Friederike Adolph, originally from Berlin, studied media and cultural studies and management.
Since the start of Demis Volpi's Artistic Directorship in the 2024/2025 season, she has been working as Press Officer for the Hamburg Ballet, the School of the Hamburg Ballet and the German National Youth Ballet.
She joined the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier in February 2021 and has since been a member of the Communications/PR and Dramaturgy department and contact person for press and public relations for the German National Youth Ballet.
She gained her first experience in press relations during her bachelor's degree at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, during which she worked in the press and public relations department of tanzhaus nrw and also did journalistic work; as a freelancer at the radio station Antenne Düsseldorf.
Friederike Adolph came to Hamburg for her Master's degree in Cultural and Media Management at the University of Music and Theatre. Here she worked from then on as a project manager in Tina Heine's office and was responsible, among other things, for the artistic operations office of the Jazz & The City Festival in Salzburg until February 2021.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-916
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-917
friederike.adolph@hamburgballett.de
Vivien Arnold received her dance training at the Hartford Ballet School, the School of American Ballet and the Heinz Bosl Foundation and danced with the Hartford Ballet in works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Paul Taylor, Peter Martins and Michael Uthoff, among others.
She subsequently studied at Wesleyan University and graduated with a thesis on "The Ballet Body: Changing Perspectives on the Feminine Ideal" under Professor Sally Banes.
As of 1988 she worked for Houston Ballet, first as marketing manager, then as press officer. In 1996, at the invitation of Reid Anderson, she joined the Stuttgart Ballet, where she ran the department for Press, Dramaturgy and Public Relations until 2002.
After the birth of her two sons, she assisted Eric Gauthier in the founding and development of Gauthier Dance at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart from 2006 to 2010 as dramaturg, consultant and press officer. From 2010 to 2024, she was Director of Dramaturgy and Communication at the Stuttgart Ballet.
She has worked with Demis Volpi as dramaturg on "Krabat", "The Soldier's Tale" and "Salome", as well as with Kevin O'Day (Hamlet) and Edward Clug / Jürgen Rose (The Nutcracker).
She is the editor of the biography of Reid Anderson and editor of "John Cranko: Tanzvisionär" (both Henschel Verlag).
As a moderator, she has led discussions with Marcia Haydée, Birgit Keil, Richard Cragun, Egon Madsen, Jürgen Rose, Glen Tetley, Martin Schläpfer, Christian Spuck, Marco Goecke and Jean-Pierre Frohlich, among others.
From 2013-2015 she was a consultant ("Sachverständige") for dance for the German Theatre Prize DER FAUST.
vivien.arnold@hamburgballett.de
Poto © Carlos Quezada
BORN
31.3.70 in Cassano d'Adda. Italian
EDUCATION
In Bergamo
Academie de Danse Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo.
The School of The Hamburg Ballet
MAIN TEACHERS
Marika Besobrasova, Truman Finney
ENGAGEMENET
The Hamburg Ballet since 1988, Soloist in 1993,
Principal in 1998. Ballet Mistress since 2008
CREATIONS
Cinderella's Mother and Princess from Another Country in "A Cinderella Story"
The Sea in "Odyssey"
Revue Star in "The Seagull"
Geruth in "Hamlet" (1997, new version)
Pas de deux "Sheherazade III" (Easter Concert 1999, Munich)
Laura in "Préludes CV"
Aschenbach's assistant, his mother and Tadzio's mother in "Death in Venice"
Orgeluse in "Parzival – Episodes and Echo"
Silver Fairy in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Mats Ek)
and solos in
Time after Time from "Images from Bartók"
Messiah
Winterreise
Nocturnes from "Songs of the Night"
REPERTORY
Lykainion in "Daphnis and Chloe"
Olympia and Prudence in "Lady of the Camellias"
Penelope in "Odyssey"
Diana in "Sylvia"
Cinderella's Mother and a Stepsister in "A Cinderella Story"
Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Dulcinea in "Don Quixote"
Bianca in "Othello"
Bäsle and The Music in "Windows on MOZART"
The Good Fairy and The Queen in "The Sleeping Beauty"
Lady Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet"
Olivia in "VIVALDI or What You Will"
The Queen Mother in "Illusions - like Swan Lake"
Myrtha in "Giselle"
Louise, Mrs. Stahlbaum, "La Fille du Pharaon" and Esmeralda and the Clowns" in "The Nutcracker"
Tamara Karsavina in "Nijinsky"
Ygerne in "The Saga of King Arthur"
Aase in "Peer Gynt"
Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina in "The Seagull"
Celia in "As You Like It"
Elizabeth in "Préludes CV"
Anticlea in "Odyssey"
Gamzatti and Hindu Dance in "La Bayadère" (Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa)
The Old Madge, a witchin "La Sylphide" (Pierre Lacotte after Filippo Taglioni)
Madame Larina in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
Veronica in "Napoli" (August Bournonville / Lloyd Riggins)
and solos in
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Soldier Songs (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
Requiem
Kinderszenen
Trilogy M.R.: Secrets
Spring and Fall
Bernstein Dances
Vaslav
Le Sacre
Getting Closer
Bach-Suite 3
Fourth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Brahms-Waltz
(Frederick Ashton after Isadora Duncan)
Moments Movements Mendelssohn (Kevin Haigen)
Triple Self (Petr Zuska)
Fandango and Sinfonia Concertante (Lar Lubovitch)
Forgotten Land (Jirí Kylián)
Violin Concerto (George Balanchine)
A la Françaix (George Balanchine)
Jewels – Emeralds (George Balanchine)
GUESTING
Cesena, Vicenza, Legnago, Munich and Moscow.
She has been coaching the candidates of the Prix de Lausanne 2008
SHE STAGED NEUMEIER'S BALLETS FOR
The Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris: "Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler", the Norwegian National Ballet and the Pittsburg Ballet Theatre: "A Streetcar Named Desire", the Het National Ballet: "Sylvia", the National Ballet of Canada: "Nijinsky"
AWARDS
Half final of the "Prix de Lausanne" and Silver Medal in the "Concorso di Danza Viotti"
Born in Mexico City, Natasha Lagunas began her professional ballet studies with Fernando Alonso and Alicia Alonso at the "Escuela Nacional de Arte" in Havana, Cuba. Following her academic studies, she studied for 3 years and graduated from Moscow Academy Ballet, in 1981.
