Engagement and Learning Notes and Resources

The Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Introduction

These performance notes have been created to prepare and stimulate audiences for the exclusive Brisbane season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Hamburg Ballet. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been an enduring part of The Hamburg Ballet repertoire since 1977 and is a signifi cant part of the modern classical ballet cannon in Europe. We hope that this briefi ng will support teachers, students, parents and audience members to further enjoy and enhance this international dance experience. The Queensland Dance syllabus and the new Australian Curriculum: The Arts Foundation to Year 10 have been used as guides for the planning of this document. These notes are designed to be adapted by Performing Arts, English and Studio teachers to suit classes, their current investigations and age levels. Further materials provide refl ection and research questions for after the performance to extend the experience and to link to other discipline/study areas.

History and Context The Hamburg Ballet The Hamburg Ballet is one of the great dance companies in the world. Its fame is due in no small measure to its leadership. In 1973, American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier was appointed as Artistic Director. Under his leadership the company has achieved two of the rarest qualities in the world of the performing arts – stability and an unwavering commitment to innovation. It is a truly international company, with dancers drawn not only from Germany but also from twenty three other countries including America, France, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and Australia. Neumeier has choreographed ballets for companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, the Bolshoi, the Royal Danish Ballet, Britain’s Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, and he continues to create works of great power and beauty. His musical sensibility is unique and his love of movement and the body is evident in all of the work he creates. Each year he presents a season as a tribute to the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky, the programs for which attract some of the fi nest dancers of our time. The Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Shakespeare’s great comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of his most popular works, performed innumerable times in almost every country in the world and in a myriad of interpretations, from the stage at Stratford-upon-Avon to Hollywood’s silver screen. It has also provided lavish inspiration for composers and choreographers, including Benjamin Britten’s eponymous opera and George Balanchine’s ballet version using Felix Mendelssohn’s famous incidental music is also used by Neumeier in his ravishing version. The Hamburg Ballet’s ravishing version of THIS classic Shakespearian tale of magic, mistaken identity and lovers’ quarrels is one of Neumeier’s most joyous creations. A rare combination of inspired concepts, exquisite, haunting choreography and broad comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream features music from Mendelssohn, Hungarian Gyorgy Ligeti and familiar street tunes played on a barrel organ. For the 2012 Brisbane Season the music will be performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of The Hamburg Ballet’s resident conductor, Brisbane-born, Simon Hewett. Appealing to audiences of all ages, Neumeier’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was fi rst seen in 1977 and has been included in the repertoire of many internationally renowned companies including the Paris Opera Ballet. Neumeier sees the action existing on three levels and chooses his music and movement accordingly. For the lovers and the court scenes, it’s Mendelssohn. For the mysterious fairy world, he utilises works by Hungarian György Ligeti, one of the most important composers of the late 20th century, and for the comic scenes, the mechanicals’ wheel on a barrel organ to grind out familiar street tunes. This is one of Neumeier’s most joyous creations, a rare combination of inspired concept, exquisite, haunting choreography and broad comedy.

2 Notes about the choreography

As a choreographer, Neumeier has continually focused on the preservation of the ballet tradition, while giving his works a modern dramatic framework. Famous for turning literature into dance he creates unconventional staging of classics. For example, his production of Sleeping Beauty is still narrative ballet, but the prince is dressed in blue jeans. In Swan Lake the performance is placed in the court of mad King Ludwig ll of Bavaria. He searches for new contexts to shape ballet spectacles. “Although most companies approach revivals with reverence, some choreographers choose to give a new twist to ballets of the past...new interpretations of the old generally attract attention through novelty or shock but some explore intriguing possibilities or provide fresh insights. Illusions – Swan Lake (1976), which the American choreographer John Neumeier choreographed for The Hamburg Ballet took as its hero King Ludwig of Bavaria, known for his insanity and his obsessions with swans and is presented as a ballet-within-a-ballet, which so enthrals the King that he takes the place of the dancer playing Siegfried.” (Ballet and Modern Dance. Au, Susan. 2003. Thames & Hudson. London). ”Many of John Neumeier’s works for The Hamburg Ballet have been large-scale undertakings. His staging of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion started its life in Hamburg’s landmark St. Michaelis Church and although it is now performed in the opera house the ballet has toured through the world as a signature piece of the company. His ballet inspired by the plays of Shakespeare form a major group of works in the Hamburg repertory, these include Romeo and Juliet, set to the Prokofi ev score; Hamlet, set to music by Michael Tippet; Othello, set to music by Arvo Pärt and Alfred Schnittke and As You Like It set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Other ambitious projects have been Peer Gynt, to an original score by Schnittke, and commissioned works by Lera Auerbach (The Little Mermaid) and Michel Legrand (Liliom), and Odyssey, to music by George Couroupos.” http://www.hamburgballett.de/e/uber_uns.htm accessed 13/7/12. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1977) is an interpretation combining slapstick mime, character dance, modern dance and classical ballet. The smorgasbord choreography is matched by the ballet’s score, a coarse collage of Gyorgy Ligeti, Felix Mendelssohn and popular barrel organ tunes.” (The Dance Hand Book. A. Robertson and D. Hutera.179-180. 1998. New York).

