[Saison 2013/2014] [Season 2013/2014] - sitesystem

Vorwort / Foreword
Richard Wherlock
Barbara Schneider
Straight to the Heart
Our aim in the work we do is to touch audience’s
hearts.
Without words, but visually stunning;
through the emotional medium of music that
is so closely linked to our art; in the language
of the body, which makes time and space its
own.
And this is also why this season’s first ballet
evening is called «Dance talks», a title that
could equally apply to the whole season. As in
previous years, I have invited guests to the
first ballet evening who will perform shows
with which they have already enjoyed major
successes abroad: Ed Wubbe – an old friend of
mine – will be showcasing his piece «Holland»,
which he choreographed for the Scapino Ballet
in Rotterdam and which is a tribute to the
aesthetics of dance in his homeland and a
homage to its cultural diversity and history.
And we will be performing the piece «CEL
Black Days» by the young Frenchman Jean-
Philippe Dury, which won first prize in
Madrid’s Talent Festival in 2013. I will also be
choreographing a show using a piece of music
that I’ve always enjoyed listening to and
always wanted to translate into dance. The
title? Straight to the Heart!
In December, Stephan Thoss will be creating
a brand new, full-length ballet for us. The
stars of his piece will be dance and love, which
as silent speakers, set our hearts and bodies in
motion and lure us over and over again into
hidden and unfamiliar territories. He says the
title «Love can dance» fell into his lap in Wiesbaden
like a beautiful but flightless bird.
«I now want to teach it to fly with the Basel
company, so that I can set it free in Basel in
December,» he says.
As he proved with his piece «Bluebeard’s
Secret», Thoss belongs to a generation of choreographers
who represent tradition and
innovation in equal measure. A mix I hold in
high regard. He approaches the figures in his
pieces from a psychological angle and develops
the chosen material meticulously and in
depth. His ballets always offer a personal and
unique view of events, while at the same time
featuring the very best in contemporary
dance techniques. We look forward to this collaboration.
In March we can look forward to being carried
away by the sounds of baroque music and
a story from the Old Testament. In Vivaldi’s
oratorio «Juditha triumphans», I will once
again be choreographing the story of a strong
female character in a narrative ballet. The
male and female dancers will be mingling on
stage with the all-female singers to tell the
story – through music and dance – of the beautiful
Jewish widow Juditha, who courageously
and selflessly enters the military camp of Holofernes
and decapitates the enemy as he lies in
a drunken stupor in his sleeping quarters.
And as in previous years, the end of the
season will see the return of the DanceLab,
where we give young artists a forum for creative
experimentation and a chance to choreograph
their own pieces. Over the past few
years the DanceLab evenings on the Kleine
Bühne have become a real crowd puller. The
pieces by the dancers from my company are
both inspiring and diverse, coming together to
ensure an exciting full-length event, that from
experience offers a broad spectrum of pieces,
from the exceptionally light-hearted to the
remarkably serious.
And because dance not only speaks to
audiences but also to the dancers themselves,
there will also be an education project this
season which aims to acquaint young people
with our art.
I hope that you too will be inspired by our
dance and I look forward to presenting our
work, which comes straight from the heart, in
the new season.
Yours,
Richard Wherlock
Director Ballett Basel
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Liebe Freundinnen
und Freunde des
Ballett Basel
Wieder blicken wir gespannt und mit Erwartungen
auf die neue Saison des Ballett Basel.
Diese Spielzeit wird die letzte sein unter
George Delnon als Direktor des Theater Basel.
Der neue Theaterdirektor Andreas Beck, der
das Haus ab August 2015 leiten wird, hat vor
wenigen Monaten bekanntgegeben, dass er
weiterhin mit Richard Wherlock als Direktor
der Sparte Tanz weiterarbeiten wird. Viele
Freundinnen und Freunde des Balletts haben
diese Nachricht mit grosser Freude und Dankbarkeit
entgegen genommen.
