Choreographer

With ‹Dark Matter›, Ballett Basel invites you to an entertaining, intense evening. Five miniatures provide a multifaceted insight into the unique world of Marco Goecke and condense over 25 years of his work into a compact, impressive experience. The format is compiled anew each season and brings together solos, duets and short ensemble works from over 100 works - choreographic gems that have been performed worldwide and can now be experienced up close on the small stage of Theater Basel. Danced by an ensemble that carries Goecke's works by the umbilical cord, as it were, and has long since internalised his unmistakable style. The intimate solo ‹Tué› sets three extraordinary women in a sensitive interplay to the music of French chansonnière Barbara. The suspenseful duet ‹Midnight Raga› unfolds in the deep blue of midnight and transports the listener to a mystical Indian night. With ‹Äffi›, a repertoire classic, Goecke's style suddenly became famous in 2005 - a solo that is still regarded today as the epitome of his nervously vibrating style of movement. In ‹All Long Dem Day› and ‹Nachtmerrie›, true-to-life scenes about closeness, separation, change and hope are created to Nina Simone and Lady Gaga. Accompanied by works from a wide range of musical styles, this string of pearls of signature pieces spans an arc between darkness and light as well as drama and lyricism. In this way, the «dark matter» that makes Goecke's work so timeless and touching becomes tangible.

Dark Matter

Theater Basel

What lies beyond the measurable? With this question in mind, we commissioned two choreographers to delve into a world that transcends all that is perceptible and empirical. In their new pieces, Sidonie Fossé and Rachelle Anaïs Scott explore the metaphysical potential of bodies in motion. They investigate first reasons and ultimate principles, the meaning and purpose of all existence, or even reality itself.

Metaphysics

Vidmar Ballettsaal

Lilit Hakobyan has been making a name for herself as an interdisciplinary artist since 2011. Her film work characterises her choreographic thinking, while in photography she specifically seeks out the dynamic moment of dance. Anne Jung, internationally recognised for her powerful and energetic dance vocabulary, also creates fascinating visual worlds. Emerging from the talent factory of the Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague, she realised her first own choreography in 2016 in the programme ‹Switch by NDT Dancers›.

New Works: Hakobyan/Jung

Marco Goecke’s interpretation of the ballet classic ‹Der Nussknacker› is surprising: it deliberately breaks with familiar imagery, opens up unfamiliar perspectives, and transports us into an imaginative, whimsical world that lies somewhere between a nightmare and reality.

Choreographer

Rachelle Anaïs Scott

Events

Past events

May 22 - Jun 14, 2026

Dark Matter · Theater Basel

May 10 - Jun 11, 2026

Metaphysics · Bühnen Bern

Future and recently performed repertoire

Two dolls in The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

Theater Basel

About

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