As a professional dancer, she joined the "Compania Nacional de Danza" in Mexico as a demi-Soloist, where she performed a diverse repertoire for 15 years before becoming Balletmaster until the year of 2020.
She worked with many well known choreographers and stagers such as Jane Bourne (John Cranko), Elisabeth Gibiat (Itzik Galili), Ben Stevenson, Roser Munoz (Uwe Scholtz), Karl Burnett (Kenneth McMillan), Nanette Glouschak (George Balanchine) and Demis Volpi, among others.
In 2020 she joined Ballett am Rhein team as a Balletmaster under Demis Volpi’s direction.
Now, she dedicates her career as Balletmaster, Rehearsal Director as well guest Balletmaster in the world well known Ballet companies, such as National Finish Ballet, among others.
Photo © Sigrid Reinichs
BORN
21.7.71 in Puerto Rico. American
EDUCATION
Nana Hudo School of Dance, Puerto Rico
Southern Ballet Theater, Orlando, Florida
MAIN TEACHERS
Nana Hudo. Barbara Riggins, Russel Siulzbach, Kip Watson. Hennig Kronstam, Colleen Neary
ENGAGEMENTS
Royal Danish Ballet 1990-1995
The Hamburg Ballet since 1995, promoted Soloist in 2000, Ballet Mistress since 2007
CREATIONS
in Hamburg
Polina Andreyevna in "The Seagull"
Heather in "Préludes CV"
Ruby Fairy in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Mats Ek)
and solos in
Messiah
Winterreise
REPERTORY
in Florida
Myrtha in "Giselle" (Jean Coralli-Jules Perrot/Henning Kronstam)
and solos in
Flower Festival (August Bournonville)
Tchaikovsky Pas de deux (George Balanchine)
Clowns and Others (Salvatore Aiello)
Missing Persons (Marc Bogeart)
Graduation Ball (David Lichine)
in Copenhagen
A Fairy and Puss'n Boots in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Helgi Tomasson)
Elsa in "A Folk Tale" (August Bournonville)
in Hamburg
A Fairy in "The Sleeping Beauty"
The Spanish dance in "The Nutcracker"
Maria in "VIVALDI or What You Will"
A foreign Princess in "A Cinderella Story"
Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty"
Audrey in "As You Like It"
Bronislava in "Nijinsky"
Arete and Eurycleia in "Odyssey"
Prudence in "Lady of the Camellias"
Ygerne in "The Saga of King Arthur"
Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Mats Ek)
Woman in "Rennen hinter dem was flieht" (Stephan Thoss)
The Young Girl in "Light Beings" (Mats Ek)
Hindu Dance in "La Bayadère" (Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa)
Amme in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
Veronica in "Napoli" (August Bournonville / Lloyd Riggins)
and solos in
Time after Time from Images from Bartók
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Vaslav
Saint Matthew Passion
Le Sacre
Peer Gynt
Magnificat
Rondo
Moments Movements Mendelssohn (Kevin Haigen)
Triple Self (Petr Zuska)
Weight on my Back (Gustavo Sansano)
Forgotten Land (Jirí Kylián)
She worked on Donna Feuer's documentary: "The Work of Utopia"
AWARD
Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer-Prize 2000
SHE STAGED NEUMEIER'S BALLETS FOR
The San Francisco Ballet: The Little Mermaid, the Stanislavsky Ballet Moscow: The Little Mermaid, The Royal Danish Ballet and Houston Ballet: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Vienna State Ballet: The Legend of Joseph and Verklungene Feste
BORN
In Verona. Italian
EDUCATION
Scuola di Ballo dell’Accademia Teatro alla Scala
Diploma for Advanced Training Dance Education in John Cranko School, Stuttgart
ENGAGEMENTS
Teatro alla Scala Milan, as dancer 2000-2002
Stuttgart Ballet, as Soloist 2002-2015 and as Guest Ballet Master 2012-2015, 2017
Ballett im Revier, as Ballet Master 2018-2019
Ballett am Rhein, as Head Ballet Master 2020-2024
Hamburg Ballet, as Head Ballet Master from August 2024
CREATIONS
Rosny in "..., la peau blanche..." (Christian Spuck)
Police Minister Argenson in "Das Fräulein von S." (Christian Spuck)
Professor Spalanzani in "The Sandman" (Christian Spuck)
Nicholas Greene in "Orlando" (Marco Goecke)
and solos in
Sweet Sweet Sweet (Marco Goecke)
Igor Poems (Kevin O'Day)
Il Concertone (Mauro Bigonzetti)
Alben (Marco Goecke)
Dummy Run (Douglas Lee)
Melodious gimmick to keep the boys in line (Marc Spadling)
Nautilus (Wayne McGregor)
Orphée et Euridice (Christian Spuck)
Viciouswishes (Marco Goecke)
REPERTORY IN MILAN
A Prince in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Rudolf Nurejev)
and solos in
Excelsior (Luigi Manzotti)
Amarcord (Luciano Cannito)
Notre-Dame de Paris (Roland Petit)
REPERTORY IN STUTTGART
Othello and Jago in "Othello" (John Neumeier)
Harold Mitchell and Kiefaber in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (John Neumeier)
Monsieur Duval in "Lady of the Camellias" (John Neumeier)
José-Antonio in "Don Quixote" (Maximiliano Guerra)
Carabosse, Prince of the South in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Marcia Haydée after Marius Petipa)
Simone in "I fratelli – The Brothers" (Mauro Bigonzetti)
Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" (John Cranko)
Gremin in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
Urlicht (William Forsythe)
Rotbart, Prince's Friend, Spanish Dance in "Swan Lake" (John Cranko)
Hortensio in "The Taming of the Shrew" (John Cranko)
A Friend in "Gaîté parisienne "(Maurice Béjart)
Hilarion in "Giselle" (Reid Anderson, Valentina Savina)
Claudius in "Hamlet" (Kevin O’Day)
Drosselmeier in "The Nutcracker" (Marco Goecke)
