Immerse yourself in a vibrant world of ballet and dance at Opernhaus Zürich, where timeless stories unfold and contemporary narratives captivate audiences. From the poignant tales of Clara Schumann and Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' to the innovative 'Night Dreams' and 'Next Generation' series, each performance promises a unique experience. With renowned performers and creative works, these events bring together a celebration of art, expression, and storytelling.

Opernhaus Zürich: A Journey Through Ballet and Dance

The «Next Generation» series gives up-and-coming choreographers their big chance. Every two years, dancers from Ballett Zürich and the Junior Ballett present their own choreographies – which they created for this event series – on the Opernhaus Studiobühne. They rehearse their new creations with their ensemble colleagues and have a chance to try their hand at creating stage sets and costumes. The «small format» of the evening supports the intensity and choreographic diversity of this multifaceted evening of ballet, and the result is a series of surprising experiments, clever dance snapshots and sensual highlights.

Next Generation

Zurich Opera House

Marcos Morau’s « Nachtträume» was the Ballett Zürich highlight of the year in 2022, lauded as a «dance panopticon and abysmal Gesamtkunstwerk of dance, text, music, and impressive images» (NZZ). In his ninety-minute piece, the Spanish choreographer undertakes a disturbing nightmare journey with Ballett Zürich into the realms of power, powerlessness, and mindless allegiance. He succeeds in creating a profound analysis of the present, in which power and vanity, envy and greed for profit, social Darwinism and economic primacy all too often have us in a stranglehold. 

Night dreams

In William Shakespeare’s drama «Romeo and Juliet», the power of love allows two young people to transcend ordinary human limitations. Thanks to Sergei Prokofiev’s music, the star-crossed lovers of Verona have conquered the ballet stage. He brilliantly captured the clashing of love and hate and the juxtaposition of tenderness and violence in his colorful, passionate score.

Romeo and Juliet

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

Clara Schumann was very likely the most important pianist of her time. Her life – as a daughter, artist, wife, mother, carer, manager, and muse – was full of ups and downs, and she devoted it entirely to music. In a world dominated by men, she displayed a degree of independence and self-determination that was astonishing for a woman of her time.

Cathy Marston follows the path of this exceptional artist, and focuses on Clara and her divorced parents, her relationship with Robert Schumann, and her connection with Johannes Brahms in her ballet, which premiered in 2024. She tells of devotion and passion, inspiration and responsibility.

Clara

«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.

Ballet Zurich

1 - 4 Jul, 2026

Next Generation

Jun 20 - Jul 4, 2026

Night dreams

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Ballet Zurich