Cluster

Comunale Nouveau

Theatre artists have a real problem with Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt . This dramatic poem, with its episodic structure and use of fantastical elements, posed a challenge for the stage designers, but it turns out to be ideal material for a ballet performance. In 2015, the choreography for Peer Gynt was created by the Slovenian dancer of Romanian origin, Edward Clug. The premiere in Maribor was a huge success, and the ballet later traveled to Zurich, Vienna, Dortmund, Hanover, and Leipzig. What accounts for the production's popularity? Above all, it doesn't shy away from the original's fragmented narrative, leaving the significance of the protagonist's individual adventures unsaid, and above all, it employs a remarkably contemporary visual language, avoiding treating Ibsen's drama as a dusty old fairy tale inspired by folklore.

Peer Gynt

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

The Dance Symphony triptych includes ballets inspired by the music of three 19th-century composers: Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Georges Bizet. These choreographies offer an opportunity to explore the diverse relationships between dance and Romantic music.

Symphony of Dance

With a ballet evening that is as brilliant as it is thoughtful, the Slovenian State Ballet Ljubljana and the Klagenfurt City Theatre continue their successful collaboration of recent years. Boléro combines two classics of modern ballet composed for large orchestra with the romantic melancholy of Chopin's Nocturnes for piano. The evening takes its title from Maurice Ravel's most famous work. He created Boléro on commission from the Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, but in dance history, Maurice Béjart's 1961 interpretation is considered a milestone. Choreographer Renato Zanella bases his work on Ravel's fundamental musical idea of ​​the struggle for supremacy between rhythm and melody, emphasizing that the beauty of melody rarely emerges victorious in a direct confrontation with the power of rhythm.

Bolero

Stadttheater Klagenfurt

The comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most well-known and beloved works by William Shakespeare, exploring the power of love, the confusions of human emotions, and the magic of fantasy. The plot skilfully weaves together various storylines: lovers fleeing strict laws, fairy kings and queens ruling over the natural realm, and a group of clumsy craftsmen preparing a performance for the royal court. Amidst a dense forest, a setting full of secrets and inexplicable powers, love couples encounter obstacles that test their bonds. The fairy kingdom plays its own game with human love destinies, confusing lovers with a magical love potion that makes them fall in love with the first person they see. Themes such as the irrationality of love, the boundaries between reality and dream, and the dynamics between power and fantasy are skilfully interwoven. Choreographer Edward Clug, Ballet Director of the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor, dedicates himself to this classic, bringing his unique vision to the stage and transporting audiences with his vision into a world full of magic and deep emotions. The choreography highlights both the comic and dramatic aspects of the story. Clug's choreographic interpretation, set to the music specially composed by Milko Lazar for this piece, tells Shakespeare's story through a contemporary lens – a tale that explores the depths of human nature while remaining humorous and enchanting.  The music by Milko Lazar is a commissioned work that is composed in close connection with Clug's creation and will have its world premiere with the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Theatre makers find Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt to be rather problematic. While challenging to mount on the stage, the dramatic poem with episodic structure featuring fantastical elements turned out to be perfect material for a ballet. In 2015 Slovenian dancer of Romanian origin, Edward Clug created a choreographic adaptation of Peer Gynt. The ballet’s Maribor world premiere was a triumph and the work was subsequently staged in Zurich, Vienna, Dortmund, Hannover, and Leipzig. What is the reason for its popularity? It is not intimidated by the original’s broken narrative, leaving questions about the meaning of the protagonist’s individual adventures unanswered, and, crucially, uses a very contemporary visual language, without treating the Ibsen play as a dusty old fairytale inspired by folklore.

Who am I? The young man Peer Gynt takes refuge in his fantasies to escape reality. He dreams of a better world, a fairytale reality. He longs for love, recognition and success, but is not taken seriously in them. Inside him there is a battle between his desire for security and his desire for freedom.

Opernplatz

This triple bill showcases neoclassical ballet at its purest. Last season, the programme embraced pieces by three generations of choreographers, George Balanchine, Toer van Schayk, and Edward Clug, who turned to the music by Beethoven, Chopin, and Bizet. Each choreography had its own unmistakable appeal and was enthusiastically received by the audience. This season, the triple bill returns with even greater emotional resonance. Symphony of Dance: An Encore opens with Balanchine’s Symphony in C to Bizet’s music. The spectacular symphony of dance by the father of neoclassical ballet is followed by Edward Clug’s more subdued piece, fittingly titled Ssss… Set to Chopin’s nocturnes, the work provides a shift in mood from nostalgic to pensive. Finally, the programme culminates with Krzysztof Pastor’s choreography to Ravel’s Bolero. The piece needs no special recommendation: it is an explosion of passion and an apotheosis of rhythm that rouses, captivates, and hypnotises.

Edward Clug

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 31 - Nov 14, 2026

Symphony of Dance: an encore · Polish National Opera

Past events

24 - 25 Jun, 2026

Cluster · Teatro Comunale di Bologna

Feb 20 - Mar 20, 2026

Peer Gynt · Polish National Opera

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