Other Classics ‘re-imagined’ by John Neumeier: Swan Lake (1976) Sleeping Beauty (1978) The Firebird (1983)

Youtube Excerpts of Neumeier’s work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOD8z1HViIk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQh5-mRFGsM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mj4rV9iP0c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTLIrfZ33HA

3 Notes about the text

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, who are manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare’s most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. The play features three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta, and set simultaneously in the woodland, and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been presented and produced many times as theatre, opera, ballet and fi lm since its fi rst performance usually dated 1594 or 1595. Legendary performances include the 1970 Royal Shakespeare Company’s production by Peter Brook set in a blank white box, in which masculine fairies engaged in circus tricks such as trapeze artistry.

4 Learning and Engagement Activities Keywords and concepts Discuss and defi ne the following terms in relation to The Hamburg Ballet’s QPAC season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

the ballet cannon spectacle

classic ballet narratives

technical and expressive skills

mime as gestural expression

character dancers

symbolism

mysticism

theatricality

adaptations

appropriation

psychological study

perfection of technique

virtuosity

re-imagining

fusing literature into dance

conventions of storytelling

conventions of staging

legacy

cultural literacy

movement vocabulary

choreographic language

company repertoire

5 Learning Activities Timeline The Hamburg Ballet under Neumeier’s artistic leadership has fl ourished whilst exploring new ideas in traditional ballets. The following time line has been designed to capture the history of ballet and to provide a perspective on the artistic context and place of The Hamburg Ballet. Court Ballet 1500s: This movement style relates to the manners fashionable in the royal court of France. Court ballet was danced by amateurs in the aristocracy and costumes refl ected the fashion of the era. Court Ballet 1600s: Started to change and grow into pantomimic dance incorporating all the arts and elements of acrobatics. Themes derived from literature of the time and technical standards of movement started to develop and such dances were performed by professionals and commoners rather than nobles. 1641 ballet was performed on a proscenium stage for the fi rst time in France. 1661 King Louis XIV founded the fi rst dance academy formalising dance training at Academie Royale de Danse. 1672 Academie Royale de Musique et de Danse (later to become the Paris Opera Ballet) founded as a professional dance group. 1700s under the reign of King Louis XIV, French Court Ballet reached its height at the palace of Versailles. 1725 Pierre Beauchamp codifi es existing ballet technique. 1800s rise of Romantic Ballet – characterised by admiration for the wildest aspects of nature, fascination with the ethereal and supernatural, exoticism, interest in the lives of ordinary people and introspection and subjectivity. Women were seeking equality with men in ballet and a new style of costume emerged for women; empire line dress and slippers without heels and as such the development of pointe work emerged. 1832 La Sylphide choreographed by Filippo Taglioni. 1841 Giselle choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. 1870 Coppelia choreographed by Arthur Saint-Leon. Late 1800s rise of Classical Ballet and choreographer Marius Petipa with focus on movement for the sake of movement. Metaphors, formulas and structure for creating a ballet were foregrounded over emotional expression and supernatural themes. Tutus were shortened and pointe work developed into high standard of technical profi ciency. 1869 Don Quixote choreographed by Marius Petipa. 1892 The Nutcracker choreographed by Marius Petipa. 1895 Swan Lake Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo revival of Swan Lake (Originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (opus 20), it was fi rst presented as The Lake of the Swans by the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre on 20 February/4 March 1877 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates) in Moscow, Russia.) 1900s emergence of Modern Ballet with Michel Fokine and Serge Diaghilev with the company The Ballet Russes. 1907 Anna Pavlova performed The Dying Swan choreographed by Fokine for The Ballet Russes. 1910 Scheherazade choreographed by Fokine. 1911 Petrouchka choreographed by Fokine.