Brighella in "Pierrot lunaire" (Glen Tetley)
Pas de trois in "Voluntaries" (Glen Tetley)
Solo in B. in "Initials R.B.M.E." (John Cranko)
King Peter in "Leonce and Lena" (Christian Spuck)
Rodrigo, Jack the Ripper in "Lulu - A Tragedy of Monsters" (Christian Spuck)
Vision in "Poème de l’Extase" (John Cranko)
Roy in "Présence "( John Cranko)
The Host in "The Lady and the Fool" (John Cranko)
First Intruder in "The Cage" (Jerome Robbins)
and solos in
Fratres (John Neumeier)
Brouillards (John Cranko)
Grosse Fuge (Hans van Manen)
Forgotten Land (Jiří Kylián)
Le Sacre du printemps (Glen Tetley)
Corps (Hans van Manen)
Das siebte blau (Christian Spuck)
No more play (Jiří Kylián)
Yantra (Wayne McGregor)
The Song of the Earth (Kenneth MacMillan)
Jeu de Cartes (John Cranko)
Kleines Requiem (Hans van Manen)
Requiem (Kenneth MacMillan)
Return to a strange Land (Jiří Kylián)
Slice to Sharp (Jorma Elo)
Symphony in C (George Balanchine)
Die vier Temperamente (George Balanchine)
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR OF BALLETS BY:
Demis Volpi, Bridget Breiner, Twyla Tyarp, Roland Petit, George Balanchine, Hans Van Mannen, John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins, Flemming Flindt, Katarzyna Kozielska, Marco Goecke
GUESTING AS BALLET MASTER
Teatro Massimo Palermo
HE STAGED
Ballets by Demis Volpi:
Finnish National Ballet
Opéra National de Lyon
Accademia Teatro alla Scala
Ballets by Bridget Breiner:
Innsbruck Ballett
Ballett in Revier
Light Design by Katarzyna Kozielska:
Stuttgart Ballet
Czech National Ballet
BORN
9.10.69 in New York. American
EDUCATION
School of Southern Ballet Theatre, Orlando, Florida
MAIN TEACHERS
Barbara Riggins, Henning Kronstam, Kevin Haigen
ENGAGEMENTS
Southern Ballet Theatre, Orlando, Florida (1985-1987)
Royal Danish Ballet (1987-1995, 1989 as Principal)
Hamburg Ballet since 1995, as Principal. From 2006 to 2009 his was Assistant Ballet Master and he is since 2009 Ballet Master as well. Since 2015 he is also Deputy Artistic Director
CREATIONS
in Hamburg
Sebastian in "VIVALDI or What You Will"
Hamlet in "Hamlet" (1997 version)
Pas de deux "Scheherazade II" (Easter Concert 1998, Munich)
Petrushka in ‘Petrushka’ in "Nijinsky"
Piotr Nikolayevich Sorin in "The Seagull"
Lloyd in "Préludes CV"
Gustav von Aschenbach in "Death in Venice"
A Man in "Christmas Oratorio I-VI"
Ficsur in "Liliom" (for Dario Franconi)
Gustav Mahler in "Purgatorio"
King Florestan in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Mats Ek)
and solos in
hello
Bernstein Dances
Winter Ways from "Images from Bartók"
Messiah
Winterreise
Voice of the Night
Nocturnes and Nachtwanderung
from "Songs of the Night"
Purgatorio
Moments Movements Mendelssohn (Kevin Haigen)
Beautiful Freak (Marco Goecke)
Renku (Yuka Oishi / Orkan Dann)
REPERTORY
in Copenhagen
Lenski in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
The Joker in "Jeu de Cartes" (John Cranko)
James in "La Sylphide" (August Bournonville)
Gennaro in "Napoli" (August Bournonville)
Albrecht in "Giselle" (Jean Coralli-Jules Perrot / Henning Kronstam)
Romeo and Benvolio in "Romeo and Juliet" (John Neumeier)
Puck and Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (John Neumeier)
King Christian VII in "Caroline Mathilde" (Flemming Flindt)
Don Quixote in "Don Quixote"
Apollo in "Apollo" (George Balanchine)
Poet in "La Sonnambula" (George Balanchine)
and solos in
Konservatorium (August Bournonville)
A Folk Tale (August Bournonville)
The Kermesse in Bruges (August Bournonville)
The Fifth Symphony (Gustav Mahler / John Neumeier)
Soldier Songs (John Neumeier)
Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
Tchaikovsky Pas de deux (George Balanchine)
in Hamburg
Romeo, Mercutio, Valentino and Lord Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet"
Armand, Gaston and Monsieur Duval in "Lady of the Camellias"
Odysseus in "Odyssey"
Petrushka in "Petrushka"
Prince Désiré in "The Sleeping Beauty"
Günther and Drosselmeier in "The Nutcracker"
Puck, Theseus/Oberon, Demetrius and Bottom/Pyramus in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Orsino and Sebastian in "VIVALDI or What you will"
The Prince and Cinderella's Father in "A Cinderella Story"
The King in "Illusions - like Swan Lake"
Serge Diaghilev in "Nijinsky"
Albert in "Giselle"
King Arthur in "The Saga of King Arthur"
Petrushka in "Petrushka"
Doubt aspect in "Peer Gynt"
Touchstone in "As You Like It"
W. A. Mozart in "Windows on MOZART"
The Hermit in "Parzival – Episodes and Echo"
The Poet in "The Little Mermaid"
Harold Mitchell (Mitch) in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
A Man in "Seasons – The Colors of Time"
Widow Simone in "La Fille mal gardée" (Frederick Ashton)
A Dandy in "A la Françaix" (George Balanchine)
The Sage in "Le Sacre du Printemps" (Millicent Hoson, inspired by Vaslav Nijinsky)
Father Sheperd in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)
and solos in
Now and Then
Saint Matthew Passion
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Night Sketches aus "Images from Bartók"
Bach-Suite 3
Requiem
Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
She was black (Mats Ek)
Forgotten Land (Jirí Kylián)
Wege (Yukichi Hattori)
Jewels – Emeralds (George Balanchine)
GUESTING
Tokyo, Moscow, Toronto, Copenhagen, Florida, Washington, Paris, Munich and in New York with the American Ballet Theatre.
