Dramaturge

The term «butterfly effect» is emblematic of the realization that in nature everything is connected to everything else and that the smallest interventions in a natural balance can trigger major effects. It is no different in art. In this program, the Junior Ballett, which embodies the dance of the future, explores the «Butterfly Effect». In addition to ballet director Cathy Marston, two representatives of a new generation of choreographers, Lucas Valente and Ihsan Rustem, created pieces for the Junior Ballet.

The Butterfly Effect

Zurich Opera House

Giuseppe Verdi’s «Messa da Requiem» is one of the most popular pieces in the concert repertoire. In a sensational co-production by the Oper Zürich and Ballett Zürich, Christian Spuck brought the oratorio for four solo voices, choir, and orchestra to the stage in 2016, as a combination of dance, abstract scene, space, and light. In his internationally acclaimed production, Spuck focuses on the human creature in the face of death and embarks on a sensitive search for traces of the whence and whither of the human being, between the terrifying proximity of death, loneliness, community solidarity, and mourning.

Requiem Mass

«L'amour est un oiseau rebelle», sings Carmen in Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name. Mats Ek, the Swedish dance legend, made Carmen the heroine of a ballet at the Cullberg Ballet in 1992. He based it closely on the novella by Prosper Mérimée, which also forms the basis for the opera, in which Don José tells the story of Carmen from his death cell. Playing with classic gender roles, Mats Ek avoids common Carmen clichés and finds a deeply human interpretation. Another strong female figure is at the center of Dani Rowe’s choreography. After a career as a dancer with the Australian Ballet and the Nederlands Dans Theater, the Australian-born choreographer now heads the Oregon Ballet Theater. She is creating her first choreography for the Ballett Zürich, set to the music of Mussorgsky’s «Bilder einer Ausstellung», in the orchestral version by Maurice Ravel.

Rebel Birds

Aided by a variety of reference points, this three-part ballet evening delves into the world of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Scottish-born Kenneth MacMillan is one of the leading choreographers of the 20th century. His 1966 ballet «Concerto», set to the music of Shostakovich's second piano concerto, is a celebrated piece of pure choreographic poetry.

In Cathy Marston’s ballet «Mrs. Robinson» – based on the novel «The Graduate» by Charles Webb – a recent college graduate becomes involved with the attractive Mrs. Robinson, a married woman from his parents’ circle of friends.

Countertime

Ballet by Kim Brandstrup after works by Hans Christian Andersen

EPSG:4326

Of Light, Wind and Waters

Opernhaus Zürich

“Love is a rebellious bird,” sings Carmen in Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name. In 1992, the Swedish dance legend Mats Ek made Carmen the title character of a ballet for the Cullberg Ballet. He closely follows the novella by Prosper Mérimée on which the opera is based, in which Don José recounts Carmen’s story from his death cell. Playing with classical gender roles, Mats Ek avoids common Carmen clichés and arrives at a profoundly human interpretation. The Australian choreographer Dani Rowe, who now directs the Oregon Ballet Theatre, presents “Vestige,” set to the music of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” in Maurice Ravel’s orchestral arrangement. In episodic visions, people, impressions, and experiences pass before the main character, “Human,” allowing her to draw new strength from her memories.

William Shakespeare tells a story of love and transformation in his comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream." He interweaves the paths and detours of Eros in several plot lines, inevitably leading to mix-ups, misunderstandings, and hilarious scenes. Ballet director Cathy Marston and designer Richard Hudson stage their "Midsummer Night's Dream" in a dilapidated, abandoned fairground. Providing a counterpoint to Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's famous incidental music is Gabriel Prokofiev's "Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra No. 1." Robert Houssart conducts the Zurich Opera Orchestra and receives expert support from the popular British DJ Mr. Switch.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Bernhard-Theater

