Choreographer

Featuring works by Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, and Marco Goecke, this evening brings together three of the most significant styles in dance history and showcases a richly varied array of choreographic styles set to a diverse mix of music ranging from baroque to blues.

Van Manen/Kylián/Goecke

Theater Basel

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.

The Nutcracker

The most successful book by Marguerite Duras (1914–1996), in which she recounts—at least in part autobiographically—a socially unheard-of amour fou, is set in former Indochina during the French colonial era, in a large city shrouded in haze and heat. The main character is a young woman wearing an oversized men's hat and gold shoes. Her father died early, her mother is mentally unstable, and her brothers are highly problematic. The only ray of hope and escape from this family prison is her encounter with a rich Chinese man in a black limousine. It is a love that has no future and yet lasts a lifetime, transcending all conventions, even though the two never spoke again after the narrator left for Paris – except for a single phone call at the end.

The Lover

Paris has seen several World's Fairs. In addition to the one in 1889, where Debussy found groundbreaking inspiration through gamelan music, the 1900 Exposition literally ushered in a new century: the Métro was opened. Life now moved at a new pace to the rattling rhythm of subways, engines, and machines. It was to this Paris that Igor Stravinsky presented his ballet music "The Rite of Spring" in 1913, overwhelming and outraged the premiere audience with the archaic and percussive power of his composition. While the "Jazz Age" was in full swing in the USA, George Gershwin experienced its French counterpart around fifteen years later – a bustling, golden Paris in his "Années folles," whose impression he set to music in "An American in Paris." Gershwin's playful, "symphonic jazz" and Stravinsky's energizing beacon meet as electrifying poles in the two choreographies by Jeroen Verbruggen and Marco Goecke.

Festival Finale

Forum at the Castle Park

A group of young men who are friends can be compared to a pack of puppies: playful, powerful and exuberant, they compete, argue and form alliances. In Hofesh Shechter's dance piece Uprising, boundaries are repeatedly tested and yet a clear sense of togetherness is the basis of the playful test of strength. The drive that develops in Uprising allows the group to climb many peaks and the power of friendship and community gives wings. The pulsating percussion music was composed by the choreographer himself.

Shechter – Goecke – Ekman

Opernplatz

Crystal Pite’s audience favorite Emergence returns after a six-year hiatus!
“Like the best works of art, it transforms its audience, as well as its participants,” says The Seattle Times of Emergence. This mesmerizing piece is accompanied by Jerome Robbins’ intimate Afternoon of a Faun, Marco Goecke’s solo work Mopey, and a World Premiere from PNB dancer and choreographer Price Suddarth. Each of these choreographers pushes the boundaries of dance with their own unique vision, and are especially remarkable when juxtaposed with one another.

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Emergence

Seattle Center

“Like the best works of art, it transforms its audience, as well as its participants,” says The Seattle Times of Emergence. This mesmerizing piece is accompanied by Jerome Robbins’ intimate Afternoon of a Faun, Marco Goecke’s solo work Mopey, and a World Premiere from PNB dancer and choreographer Price Suddarth. Each of these choreographers pushes the boundaries of dance with their own unique vision, and are especially remarkable when juxtaposed with one another.

As the last premiere in his role as artistic director of the Dortmund Ballet, Xin Peng Wang presents the three-part ballet evening Dips . In addition to the world premiere of Drama Class by the young, internationally sought-after Israeli choreographer Nadav Zelner, the award-winning work Blushing by Marco Goecke will be shown.

Choreographer

Marco Goecke

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 30 - Jun 17, 2026

Van Manen/Kylián/Goecke · Theater Basel

Oct 27 - Nov 8, 2026

Goecke / Robbins / Bausch · Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Past events

Apr 30 - Jun 17, 2026

Van Manen/Kylián/Goecke · Theater Basel

Dec 31, 2025

The Nutcracker · Theater Basel

About

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