HE STAGED NEUMEIER'S BALLETS
"Sylvia" for the Het National Ballet in Amsterdam, "Odyssee" for the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, "The Little Mermaid" for the San Francisco Ballet and for the National Ballet of China, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for the Houston Ballet
HE STAGED
Bournonville's "Napoli"-Pas de six for the National Youth Ballet and "The Kermesse in Bruges" for the Royal Danish Ballet for the Bournonville Festival 2005. In 2014 he staged and choreographically completed August Bournonville's "Napoli" for the Hamburg Ballet
He worked on Donya Feuer's documentary: "The Work of Utopia"
AWARDS
"Benois de la Danse 2004".
"Danza & Danza Prize 2004" for his interpretation of his roles in "Bernstein Dances" and "Nijinsky"
More about Lloyd Riggins
BORN
17.1.75 in Gomel. White Russian
EDUCATION
Minsk Ballet School
The School of the Hamburg Ballet
MAIN TEACHERS
Alexander Ivanovich Kaladenko, Anatoli Nisnevich, Kevin Haigen
ENGAGEMENT
Hamburg Ballet since 1994, Soloist in 1997, Principal in 1998, Ballet Master since 2020
CREATIONS
Telemachos in "Odyssey"
King Koll/Fortinbras in "Hamlet" ('97 version)
Sir Andrew in "VIVALDI or What You Will"
Eros in "Bernstein Dances"
Serge Diaghilev in "Nijinsky"
Carsten in "Préludes CV"
Frederick the Great in "Death in Venice"
Konstantin (Kostya) Gavrilovich Triplev in "The Seagull"
The Doctor and Serge Diaghilev in "Le Pavillon d'Armide"
Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin in "Anna Karenina"
and solos in
Time after Time from "Images from Bartók"
Messiah
Winterreise
Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Osterkonzert 2004, Munich)
Du und Du-Waltzer (New Year's Concert 2006, Vienna)
Nocturnes from "Songs of the Night"
Verklungene Feste
Wege (Yukichi Hattori)
REPERTORY
Daphnis in "Daphnis and Chloe"
Armand, Des Grieux, Monsieur Duval and Comte N. in "Lady of the Camellias"
The Prince in "A Cinderella Story"
The young boy in "In The Between"
Theseus/Oberon and Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Prince Désiré, Catalabutte and Blue Bird in "The Sleeping Beauty"
Drosselmeier and Günther in "The Nutcracker"
Romeo, Tybalt, Lord Capulet and Benvolio in "Romeo and Juliet"
Hamlet in "Hamlet" and Polonius in "Hamlet 21"
Aminta in "Sylvia"
Malvolio in "VIVALDI or What You Will"
The main role in "Bernstein Dances"
The King, Prince Leopold and Prince Siegfried in "Illusions - like 'Swan Lake'"
Albert in "Giselle"
Peer, Solveig's Father and The Producer in "Peer Gynt"
Merlin in "The Saga of King Arthur""
Don Juan in "Don Juan"
Gustav von Aschenbach in "Death in Venice"
Odysseus in "Odyssey"
The Poet in "The Little Mermaid"
Her Husband in "Christmas Oratorio"
Jago in "Othello"
The Angel in "The Legend of Joseph"
Liliom and Gate Keeper in "Liliom"
Piotr Nikolayevich Sorin in "The Seagull"
The High Brahmin in "La Bayadère" (Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa)
The Young Boy in "Light Beings" (Mats Ek)
The Prince in The Sleeping Beauty" (Mats Ek)
Madge, a Witch in "La Sylphide" (Pierre Lacotte after Filippo Taglioni)
Man in Green in "Dances at a Gathering" (Jerome Robbins)
The Husband in "The Concert" (Jerome Robbins)
Onegin in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
Don Quixote in "Don Quixote" (Rudolf Nurejev after Marius Petipa)
and solos in
Saint Matthew Passion
Petrushka-Variations
Fratres
Requiem
Spring and Fall
Bernstein-Serenade
Soldier Songs (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
The Fifth Symphony (Gustav Mahler)
hello
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Bach Suite 2
Le Sacre
Magnificat
Opus 100 – for Maurice
Nocturnes from "Songs of the Night"
Afternoon of a Faun
Remanso (Nacho Duato)
Le Pavillon d'Armide (Michail Fokine)
Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
Violin Concerto (George Balanchine)
Forgotten Land (Jirí Kylián)
Jewels – Diamonds (George Balanchine)
GUESTING
Berlin, Dusseldorf, Essen, Munich (Easter Concert 2000 and 2002), Moscow, Bordeaux, Toronto, Beijing, Vienna (New Year's Concert 2006), St.Barth's Music Festival, World Ballet Festival 2006 in Japan, Roberto Bolle and Friends-Galas in Italy, at the Charity Gala "Event Prominent" 2007 and 2010 in Hamburg and 2011 at a Tribute to Natalia Makarova in Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
He danced the role of Konstantin (Kostya) Gavrilovich Triplev in "The Seagull" with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto and with the ballet of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre in Moscow.
HE CHOREOGRAPHED
"Instant"
Music: Samuel Barber
Premiere: Bolshoi Theatre on November 22, 2006
Cast: Bolshoi principal dancers' Marianna Ryzhkina and Yan Godovsky
AWARDS
In 1992 he was half finalist of the "Prix de Lausanne" and received a scholarship from the Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation to complete his education at The Hamburg Ballet School.