6 Timeline continued 1913 The Rite of Spring choreographed by Nijinsky. 1920 RAD syllabus founded. 1923 The Cecchetti dance method founded. 1926 The Vic-Wells Ballet school based at Sadler’s-Wells Theatres (later to become The Royal Ballet School). 1933 Robert Helpmann joins The Royal Ballet. 1939 Margot Fonteyn appointed Prima Ballerina at The Royal Ballet. 1948 New York City Ballet founded by George Balanchine. 1951 Vaganova Dance method founded in Russia. 1958 Fredrick Ashton choreographs Ondine for The Royal Ballet. 1958 Rudolf Nureyev joins the Kirov Ballet as a principal dancer. 1962 Australian Ballet gives its fi rst performance under direction of Peggy van Praagh. 1964 Australian Ballet school founded under Margaret Scott. 1965 Robert Helpmann and Peggy van Praagh appointed Artistic Directors of the Australian Ballet. 1970 Kenneth Macmillian appointed Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet. 1973 Neumeier appointed Artistic Director of The Hamburg Ballet. 1977 Mikhail Baryshnikov dances for the New York City Ballet. 1983 Nureyev appointed Artistic Director of the Paris Opera Ballet. 1984 William Forsythe appointed Artistic Director of the Frankfurt Ballet.

Classical ballets today are performed by companies such as The Royal Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet, The Hamburg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theatre, La Scala Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, The Bolshoi Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Queensland Ballet; and noted Choreographers include Mats Ek, Jiri Kylian, Nacho Duato, John Cranko, Maurice Béjart and Graeme Murphy.

7 Ballet and Dance Defi nitions

Classical ballet (1) The traditional style of ballet, which stresses the academic technique developed through the centuries of the existence of ballet. (2) A ballet in which the style and structure adhere to the defi nite framework established in the nineteenth century. Examples of classical ballets are Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html There are variances in the methodology of classical ballet study which are often based upon region. Vagonova, Cecchetti, and more recently Balanchine or R.A.D. are examples. The term classical ballet is generally used as a means of differentiating these traditional principles of study from those of contemporary ballet. http://danceadvantage.net/2008/07/07/classic-confusion/ Modern Dance like the art of ballet in the 17th century, was at one point in the early 1900’s a new idea (see http://danceadvantage.net/2008/06/18/what-is-modern-dance/). The emergence of this new dance style was led by a small group of choreographers or “founders” of Modern Dance (Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan, Jose Limon and Christopher Bruce) who broke the rules of their predecessors by creating movement based on the experiences of their own era. Post Modern Dance emerged in the 1960s and 70s as an experimentalist trend. Dance companies and artists such as Judson Dance Theatre, Trisha Brown, Yvonne Rainer, Twyler Tharp, Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker, Steve Paxton were leaving the theatrical stage altogether and performing dance in public parks, on buildings, in museums, and on busy streets. Choreographers explored improvisation as legitimate performance and often presented performers with no dance training in their work. Audiences were asked to accept everyday movement like dressing, walking, and playing as dance. It was a direct upheaval of the concepts and codifi cation that Modern dance artists had fought to develop. Contemporary Dance is a style of dance which emerged in the 20th century as an outgrowth of modern dance and other 20th century dance techniques. “Defi ning this style of dance can be diffi cult, as contemporary dance is an extremely fl uid and very nebulous style of dance. Unlike traditions such as ballet, contemporary dance is not associated with specifi c dance techniques, but rather with a dance philosophy. In contemporary dance, people attempt to explore the natural energy and emotions of their bodies to produce dances which are often very personal.” http://dancedocsthinktank.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/what-is-%E2%80%9Ccontemporary%E2%80%9D-dance/ Contemporary Dance companies and choreographers of note today include Akram Khan Company (UK), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (US), Australian Dance Theatre (Australia), Bangarra Dance Theatre (Australia), Basel Dance Company (Switzerland), Bathsheva Dance Company (Israel), Chunky Move (Australia), Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Taiwan), City Contemporary Dance Company (Hong Kong), Dancenorth (Australia), Compagnie Marie Chouinard (Canada), Mathilde Monnier (France), DV8 Dance Theatre (England), Deborah Colker Dance Company (Brazil), Expressions Dance Company (Australia), Sydney Dance Company (Australia), Leigh Warren and Dancers (Australia), Les Ballet C de la B (Belgium), Parsons Dance Company (US), Ultima Vez (Belgium) and many more...