Das Ballett Basel wird auch in der nächsten
Saison unter Erfolgsdruck stehen. Dem sind wir
uns als Freundinnen und Freunde des Balletts
häufig nicht bewusst. Neben hervorragenden
Produktionen, die von den Medien hochgelobt
und vom Publikum begeistert aufgenommen
werden, spielt für die Direktion immer auch
eine Rolle, wie hoch die Aufführungen ausgelastet,
d.h. wie viele Tickets verkauft worden sind.
Das Ballett Basel ist auch in dieser Hinsicht sehr
erfolgreich, sind es doch über 78'000 Zuschauerbesuche
in den beiden zurück liegenden
Spielzeiten. Solche Zahlen sind nicht selbstverständlich.
Sie sind Ausdruck davon, dass der
Tanz am Theater Basel auf sehr hohem Niveau
gepflegt wird und dass die einzelnen Produktionen
mit grösster Sorgfalt erarbeitet, choreografiert
und getanzt werden. Nur solche Aufführungen
werden vom anspruchsvollen und verwöhnten
Publikum unserer Region besucht.
Neben der Auslastung zeugt aber auch die
Treue der Freundinnen und Freunde des Ballett
Basel davon, dass der Tanz am Theater Basel
einen hohen Stellenwert einnimmt. Die Basler
Ballett Gilde hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht,
die grosse Anzahl von Freundinnen und Freunden
des Tanzes anzusprechen, ihnen aufzuzeigen,
was eine Mitgliedschaft bei der bbg dem
Ballett und ihnen selbst bringt. Darum ist es uns
ein grosses Anliegen, unseren Mitgliedern
unsere Wertschätzung und unseren Dank für
ihre Treue und Unterstützung zum Ausdruck zu
bringen. Nur ein Ballett, das viele Freunde hat,
ist auch ein erfolgreiches Ballett. Und diese
Treue und Liebe zum Ballett Basel will die bbg
auch in der neuen Spielzeit zeigen mit Aktionen
wie Einladungen zu Apéros mit der Compagnie,
zu Hauptproben oder zu anderen speziellen
Anlässen. Lassen Sie sich überraschen!
Die bbg wünscht Richard Wherlock und der
ganzen Compagnie eine erfolgreiche Spielzeit
2014/2015 und dem treuen Publikum unvergessliche
Tanzerlebnisse mit dem Ballett Basel.
Barbara Schneider
President of the Foundation Board
of the Basler Ballett Gilde
Dear friends
of
Ballett Basel
Once again we can look ahead with excitement
and expectation to the new season of Ballett
Basel. This will be the last season with George
Delnon as Director of Theater Basel. The new
theatre director, Andreas Beck, who will take
the helm in August 2015, announced a few
months ago that he will continue to work with
Richard Wherlock as director of the dance
section. Many friends of the ballet were very
happy and grateful to hear this news.
Once again this season, Ballett Basel will be
under pressure to succeed. As friends of the
ballet, we are not always aware of this. Besides
outstanding productions, which met with great
acclaim from both critics and audiences, another
key consideration for the management is
how booked out performances are, in other
words how many tickets are sold. Ballett Basel
is also very successful in this respect, with
audiences of over 78'000 in each of the past
two seasons. Such figures should not be taken
for granted. They are a reflection of the extremely
high standard of dance at Theater Basel
and the meticulousness with which individual
productions are developed, choreographed
and performed. Only performances of this
calibre can attract the discerning audiences
from the Basel region.
Besides ticket sales, the loyalty of the
friends of Ballett Basel is also testimony to the
important role of dance at Theater Basel. The
basler ballett gilde aims to address the many
friends of dance and to highlight what being a
member of the bbg brings to ballet and also
what members themselves get out of it. This is
why it is important to us to express our appreciation
and thanks to our members for their
loyalty and support. Because a ballet with
many friends is a successful ballet. And this
season too, the bbg intends to demonstrate
this loyalty and love for Ballett Basel with activities
such as invitations to drinks receptions
with the company, dress rehearsals and other
special events. Prepare to be amazed!
The bbg would like to wish Richard Wherlock
and his company a successful 2014/15
season and the loyal audiences some unforgettable
dance experiences with Ballett Basel.
Barbara Schneider
President of the Foundation Board
of the Basler Ballett Gilde
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