Dr. Wilhelm-Oberdörffer-Prize 1996
BORN
20.6.1985 in Yerevan, Armenia. German
EDUCATION
Amaras Dance Studio, Yerevan
Yerevan State Choreographically College
John Cranko School
MAIN TEACHERS
Hovhannes Divanyan, Pyotr Pestov
ENGAGEMENTS
Stuttgart Ballet in 2004, Half-Soloist in 2007, Soloist in 2012
Tulsa Ballet, USA in 2015 as Soloist, Principal in 2016, Assistant Rehearsal Director as well in 2023
Hamburg Ballet since 2024 as Ballet Master
CREATIONS
Ciro in "I Fratelli" (Mauro Bigonzetti)
The Prince in "The Nutcracker" (Val Canipoli / Ma Cong)
Juro in "Krabat" (Demis Volpi)
Louis XIV, King of France in "Das Fräulein von S." (Christian Spuck)
Gravedigger in "Hamlet" (Kevin O’Day)
Alexander Pope in "Orlando" (Marco Goecke)
and solos in
Big Blur (Demis Volpi)
Remember Our Song (Andy Blankenbuehler)
Ballad Unto... (Dwight Rhoden)
While you were gone (Jennifer Weber)
Love-Notes (Nicolo Fonte)
Flight of Fancy (Ma Cong)
All things considered (Craig Davidson)
Creatures of Prometheus (Jorma Elo)
Parhelia (Jenifer Archibald)
Divinire (Nicolo Fonte)
Pentaptych (Ma Cong)
Meoal (Helen Pickett)
Spinto (Demis Volpi)
Shibuya Blues (Anabelle Lopez)
2017 (Young Soon Hue)
Double Bass Concerto ( Bridget Breiner)
Nightlight (Douglas Lee)
II Concertone ( Mauro Bigonzetti)
On Velvet (Marco Goecke)
Within ( Katarzyna Kozielska)
Ren in 3 ( Jorma Elo)
Ssss... (Edward Clug)
REPERTORY
Onegin in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
Basilio und Don Quichotte in "Don Quichotte" (Anna Marie Holmes)
The Wild Warrior "Othello" (John Neumeier)
Don José in "Carmen" (Kenneth Tindall)
The Prince in "Cinderella" (Andrew McNicol)
Prince Siegfried and Rothbart in "Swan Lake" (Marcello Angelini)
Petruchio and Gremio in "The Taming of the Shrew" (John Cranko)
Prince Albrecht in "Giselle" (Marcello Angelini)
Dracula in "Dracula" (Ben Stevenson)
Tchaikovsky in "Tchaikovsky" (Ma Cong)
R. and E. in "Initials R.B.M.E." (John Cranko)
Bim and Napoléon III in "Gaité parisienne" (Maurice Béjart)
Alain, Rooster and the Flute Boy in "La Fille mal gardée" (Sir Frederick Ashton)
Gaston Rieux and Count N. in "Lady of the Camellias" (John Neumeier)
Charles, the Mouse King and Drosselmeyer in "The Nutcracker" (Marcello Angelini)
Valerio in "Leonce and Lena" (Christian Spuck)
Federico in "Vendetta" (Annabelle Lopez Ochoa)
Mercutio and Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" (Edwaard Liang)
Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" (John Cranko)
The Nerd in "O Balcão de Amor" (Itzik Galili)
Bootface in "The Lady and the Fool" (John Cranko)
Siegmund in "The Sandman" (Christian Spuck)
Ali Baba and Puss in Boots in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Marcia Haydée after Marius Petipa)
The King in "Dorothy and the Prince of Oz" (Edwaard Liang)
Pas de deux in "Cacti" (Alexander Ekman)
Pas de trois und Général Lavine Eccentric in "Brouillards" (John Cranko)
Mann in Terracotta in "Dances at a Gathering" (Jerome Robbins)
Basilio, Gypsy Prince and Sancho Panza in "Don Quijote" (Maximiliano Guerra)
Peasant-Pas de deux in "Giselle" (Reid Anderson / Valentina Savina)
Joker in "Jeu de Cartes" (John Cranko)
The Rhythm in "Boléro" (Maurice Béjart)
Schigolch in "Lulu. A Monstre Tragedy" (Christian Spuck)
Amor Boys in "Orphée et Euridice" (Christian Spuck)
Cavalier of the Princess of Naples and Benno in "Swan Lake" (John Cranko)
Second Theme in "The Four Temperaments" (George Balanchine)
and solos in
Classical Symphony (Yuri Possokhov)
Petite Mort (Jiri Kylian)
Serenade (George Balanchine)
Remansos (Nacho Duato)
Infra (Wayne McGregor)
Swish (Demis Volpi)
Le Sacre du printemps (Glen Tetley)
Strictly Gerschwin (Derek Deane)
The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (William Forsythe)
Second to Last (Alejandro Cerrudo)
Million Kisses to my Skin (David Dawson)
Dancing in the Streets (Joshua Bergasse)
Roman Holiday (Luciano Cannito)
Starfish (Adam Hougland)
Der richtige Ort (Katarzyna Kozielska)
Forgotten Land (Jiri Kylian)
La Grande Parade du Funk (Bridget Breiner)
Les Bourgeois (Ben Van Cauwenbergh)
Letters of Others (Bridget Breiner)
Seventh Symphony (Uwe Scholz)
Slice to Sharp (Jorma Elo)
GUESTING
as dancer
Jacob's Pillow Festival, USA
Festival International Ballet Schools, Magdeburg
Canada's National Ballet School
Music and Ballet Gala, Stuttgart
Aalto Ballet, Essen
Gala in Chiasso, Switzerland
Ballet Benefit Gala, Chemnitz
Gala in Russia and in the Republic of Belarus
Gala for the 100 Years of the Armenian Genocide, Yerevan
Forceful Feelings, Yerevan
Gala for Central Oklahoma Ballet Company, USA
as Ballett Master
BalletMet, Columbus, USA
Academy of Ballet and Theater Arts, Oklahoma City
Tulsa Ballet – Center for Dance Education
CHOREOGRAPHY
"Scandal"
Premiere: Tulsa Ballet II – Young Choreographer, Tulsa, 2017
AWARDS
Prix de Lausanne 2003
Photo © Tulsa Ballet
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-925
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
frederic.fouson@hamburgballett.de
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-925
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
robert.goeing@hamburgballett.de
Jean-Jacques Defago was born in Switzerland and began his ballet training in 1976 in Cannes at the Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower. His most important teachers during his training included Rosella Hightower and José Feran. From 1977 to 1979 he received the Migros Culture Percentage Scholarship.