8 Titania and Bottom Act 111 Scene 1 by Arthur Rackman’s illustrations of MND

Key Questions and Provocations If we view dance across various cultures, its functions are many and its perceived power enormous. What is the power of The Hamburg Ballet’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and what is its role in entertainment and culture? Classical ballet is all about “the movement itself” with an emphasis on virtuosity. Evaluate whether or not you consider this to be true within the performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Why do audiences still value a heritage art form such as ballet? What is its relevance in contemporary culture? How has the culture of Hamburg fostered this type of cultural expression? What are the similarities and differences between The Hamburg ballet and the Australian Ballet? Many ballet companies have Artistic Directors who curate a program of performances throughout the season; however, Neumeier choreographs and is the key artist in the company. How might this affect the art created? The German Philosopher Georg Hegel defi nes successful art as “the sensuous presentation of ideas”; discuss with reference to The Hamburg Ballet’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

9 Key Quotes by John Neumeier “I’m a collector because I feel through understanding the relationships of people who stood behind me, I see the same problems, the same challenges we face now. It fascinates me and I like to have these people, these images around me, but I feel it’s extremely important to create new things. I believe ballet only lives if it looks towards the future and is based on creation. “What is always interesting to me is the possibility of the human being as the centre of dance, not the dancer as a great technician. I’ve always tried to explain the difference between mannerism and truth, even in dealing with the classics.” John Neumeier

The Australian Times http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/john-neumeier-gives-his-body-and-soul-to-hamburg-ballet/story- fn9n8gph-1226278140527

New York Times Review http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/16/arts/ballet-hamburg-troupe-opens-season-in-dream.html

Online Dance Magazine http://dancelines.com.au/a-summer%E2%80%99s-dream-in-a-hamburg-winter/

Key Moments and Investigations in A Midsummer Night’s Dream The choreography of Neumeier is particularly known for its intricate foot work. Identify a pattern that captures your attention. Discuss the technical skill of the performer and how the choreographer has used the pattern to express emotion or mood. Look carefully for the portrayal of the well known characters in the performance. How do you think Neumeier will create the comical and ungraceful characters in this ballet? For example, how are Bottom and the mechanical performed? What typifi es and distinguishes the character of Puck? How is the famous scene, when Helena declares herself a spaniel brought to life in the ballet? “I am your spaniel; and, Demetrious the more you beat me, I will fawn on you: use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, neglect me, lose me, only give me my leave, unworthy as I am, to follow you.” (Act 2 Scene 1) Identify moments of classical and modern ballet in this performance. Consider geometric formal patterns, balance, symmetry, order, gesture, expressive patterns and emotive ballet language. List the differences and consider if the combination of styles contributes to the communication of the narrative. How does the performance translate text into movement? What do we gain from a physical interpretation? There are many famous lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, are they evident in the performance? e.g. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” (Act 1 Scene 1) “My Oberon, what visions have I seen! Methought I was enamour’d of an ass.’ ( Act 4 scene 4) “If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended. That you have but slumber’d here while these visions did appear.” (Act 5 Scene 5)

10 Links to Curriculum

Dance Pre performance Activities: Choreography View the website http://rackham.artpassions.net/. Illustrator Arthur Rackman has created many beautiful images for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In pairs select one of the images and create three beats of movement; the one before the image, the image, and the one after the image. What style of choreography do the groups present? How is movement best used to create narratives? Performance In class discuss the timeline of Ballet on page 5 and allocate key ballet genres and terms to small groups around the class. Eg classical ballet. Each group prepare a short performance that demonstrates key components of the style. Appreciation Students to become experts about The Hamburg Ballet Company. Visit their website: http://www.hamburgballett.com and view the video clips listed above in Neumeier’s biography. Make notes about the movement components and skills; consider action, spatial and dynamic elements and form. Compare the dancers, number, gender and build as well as the visual setting and the aural elements to other performances you have seen this year. Using the timeline as your starting point research other existing classical and contemporary ballet companies.

Post Performance Activities: Choreography After viewing the performance discuss the technical versus the expressive skills of the dancers. Does one dominate? How might the choreography have supported or led to this? As a choreographer how would you approach a scene from a Shakespearean play? Using the lines from the lovers’ scene (see key moments) when Helena declares herself a spaniel, create a small scene capturing the comedy or explore some of the other lovers’ scenes and consider the gender imbalance and how that might be parodied? Neumeier has created three distinct worlds in this ballet; the world of the aristocrats, the workers (or mechanicals) and the fairies. Focusing on gestures and character dancing, explore the three worlds and the types of movement used for each. Allocate different worlds to small groups and each create a small greeting scene; how are they different? Performance In groups identify a key engaging moment and together, recreate for the class to view. Discuss the effective elements at work; the action (travelling, jumping falling etc) the use of space (shape created, level, direction, spatial relationship etc) dynamics (tempo, accent etc).

