Brilliant gala evening: Ballet Kiel delights with spectacular performances

Brilliant gala evening: Ballet Kiel delights with spectacular performances

The Kiel Ballet's gala evening last Saturday was a spectacular event that awaited hungry spectators. For the 14th time, the Kiel Opera House was transformed into a glittering stage for a performance that showed the highlights of the current season and at the same time provided a preview of the coming season. Director Yaroslav Ivanenko called the event “something special” that was unique in the year. And the audience was thrilled by the moving and varied performances.

At the beginning of the evening, dancers Sasha Trusch and Madoka Sugai provided a real eye-catcher with a pas de deux from John Neumeier's “Sylvia”. Later, the talented students of the ballet academy took over the stage and presented the performance “Sunday School” with 33 young actors under the choreography of Jean Marc Cordero.

Kiel Ballet and current productions

Another highlight was the excerpt from “Othello 2.0”, a work by Amilcar Moret Gonzales, which premiered in Kiel three years ago and has been causing a stir ever since. Gonzales, who has been part of the Kiel Ballet from 2014 to the present, fruitfully brings in his experience from the Hamburg Ballet, where he danced the lead role in John Neumeier's “Othello,” among other things. His reinterpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy, set in the present, tackles timeless themes such as racism - an issue that is still highly relevant and remains relevant in today's society reported the Kiel Theater.

The performance combines a variety of music and dance styles, which represents a special challenge for the Kiel ensemble. The audience was also offered a humorous insight into “Hell for Leather”, danced by guests Fabienne Deesker and Liam Meier. The contribution “Following a Bird”, specially choreographed by Ivanenko, also caused enthusiasm and brought the entire ensemble onto the stage.

Talents and impressive choreographies

Next season will be enriched with fresh talent: Kiana Bell and Vitor Vaz performed a pas de deux from “Le Corsaire”, while Greta Salgado and Francesco Germini offered a fascinating mix of dance and acrobatics with “Blueprint” by Tim Behren. The crowning finale was the rousing choreography “The Ability to Swing” by Amilcar Moret Gonzales, in which the ensemble performed to the sounds of legends such as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

It is obvious that Ballet Kiel has a future with its creative approaches and collaboration with promising choreographers like Gonzales. Since the beginning of the 19th century, ballet has gone through many changes, but the passion for dance and the fact that women in particular are at the forefront of this art form, both now and then, remain unchanged presents the dance history.

The gala evening was a complete success and offered a unique evening full of art and emotions that had a lasting impact on both the audience and the performers. It will be exciting to see what the new season will bring!