurich and his ensemble with this last choreography.

Louis Stiens’ dance home has been the Stuttgart Ballet since 2011. His first pieces were developed for the Stuttgart Noverre Gesellschaft, and he’s choreographed works for the Stuttgart Ballet numerous times. He debuted with the Junior Ballett with his piece Wounded in 2018, and now he returns to Zurich with a new piece. Set to large orchestral scores by Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy, Stiens questions the concept of nature in French Impressionism and transposes the isolated body, with its strengths and weaknesses, into a contemporary reflection of nature.

Hans van Manen is one of the legends of the late 20th century. He developed a dance language made up of an unmistakable blend of academic dance technique and his own distinctive stylistic elements. His efforts made him one of the most important innovators of classical ballet. His 90th birthday is celebrated on 11 July 2022. With On the Move, set to music from Sergei Prokofiev’s First Violin concerto, the Ballett Zürich adds an additional masterpiece by this Dutch choreographer to its repertoire. Created in 1992 for Nederlands Dans Theater, van Manen revised the piece in 2017. As in all of his works, On the Move looks at interpersonal relationships. Van Manen put it succinctly, when asked to comment on the piece: «Tension arises when people become aware of one another, especially in a pas de deux.»