11 Appreciation After viewing the performance students to research the following choreographers and compare their style and creations to Neumeier: Mats Ek George Balanchine Jiri Kylian Kenneth Macmillian Nacho Duato Graeme Murphy Natalie Weir

Students to write a critical analysis in which they discuss the following: Does the “smorgasboard choreography” evident in The Hamburg Ballet’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream work successfully? Discuss the dance components and skills evident in the various styles throughout the performance. The Hamburg Ballet believes in the power of an ensemble to create dynamic and creative performances. This is different to the normal hierarchy in other companies with prima ballerinas etc. Research other philosophies in companies towards their performers, make a list of companies with ensembles and assess the impact on their arts practice. What are the benefi ts and disadvantages of this system?

Drama Pre Performance Activities: Australia’s landmark Sydney Opera House opened in 1973, The Adelaide Festival Theatre opened in 1973-74 and The Victorian College of the Arts was established in 1976. Examine the comparable institutions in Hamburg; how have these cultural institutions impacted on the arts environment in their cities? Also during the 1970s in Australia, the Australian Performing Group (based at the Pram Factory in Carlton, Melbourne) developed as an offspring of the La Mama theatre company. With writers such as David Williamson, Barry Oakley, and Jack Hibberd, this collective brought many new and signifi cant Australian plays to the stage. The following year, Louis Nowra’s acclaimed fi rst work, Inner Voices, was presented at Sydney’s Nimrod Theatre and the fi rst Festival of Sydney took place. Who were the key writers and theatre makers in Europe and in particular Germany at this time and what were they creating work about? Hamburg is regarded as a ‘mecca of culture’. Research what theatre performances are occurring in 2012 in Hamburg? What conclusions can you make about theatre in Australia as compared to Hamburg, Germany?

12 Post Performance Activities: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an enduring classic that has been performed countless times throughout the years. Evaluate the success of this interpretation of a classic Shakespearean text. What new meanings did this ballet performance add to your understanding of the text? In pairs devise two statements to share with the class: – An aspect of this performance that really worked for me was ...... – An aspect of this performance that I found challenging was.... In pairs, describe and examine the use of dramatic languages in performance by referring to: – Skills of Performance: set design, costumes, props, lighting, aural elements – Elements of Drama: creation of role, tension and mood Research famous reinterpretations throughout the eras and evaluate the directorial decisions made in terms of the Skills of Performance and Elements of Drama. Some examples include: The English National Opera’s production in 2011, directed by Christopher Alden, set the opera in a mid-20th century school, with Oberon (Lestyn Davies) and Tytania (Anna Christy) as teachers and Puck and the fairies as schoolboys. The Donkey Show is a disco-era experience based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream that fi rst appeared off Broadway in 1999. What can we learn about history and culture from the different versions created? What do these productions convey about their place and time in history?

English Pre Performance Activities: What does the word ‘culture’ mean? Research different defi nitions of this key term. Is the defi nition determined by the context in which it is used? Is culture different in Australia to Europe? The exclusive tour of The Hamburg Ballet and the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra with the Hamburg State Opera is part of QPAC’s International series promoting cultural exchange between Australia and peak cultural institutions from around the world. What exchanges can occur through such touring? Why is it valuable? Why has this text become a part of the cannon in Western Performing Arts Culture? Why is it used every year in a variety of performing art forms? In groups create a list of suggestions to explain its longevity.

Post Performance Activities: Students to compose a critical review of this performance. The following questions to be considered: Why is it important to view key cultural art works from other countries? Is this a valuable cultural exchange for Brisbane? What recommendations would you make for future international touring?