After graduating, he went to the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier in 1979, where he was a member of the company until 2000. In his 21 years as an active dancer, he took part of creation process of John Neumeier's ballets like "Requiem" and "Saint Matthew Passion". His repertoire included a leading role in "Tristan" and several solo roles in John Neumeier's ballets, including "Magnificat", "Romeo and Juliet", "Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler" and "Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler". He also danced in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, José Limón and Antony Tudor, among others.
While he was still a dancer with the Hamburg Ballet, he worked on designing and programming the Hamburg Ballet's first online presence in 1999.
Jean-Jacques Defago has been a member of the communications team since 2000 and is still responsible for the website and digital content. In addition to the Hamburg Ballet website, he also designed the website of the John Neumeier Foundation, the Foundation for the Promotion of the Hamburg State Opera and the Friends of the Hamburg Ballet Center, which he also looks after and maintains.
Jean-Jacques.Defago@hamburgballett.de
Catherine Dumont danced as Soloist with the Hamburg Ballet from 1995 to 2011. She then continued at the compangy as John Neumeier's assistant for 13 years. From August 2024, she will organize the numerous requests for rentals of John Neumeier's works to other companies and houses at both a national and international level.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-989
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
catherine.dumont@hamburgballett.de
After graduating from a music high school in Gera, Luise Eckardt initially studied opera singing at the University of the Arts Bremen. Engagements later took her to the Theater Bremen, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Mecklenburgische Staatstheater Schwerin and the Stadttheater Bremerhaven, among others.
In 2019, she decided to complete a master's degree in cultural management at KMM Hamburg and worked in parallel as an assistant to the artistic director at the Opernloft im Alten Fährterminal Altona. After completing her studies, she joined the ballet company management of the Hamburg Ballet for the 2021/22 season.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-913
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-926
luise.eckardt@hamburgballett.de
Gudrun Euler studied Music and Cultural Management. For many years she worked in concert, orchestra and cultural management, gaining deep experience in this field. After extensive training as a business and educational mediator and system designer, she set up her own consulting business. She also works as a lecturer at the Institute of Cultural and Media Management at the HfMT Hamburg and writes scientific and journalistic publications as well as holding seminars, workshops and lectures.
By initiating projects in Iraq and for young Iraqis as well as with her work for the "National Youth Orchestra of Iraq", she dedicated herself to the reconstruction of the Iraqi music and cultural scenes and at the same time forstering an understanding between Arab and Kurdish young musicians through music. She is also involved in social work with Soroptimist International.
From the 2024/25 season on, she will be contributing her experience with great enthusiasm as a Personal Assistant to Demis Volpi and his work as Artistic Director of the Hamburg Ballet.
gudrun.euler@hamburgballett.de
From 2001-2010, Philip Handschin completed his dance training at the ballet school of Theater Basel. After a three-month guest engagement with the Finnish National Ballet, he joined the Ballett am Rhein in 2010/11. During this time, he danced solo roles in "The thing with feathers" by Demis Volpi, "Ein Deutsches Requiem" by Martin Schläpfer, "Adagio Hammerklavier" by Hans van Manen, "Forgotten Land" by Jiří Kylián and "One Flat Thing Reproduced" by William Forsythe, among others.
From the 2024/25 season, he will be responsible for the artistic production coordination of the Hamburg Ballet.
philip.handschin@hamburgballett.de
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-912
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-926
nicolas.hartmann@hamburgballett.de
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-421/-205
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-472
Barbara.Huber@staatsoper-hamburg.de
Vladimir Kocić stammt aus Belgrad, Serbien. Er studierte zunächst Tanz in Novi Sad und wechselte anschließend an die Ballettschule des Hamburg Ballett. 1994 wurde er ins Ensemble des Hamburg Ballett aufgenommen. Im Jahr 2001 übernahm er die Position des Technisch-künstlerischen Koordinators beim Hamburg Ballett. In dieser Funktion koordiniert er – insbesondere bei Neukreationen von John Neumeier – die Abstimmungsprozesse zwischen Administration bzw. künstlerischer Produktion und Technischer Abteilung. Des Weiteren verkörpert Vladimir Kocic regelmäßig Charakterrollen in Aufführungen des Hamburg Ballett.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-977
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
vladimir.kocic@hamburgballett.de
Vladimir Kocić stammt aus Belgrad, Serbien. Er studierte zunächst Tanz in Novi Sad und wechselte anschließend an die Ballettschule des Hamburg Ballett. 1994 wurde er ins Ensemble des Hamburg Ballett aufgenommen. Im Jahr 2001 übernahm er die Position des Technisch-künstlerischen Koordinators beim Hamburg Ballett. In dieser Funktion koordiniert er – insbesondere bei Neukreationen von John Neumeier – die Abstimmungsprozesse zwischen Administration bzw. künstlerischer Produktion und Technischer Abteilung. Des Weiteren verkörpert Vladimir Kocic regelmäßig Charakterrollen in Aufführungen des Hamburg Ballett.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-977
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
vladimir.kocic@hamburgballett.de
Katerina Kordatou was born in Athens, Greece. She studied Business Administration at the Philipps University Marburg and at the Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf. After completing her studies, she worked in the Marketing Communication department of the musical theatre production company Stella Entertainment AG, which later became Stage Entertainment. In 2002 she moved to the PR & Communication Department of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier. Since then, she has worked in the areas of Press and Public Relations for the Company and the School of the Hamburg Ballet. From the season 2024/25, she will be responsible for Marketing and Communication
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-916
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-917
Katerina.Kordatou@hamburgballett.de
Carmen Kovacs is a freelance dance dramaturge living in Munich.
From 2017 to 2020 she was the dramaturge of the Bavarian State Ballet and from 2020 to 2022 dance and opera dramaturge at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg. She has worked with choreographers including Aszure Barton, Demis Volpi, Moritz Ostruschnjak, Hélène Blackburn, Andrey Kaydanovskiy, Nanine Linning, Xin Peng Wang, Xenia Wiest, and Eric Gauthier.
