When I first came to Leipzig from Berlin, there was nothing to do; I was bored out of my mind. In Berlin, nearly every night offered several opportunities. But Leipzig is changing.
Now between the dry spells I am often spoiled for choice. Somehow, though, it tends to work out so that I have to choose, rather than spreading things out so I can do all of them. It’s absolutely clear that I’ll be watching dance this Saturday. The challenge is whom and where. I really am deeply, deeply torn.
Rachmaninow
Mario Schröder / Uwe Scholz
Piano Concerto No. 3 in d minor, Op. 30
Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18
Russian-born Sergei Rachmaninoff is perhaps the most important composer of the 20th century. Having had the experience of being popular, he went into a four-year depression after the public panned his Symphony No. 1 in 1897. This likely gave him the depth he needed to regain his popularity with his later works, which embody the strength and intensity it takes to move forward through both carefree moments and melancholia.
Mario Schröder discovered Rachmaninoff at an early age. He sees the music as both pictorial and physical, making it seem predestined for dance. Schröder’s choreography connects images of departure and return, convergence and withdrawal, and intersecting paths. Time is expressed as something deep and personal that each individual brings to the table in a different way.
Schröder combines this new piece with Uwe Scholz’s version of Piano Concerto No. 3 on the tenth anniversary of his death. Mario Schröder, who once performed this choreography as a soloist, sees Scholz’s interpretation as a “wonderful transformation of the piece into pictures that truly do justice to the composition.”
On: Oper Leipzig, Sat 11 June, 7.00 pm
Dance Transit +
Newcomers from Prague, Leipzig and Dresden
Three short pieces in one evening. The fourth in the ongoing series DANCE TRANSIT, with works from Leipzig, Dresden and Prague. Last time was amazing and I have faith that this time will be too. The focus this time is on emerging artists.
U.N.
MARIE GOURDAIN (PRAGUE)
A dancer responds to the structure of the stage. When another body enters with another logic, the room is changed. Can each pursue their seemingly harmonious plans without upsetting the fragile balance?
XX
SCHMIDT FOR HAMMER & ROGGAN (DRESDEN)
An excursion through a vacuum expecting to find nothing leads to the discovery of two bodies that share a soul, a heartbeat. Coexistence. Confusion. Two blue flames in the blackness. Hunter or prey?
WRINKLE MAZE
PHASE-ZERO PRODUCTIONS (LEIPZIG)
A duet of life and the inevitable passage of time. The fears and desires of two people who choose to go through life together. A revealing journey through getting old, hope, love and the encounter of fear.
On: LOFFT, Sat 11 June, 8.00 pm
#1 Unstable state
P-Bodies Festival for Contemporary Dance and Performance
This one makes it easier because it runs from 10-12 June. I say that, but there’s so much on offer I may not get home all weekend.
23 performances, 3 concerts and 5 workshops: reputable artists and collectives, promising newcomers and actors from the local scene transform KKW into a hotspot of diverse debate on the issue of unstable states. Feminism, sexual identity, body identity and more are discussed, dissected and thrown to the wind. Watch or participate.
Bold, unusual and international.
For full the schedule, check out their website.
BTW: ticket holders get in free to Saturday night’s party, but everyone’s welcome to come for only 7€.
Ich bin. Aber ich habe mich noch nicht.
Bettina Werner
the Junior Company of LTT
Bettina Werner
the Junior Company of LTT
photo: Rolf Arnold
So now you’re thinking I’ve absolutely lost my mind. Why would I tell you about some kids dancing? Well, to be honest, I would have thought the same thing. But I saw them last week and was pleasantly surprised. The choreography was intelligent and interesting. The execution was not perfect, but not bad at all.
The Junior Company of LTT has just won the Armena prize for Amateur German Theatre. This is the second time they’ve won with choreography from Bettina Werner. The piece shows how digital natives grow up in two worlds, the real and the virtual. Bettina explores the difference between them and how to tell which is which with the 30 young dancers. The result is something they understand all too well: images, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, first love and almost innumerable possibilities of those on the threshold of adulthood.
On: Schauspiel Leipzig, Sat 11 June, 7.00 pm / Sun 12 June 2.00 pm
Dance, performance, concerts, workshops or parties not your thing?
There are also lots of art openings. Check art leipzig. for up-to-the-minute info.