13 History of The Hamburg Ballet

Excerpt by Horst Koegler. Full History can be located on The Hamburg Ballet website. http://www.hamburgballett.de/e/uber_uns.htm One of the fi rst examples of German civic opera, the Hamburg Goosemarket Opera, established in 1678, offered its clients regular ballet performances. When the opera house closed its doors in 1738, theater performances were given by visiting troupes, who offered ballets among their mixed bills of operas, musical plays and drama. The ballet Don Juan performed in 1769 at the Ackermannsche Komödienhaus, seems to have been the famous work by Christoph Willibald Gluck. Not until the Hamburg municipal theatre had a ballet company of its own, however, could Hamburg audiences see the standard Romantic repertoire danced by such guest stars as Marie Taglioni, Lucille Grahn, Fanny Cerrito and Fanny Elssler (who made Hamburg her residence for a few years after she retired from the stage). For the rest of the nineteenth century, the Hamburg ballet repertoire consisted of occasional performances of Coppelia, Die Puppenfee and other works from the Vienna Hassreiter-Bauer School. Even after World War I, the company, named the Hamburg State Opera Ballet and led by Helga Swedlund and Erika Hanka, changed little. Nor did Hamburg demonstrate any special enthusiasm for ballet. In the years after World War II, when, again directed by Swedlund, the ballet company was considered mainly an adjunct to the opera. The company briefl y changed direction between 1949 and 1951 under Dore Hoyer, one of the leading fi gures in the German modern dance movement, but this experiment proved frustrating for both the dancers and the public. The company grew in size and ability when Rolf Liebermann was appointed General Manager of the Hamburg State Opera in 1959. He collaborated with Peter van Dyk in directing the company, and although van Dyk’s choreography proved unmemorable, he nevertheless built up a company capable of performing George Balanchine’s ballets. When van Dyk left in 1970, standards deteriorated until John Neumeier was appointed ballet director in 1973. Since then, the company has multiplied its performances, acquired a broad and varied repertory of classics and contemporary works, gained some performing spaces outside the opera house and considerably enlarged the affi liated ballet school. Today The Hamburg Ballet possesses a character all its own, thanks to Neumeier’s dramatically oriented aesthetic.

Hamburg

The great port of Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, the seventh largest city in the European Union and one of the most affl uent in Europe. In addition to being a mercantile powerhouse, Hamburg has an enviable cultural life with some forty theatres, sixty museums and over one hundred music clubs. The unique socio-political context of the city has helped to foster this expansive cultural environment. Australian Conductor, Simone Young, who is both Musical Director of the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra and General Manager of the Hamburg Sate Opera, describes Hamburg as a mecca of culture. “The opera here is the oldest non-royal company in Europe,” she says. “It was always a case of Hamburg performing for its citizens and being supported by its citizens. It was never a dukedom or a kingdom, but always a merchant’s city and the merchants were focused on creating an environment for themselves and making Hamburg an attractive place to visit as well.” http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/john-neumeier-gives-his-body-and-soul-to-hamburg-ballet/ story-fn9n8gph-1226278140527

14 John Neumeier - Biography

Over more than four decades, legendary American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier has established The Hamburg Ballet as one of the world’s great dance companies. Many of the fi nest dancers from across the globe have performed an astounding repertoire of ballets with this innovative company. He has been described as one of the last great resident artistic directors. Neumeier was born in 1942 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A., where he also received his fi rst dance training. He went on to study ballet both in Copenhagen and at the Royal Ballet School in London. He acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies from Marquette University, Wisconsin, where he created his fi rst choreographic works. In 1963 John Cranko engaged him at the Stuttgart Ballet, where he progressed to solo dancer. In 1969 Ulrich Erfurth appointed Neumeier as Director of Ballet in Frankfurt. Since 1973, Neumeier has been Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of The Hamburg Ballet, and since 1996 he has been “Ballettintendant” (General Manager). The Hamburg Ballet became one of the leading ballet companies in the German dance scene and soon received international recognition. ©Holder Badekow In 1975, Neumeier brought The Hamburg Ballet Festival into being—a climax and end to each season. In 1978, Neumeier founded The School of The Hamburg Ballet. In 1989, the school, together with the company, moved into its own “Ballettzentrum” (ballet centre) provided by the city of Hamburg. Its facilities include nine studios and a boarding school for over thirty students. Today more than 80% of the company’s dancers are graduates from the school. Neumeier is regarded as one of the gods of European ballet, certainly in Germany, and especially in the city of Hamburg. As a ballet producer, Neumeier tends to think big, favouring heavyweight composers (Mahler, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Bach), with lofty themes and imposing literary, legendary or religious sources. (The Handbook of Dance, 1988.) Neumeier has worked as guest choreographer with many companies, including The Royal Ballet in London, The Vienna, Munich and Dresden State Operas, The Stuttgart Ballet (for which he has created several works), The Royal Danish Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Tokyo Ballet, American Ballet Theatre in New York, The National Ballet of Canada, the Mariinsky Theater Ballet in Saint Petersburg Russia and the San Francisco Ballet among others. Neumeier is holder of the Order of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2003 he was appointed to the rank of “Knight of the Legion of Honor” by French President Jacques Chirac. In 2006 he received the “Nijinsky Award” for Lifetime Achievement; in 2007 the “Herbert von Karajan Music Prize”. In 2008, he was awarded his second “German Dance Prize” on the occasion of their 25th Jubilee. In February 2006, Neumeier established the John Neumeier Foundation with the aim of bringing together his collection of Dance and Ballet related objects and his vast oeuvre. The John Neumeier Foundation will maintain and secure for the city of Hamburg his life’s work. In 2011, Neumeier founded the fi rst National Youth Ballet in Germany. The company of eight young dancers is based at the Ballettzentrum in Hamburg.