As a jury member, Carmen Kovacs has been active for the Bayerischer Landesverband für zeitgenössischen Tanz since 2019, for the Jury Freie Tanzschaffende since 2024 as well as for the Förderpreis Tanz of the City of Munich in 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Photo © Sigrid Reinichs
Elizabeth Loscavio was born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA and studied classical dance at the Contra Costa Ballet School, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the San Francisco Ballet School. In 1986 she became a member of the San Francisco Ballet, where she advanced to soloist two years later and in 1990 to first soloist. In 1997 she joined the Hamburg Ballet as soloist and was promoted to principal in 1998. In addition to numerous creations in San Francisco and Hamburg, she danced an extensive repertoire in both companies and completed several international guest appearances. In 1991 she was honored with the Isadora Duncan Award for Individual Performance and in 1996 with the Arts Achievement Award for Classical Dance of the San Francisco Focus Magazine. In the DVD "Illusions – like Swan Lake" she dances Princess Natalia. Since 2005 she is responsible for the management of ballet shoes at the Ballettzentrum Hamburg John Neumeier. From 2014 to 2017 she taught classical dance at the Erika Klütz Professional School for Theatrical Dance and Dance Pedagogy. Since the season 2017/18 she teaches classical dance at the Ballet School of the Hamburg Ballet.
Leonie Miserre, born in Nuremberg, is a cultural manager with an international focus. She studied European Studies in Chemnitz and Glasgow and completed her Master's degree in Arts and Media Management in Berlin.
From 2010-2013, she worked in artist management with artists including Till Brönner and Kurt Krömer. From 2016-2019, she called as stage manager opera and ballet performances at the Schleswig-Holsteinische Landestheater, and worked as freelance stage manager in England.
In 2016, her book on Dynamic Pricing in the Cultural Sector (“Dynamic Pricing im Kulturbetrieb”) was published by B&S Verlag Berlin.
Since 2019, she has been responsible for the planning and realisation of national and international tours of the Hamburg Ballet.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-953
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
Leonie.Miserre@hamburgballett.de
John Neumeier was born in 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he received his first dance training. He continued his dance studies in Chicago as well as at Marquette University in Milwaukee where he created his first choreographic works. After further ballet study both in Copenhagen and at The Royal Ballet School in London, John Cranko invited him in 1963 to join Stuttgart Ballet, where he progressed to soloist and continued his choreographic development.
In 1969, Ulrich Erfurth appointed Mr. Neumeier Director of Ballet Frankfurt, where he soon caused a sensation with his new interpretations of such well-known ballets as "The Nutcracker" and "Romeo and Juliet". In 1973, August Everding invited him to become Director and Chief Choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet. Under his direction, The Hamburg Ballet became one of the leading ballet companies on the German dance scene and soon received international recognition. As a choreographer, Mr. Neumeier has continually focused on the preservation of ballet tradition, while giving his works a modern dramatic framework. His ballets range from new versions of full-length story ballets to musicals and to his symphonic ballets, especially those based on Gustav Mahler's compositions, as well as his choreographies to sacred music. His latest creations for The Hamburg Ballet: "The Sleeping Beauty" (new version, 2021), "Hamlet 21" (2021), "Beethoven Project II" (2021) and "Dona Nobis Pacem" (2022).
In 1975, John Neumeier conceived the Hamburg Ballet Days as a climax and end to each season. In 1978, he founded the School of the Hamburg Ballet. In 1989 the school, together with the company, moved into its own "Ballettzentrum" (ballet center) provided by the city of Hamburg. Its facilities include nine studios and a boarding school for over 30 students. Today almost 80 % of the company's dancers are graduates from the school.
John 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 Ballet of the Paris Opera; The Tokyo Ballet; American Ballet Theatre in New York; San Francisco Ballet; Joffrey Ballet; Boston Ballet; The National Ballet of Canada; The Ballet of the Mariinsky Theater; Moscow Bolshoi and Stanislavsky Ballet; and The National Ballet of China, among others.
Mr. Neumeier holds the Dance Magazine Award (1983), Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and French Order of Arts and Letters and the Legion of Honour. In 2006, he was awarded the prestigious Nijinsky Award for Lifetime Achievement. He received the Herbert von Karajan Musikpreis in 2007 and the Deutscher Jubiläums Tanzpreis in 2008. In 2007, he was made an honorary citizen of the city of Hamburg. In November 2012, he accepted the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation. In 2015, the Inamori Foundation presented Mr. Neumeier with the Kyoto Prize for his contributions to the Arts and Philosophy; in 2016 he received the renowned Prix Benois de la Danse for Lifetime Achievement. His most recent awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Prix de Lausanne, the Erich Fromm Prize and the Friendship Award of the People's Republic of China. In 2021, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark awarded John Neumeier the Medal of Honour "Ingenio et arti", a personal honour bestowed by the Danish royal house on outstanding personalities in the field of arts and scientists. In 2023, he received the Italian Music Prize "Una vita nella musica", the Honorary Membership of the Hamburg State Opera and July 2024 he was admitted as a new member of the order "Pour le mérite".
John Neumeier established the John Neumeier Foundation in February 2006 with the aim of preserving and eventually making available to the public his collection of dance and ballet-related objects. The Foundation will maintain and secure his repertoire and related materials for the city of Hamburg.
In 2011, John Neumeier founded Germany's National Youth Ballet. The young company of eight dancers is based at the Ballettzentrum in Hamburg but finds its performing spaces away from the Hamburg Opera. In addition to international touring this creative young company dances in schools, retirement homes and various social projects.