The very title of this two-part ballet promises an evening of contrasts: tempo versus slowness. In 2027, the ballet world will celebrate Jiří Kylián's 80th birthday. For over three decades, he shaped the profile of Nederlands Dans Theater, which, under his direction, has developed into one of the world's leading contemporary ballet companies. The Prague native has also been associated with the Zurich Ballet since 1997. In slow motion, six figures move through his piece "Last Touch First," reminiscent of Chekhov and Ibsen. On the fine line between perceived movement and immobility, psychodramas full of desire, despair, and pathos unfold. Canadian-born Stephanie Lake is one of the most important dance figures in her adopted home of Australia. She is resident choreographer of the Australian Ballet and resident choreographer with the Semperoper Ballet. With her Melbourne-based Stephanie Lake Company, she tours the world. In her creations, she explores the relationship between the individual and the collective. She is choreographing a fast-paced group piece for the Zurich Ballet to a new score by Robin Fox, dominated by percussion instruments.

Slow Rush

The Junior Ballet's new program is being created in close collaboration with the Kunsthaus Zürich and the Kunstmuseum Winterthur. Following the great success of "The Butterfly Effect," a collaboration with climate scientists from ETH Zurich, ballet director Cathy Marston is particularly keen to engage in creative exchange with other renowned institutions in the city and canton of Zurich. The two museums, with their inexhaustible wealth of art treasures from various eras, will serve as a meeting place for the two choreographers and the 14 dancers of the Junior Ballet. Through joint visits to the respective exhibition spaces and discussions with art experts from both institutions, they will gain inspiration for two new choreographies. Aleix Martínez, from Barcelona and principal dancer with the Hamburg Ballet, and Houston Thomas, American and a soloist with the Dresden Semperoper Ballet until 2023, are at the beginning of promising choreographic careers.

Art Matters

Theater Winterthur

This four-part ballet evening unites two legendary dance pieces and two new creations for the Zurich Ballet. The company has a long-standing relationship with William Forsythe. His "New Suite," premiered in 2012 and set to music by Handel, Bach, and Berio, brings together eight duets from different periods of his career, creating a virtuosic pas de deux retrospective by the American choreographer. After a long career as a dancer, the Brazilian Lucas Valente is successfully transitioning to choreography. "Bare" is his first piece for the Zurich Ballet. Here, the large ensemble draws all its energy solely from the soundscape of its own movements. The Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis is known for his energetically charged, contemporary creations. In "Orbit," the dancers orbit like galactic celestial bodies, pushed to their physical and mental limits. With his video ballet "Live," Hans van Manen has made dance history. Created in 1979 during the pioneering days of video technology, the piece for a pair of dancers, a cameraman and a pianist breaks the boundaries of the stage space and proves to be a masterful puzzle about the mechanisms of perception.

Timeframed

Famous orchestral scores by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten, and Bohuslav Martinů form the musical heart of this three-part ballet evening. "See the music, hear the dance"—this was the motto of George Balanchine, the founder of the New York City Ballet and a grand master of neoclassical dance. For him, dance was visual music and should lead the audience to hear it in a new and different way. With pure beauty and perfectly choreographed formations of dancers, Balanchine's legendary piece "Serenade" is breathtaking. Cathy Marston's choreography "Against the Tide" was created for London's Royal Ballet. For this piece, she explored Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto and the background of its creation in 2025. Ballet Zurich will perform a piece by Justin Peck for the first time. In his "Paz de la Jolla," developed entirely in the spirit of Balanchine and set to music by Bohuslav Martinů, the resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet celebrates a Californian beach atmosphere.

Dramaturge

Michael Küster

Events

Upcoming events

11 - 27 Sep, 2026

Rebel Birds · Opernhaus Zürich

Sep 26, 2026 - Jul 3, 2027

A Midsummer Night's Dream · Opernhaus Zürich

Jan 16 - Jun 3, 2027

Slow Rush · Opernhaus Zürich

Feb 19 - Apr 11, 2027

Art Matters · Opernhaus Zürich

Feb 27 - May 1, 2027

Timeframed · Opernhaus Zürich

Past events

4 - 23 Apr, 2026

The Butterfly Effect · Opernhaus Zürich

Feb 20 - Apr 6, 2026

Requiem Mass · Opernhaus Zürich

About

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