15 Conclusion

For the fi rst time in 38 years, the ballet and opera companies as well as the orchestra of the Hamburg State Opera will be on a joint tour. From 23 August to 5 September 2012, they will perform in Brisbane, following an invitation extended by the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. John Neumeier is looking forward to this tour: “After performing in China and Moscow, this will then be the company’s third big tour in 2012. At the same time, this tour is a great kick-off event for our jubilee season in 2012/2013, when we will be celebrating The Hamburg Ballet’s 40th anniversary. We are happy and thankful for this invitation.” //www.hamburgballett.de/e/index.htm The last joint tour of the three sections of the Hamburg State Opera took place in the summer of 1974. On a tour to Israel they performed in Caesarea, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This tour to QPAC in Brisbane provides an opportunity for Queensland audiences to view performances from the classical European cannon. It offers a rich exchange of cultural literacy and a chance to enjoy and appraise our cultural place in the world. These once rare opportunities have become a regular part of our cultural diet. In return, the Hamburg company has an opportunity to engage in a rigorous conversation with Australian audiences, reading and hearing our responses. Assess the reciprocal benefi ts of international touring and exchange of performing arts companies How does touring support the life of important works of art? How does touring inform and infl uence aesthetic and art form practice? We hope these notes excite you and point you in some interesting directions as you approach this cultural highlight in Brisbane.

These learning notes have been prepared by Adrianne Jones, KITE Teacher Artist and Kate Usher, Project Offi cer, QPAC with Janelle Christofi s, Program Development Manager, QPAC by referring to the following:

Research and Resources Ballet and Modern Dance. Au, Susan. 2003. Thames & Hudson. London. The Dance Hand Book. A. Robertson and D. Hutera.179-180. 1998. New York. Modern Ballet. J.Percival.1980. The Herbert Press Limited. New York. KDB125 Deconstructing Dance in History Lectures 3, 5, 7-10 . Rachel Pedro. Queensland University of Technology Creative Industries, 2006. Brisbane. http://www.hamburgballett.de/e/uber_uns.htm http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/john-neumeier-gives-his-body-and-soul-to-hamburg-ballet/story- fn9n8gph-1226278140527 accessed http://danceadvantage.net/2008/07/07/classic-confusion/

16 Attachment 1: Interview from Dance Train Magazine Columnist for dancetrain magazine, Kaitlin Bell, was lucky enough to speak with Australian dancer, Priscilla Tselikova, member of the corps de ballet with the Hamburg Ballet. The Brisbane season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream sees Tselikova performing as a professional dancer for the fi rst time here in Australia. She talks about the lowdown on auditioning for overseas companies, training for a career as a ballet professional and her advice for those of you wanting to follow in her footsteps!

Priscilla, what about your training most prepared you for your career? The thing that prepared me most was the fact that I moved around to different ballet schools in Sydney and Adelaide, which gave me the opportunity to work with many different teachers and techniques of training. Each school (especially Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy) helped me in different ways, thus allowing me to progress further. My high school in Adelaide also allowed me to skip practical gym classes so that I could attend extra ballet classes. Another thing that prepared me, perhaps even more, was that I was lucky enough to get a lot of experience on stage. Since 3 years of age I have competed in eisteddfods, competitions and danced in many concerts. I believe it is important for a dancer that they should feel completely comfortable on stage and not have to worry about stage fright! During my time in the School of The Hamburg Ballet, I worked very hard to perfect my technique with the great teachers here.

