The art of ballet is enticing: ballerinas move in ways that seem both impossible and effortless. While dance devotees may be able to decipher what performances are worth seeing, those of us who don’t know emboîté from echappé may not know where to begin. The Staatsballett Berlin have made this decision clear with two special performances in October. The first is Onegin. Choreographed by John Cranko, it is a story ballet of a young aristocrat, Eugene Onegin, who travels with a friend to the countryside to visit his friend’s fiancée Olga. When he arrives, a shy Tatyana confesses her love for him. What ensues is a story of unrequited love, which twists and turns in an elegant tragedy. For each performance, a different principal dancer (among others Polina Semionova) will play Tatyana. It is a perfect show to see if you want to expand your repertoire of classic 20th century ballet.
Second is the triple bill Lab_Works | Half Life, which offers a contemporary slant on ballet. Lab_works is a program where dancers of Staatsballett receive the opportunity to create and develop their own choreographies. Johnny McMillan’s “Oh Captain” expresses the deep care shared between men, while Arshak Ghalumyan’s “Die Nacht” is inspired by a sculpture he saw. The second part is Sharon Eyal’s “Half Life”. If you were lucky enough to catch the ballet earlier in September when it was performed on the Spree, you will know why the banks of the river were filled with onlookers. The way the dancers pulse and shapeshift is hypnotic – making a visit to the Komische Oper, where the piece will appear starting 11.10, worthwhile.
Text: Savannah van der Niet / Photos: Yan Revazov & Jubal Battisti
Onegin performances will take place from 05.10.2022 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Unter den Linden 7, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Lab_Works | Half Life performances will take place from 11.10.2022. at the Komische Oper Berlin, Behrenstr.55–57, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
For the program and tickets see here.