How do you cope living away from home? First of all, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my parents, my family and God. There were numerous days of feeling homesick, ringing up my mum in tears and just wishing that I could be back in Australia! Moving so far away at a young age is very hard especially when you’ve got no family or friends nearby and you don’t even speak the language. I was also juggling my schoolwork by correspondence, which made it even harder! With that in mind, I tried to make the most out of my new life here in Hamburg by making lots of friends with my classmates and the young people at the international church, which I attend here. I also started to learn German, which actually helped a lot, as I was then able to understand what the teachers were saying to me! Second of all, I tried to keep very focused on my goal and what I wanted to be in a professional ballet company. It was very hard especially the fi rst year, but with weekly phone calls to my parents, in which my Mum would lovingly reassure me that everything was fi ne, yearly trips home for the summer holidays and great friends, I persevered through. After 6 years now, I am happily married and well adjusted to the European life! My husband, Kostya, is also a dancer with The Hamburg Ballet Company.

How did you hear about The Hamburg Ballet and what was the audition process like? I came to Hamburg on an audition tour, auditioning for schools around Europe with my ballet school from Sydney. I had been accepted into a number of schools but decided on the School of The Hamburg Ballet for three reasons: Firstly, because the school is attached to, and works closely with the company. Secondly, because of the built-in boarding school which accommodated me, and thirdly, because of the excellent reputation! After graduating from the school, I knew the company fairly well, I knew a good deal of the repertoire, and I knew it was the company that I desperately wanted to be in! It is very hard to get a job as the competition is very high between all the dancers who come from all around the world. However, throughout the entire year opportunities arise as the graduating class (Theatre Class) is very much engaged with the company so Mr. Neumeier often gets to observe how you develop and fi t into his company. In the end of the year only a few make it, so I’m really happy that I was one of them who got offered a place.

What is an average day like for you? I wake up at 08:15 and drive 10mins on the Autobahn with my husband to the Ballettzentrum Hamburg – John Neumeier (Ballet Centrum). Class starts at 10:00am. After class we have rehearsals from 11:30-1:30pm. Then we go to the canteen for an hour lunch break. After lunch we head back into rehearsals from 2:30-5:30pm with 15mins break at 4:00 where I stretch or sew pointe shoes. At the end of the day we are often very tired so we just quickly shower, change and then drive home to have dinner and relax.

17 Of course, when we have performance, we normally run the whole ballet in the morning rehearsal till 1:30pm. We go home for a quick nap and refreshment then drive into the city to the opera house at about 5:00pm. Most performances commence at 7:30pm and go to about 10:30pm. After washing my hair and make-up off, we arrive home exhausted at about 11:15pm where we eat a late dinner, then head to bed.

Are you excited about coming back to Australia to perform? I am extremely excited about performing in my own country. I think it’s because the last time I was dancing in Australia, I was still a student in training, not knowing if I was good enough to make it as a professional. I am really looking forward to my parents and my family watching me, especially as it will be the fi rst time they will have seen me dance as a professional - and it’s in Australia!

What roles will you be playing in the two ballets being performed in Brisbane? In Nijinsky I will be playing the part of a Swiss couple in the Suvretta-House, where Vaslav Nijinsky performed publicly for the last time. I then change to be a Bakst dancer. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream I am playing the part of a Sewing Lady in the prologue, A Fairy in the Fairy World and Hippolyta’s Bridesmaid in the Wedding March.

What are your hopes for the future? For me, dancing is very important; it makes me happy and alive. My future hope is to keep on dancing and be able to dance more roles. My goal is to be the best dancer that I can be! Of course, as it is every little girl’s dream, it is also my dream to be a soloist in a well-known company.

Are there any other companies or countries you want to work in? There is no other company in Europe like this one that I would want to change to. It is increasingly rare to have a choreographer like John Neumeier who is one of the most popular choreographers in the world. He is also a great director who works closely with his dancers, inspiring them to grow as artists. In the end, that’s what is most important in our job! Of course I’d love to someday be back in Australia; whether the opportunity brings me or not, I don’t know. I just know that I’m very happy here and it’s a great experience living and working in Europe. Europe certainly has a lot to offer for the Arts and Culture Industry.

Do you have any advice for other young dancers hoping to work overseas? From my experience, a lot of young Aussies that come to Europe to dance end up giving up, getting too homesick or getting injured and going home. So my advice would be to stay strong and work hard, make lots of friends to keep you company, and most importantly, don’t give up HOPE! I am a strong believer of Faith, Hope and Love. Without Hope especially, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today!

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