Since the 1999/2000 season, Birgit Paulsen has worked as an assistant to the Managing Director of the Hamburg Ballet.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-915
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
Birgit.Paulsen@hamburgballett.de
BORN
In Verona. Italian
EDUCATION
Scuola di Ballo dell’Accademia Teatro alla Scala
Diploma for Advanced Training Dance Education in John Cranko School, Stuttgart
ENGAGEMENTS
Teatro alla Scala Milan, as dancer 2000-2002
Stuttgart Ballet, as Soloist 2002-2015 and as Guest Ballet Master 2012-2015, 2017
Ballett im Revier, as Ballet Master 2018-2019
Ballett am Rhein, as Head Ballet Master 2020-2024
Hamburg Ballet, as Head Ballet Master from August 2024
CREATIONS
Rosny in "..., la peau blanche..." (Christian Spuck)
Police Minister Argenson in "Das Fräulein von S." (Christian Spuck)
Professor Spalanzani in "The Sandman" (Christian Spuck)
Nicholas Greene in "Orlando" (Marco Goecke)
and solos in
Sweet Sweet Sweet (Marco Goecke)
Igor Poems (Kevin O'Day)
Il Concertone (Mauro Bigonzetti)
Alben (Marco Goecke)
Dummy Run (Douglas Lee)
Melodious gimmick to keep the boys in line (Marc Spadling)
Nautilus (Wayne McGregor)
Orphée et Euridice (Christian Spuck)
Viciouswishes (Marco Goecke)
REPERTORY IN MILAN
A Prince in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Rudolf Nurejev)
and solos in
Excelsior (Luigi Manzotti)
Amarcord (Luciano Cannito)
Notre-Dame de Paris (Roland Petit)
REPERTORY IN STUTTGART
Othello and Jago in "Othello" (John Neumeier)
Harold Mitchell and Kiefaber in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (John Neumeier)
Monsieur Duval in "Lady of the Camellias" (John Neumeier)
José-Antonio in "Don Quixote" (Maximiliano Guerra)
Carabosse, Prince of the South in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Marcia Haydée after Marius Petipa)
Simone in "I fratelli – The Brothers" (Mauro Bigonzetti)
Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" (John Cranko)
Gremin in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
Urlicht (William Forsythe)
Rotbart, Prince's Friend, Spanish Dance in "Swan Lake" (John Cranko)
Hortensio in "The Taming of the Shrew" (John Cranko)
A Friend in "Gaîté parisienne "(Maurice Béjart)
Hilarion in "Giselle" (Reid Anderson, Valentina Savina)
Claudius in "Hamlet" (Kevin O’Day)
Drosselmeier in "The Nutcracker" (Marco Goecke)
Brighella in "Pierrot lunaire" (Glen Tetley)
Pas de trois in "Voluntaries" (Glen Tetley)
Solo in B. in "Initials R.B.M.E." (John Cranko)
King Peter in "Leonce and Lena" (Christian Spuck)
Rodrigo, Jack the Ripper in "Lulu - A Tragedy of Monsters" (Christian Spuck)
Vision in "Poème de l’Extase" (John Cranko)
Roy in "Présence "( John Cranko)
The Host in "The Lady and the Fool" (John Cranko)
First Intruder in "The Cage" (Jerome Robbins)
and solos in
Fratres (John Neumeier)
Brouillards (John Cranko)
Grosse Fuge (Hans van Manen)
Forgotten Land (Jiří Kylián)
Le Sacre du printemps (Glen Tetley)
Corps (Hans van Manen)
Das siebte blau (Christian Spuck)
No more play (Jiří Kylián)
Yantra (Wayne McGregor)
The Song of the Earth (Kenneth MacMillan)
Jeu de Cartes (John Cranko)
Kleines Requiem (Hans van Manen)
Requiem (Kenneth MacMillan)
Return to a strange Land (Jiří Kylián)
Slice to Sharp (Jorma Elo)
Symphony in C (George Balanchine)
Die vier Temperamente (George Balanchine)
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR OF BALLETS BY:
Demis Volpi, Bridget Breiner, Twyla Tyarp, Roland Petit, George Balanchine, Hans Van Mannen, John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins, Flemming Flindt, Katarzyna Kozielska, Marco Goecke
GUESTING AS BALLET MASTER
Teatro Massimo Palermo
HE STAGED
Ballets by Demis Volpi:
Finnish National Ballet
Opéra National de Lyon
Accademia Teatro alla Scala
Ballets by Bridget Breiner:
Innsbruck Ballett
Ballett in Revier
Light Design by Katarzyna Kozielska:
Stuttgart Ballet
Czech National Ballet
Peter Piterka was born in Topoľčany, Slovakia. In 1994 he began his ballet training at the Tanećné Konzervatorium Evy Jaczovej in Bratislava, in 2002 he went to the Académie de danse classique Princesse Grace in Monaco where he graduated two years later.
From 2004 to 2008 he was member of the Corps de ballet at the Stuttgart Ballet. He danced soloistic roles such as the attendant of the Prince and an attendant of the Princess of Poland in "Swan Lake" (John Cranko) as well as the Prince of the West, the Prince of the Princess on the Pea and the Companion of the Fairies in Marcia Haydée's "The Sleeping Beauty" (after Marius Petipa). Furthermore he performed in other ballets by John Cranko, Maurice Béjart, Mauro Bigonzetti, Glen Tetley, Christian Spuck and Marco Goecke. Tours with the Stuttgart Ballet les him to Asia and to foreign countries of Europe.
After he stopped dancing in 2008 Peter Piterka started a vocational training as management assistant in event organisation.
From September 2010 to March 2011 he was working as assistant for the Anniversary "50 Years Stuttgart Ballet". Afterwards he was Assistant to the Director of Production at the Stuttgart Ballet. From the 2014/15 season until the 2020/21 season he continued being Scheduling Coordinator and Assistant to the Director of Production.
In the seasons 2022/23 and 2023/24 he was Rehearsal Scheduler and Production Manager at Ballett am Rhein.
Starting with the 2024/25 season, he will be in charge of the Ballet Schedule at the Hamburg Ballet.
peter.piterka@hamburgballett.de
Photo © Sigrid Reinichs
BORN
9.10.69 in New York. American
EDUCATION
School of Southern Ballet Theatre, Orlando, Florida
MAIN TEACHERS
Barbara Riggins, Henning Kronstam, Kevin Haigen
ENGAGEMENTS
Southern Ballet Theatre, Orlando, Florida (1985-1987)
Royal Danish Ballet (1987-1995, 1989 as Principal)
Hamburg Ballet since 1995, as Principal. From 2006 to 2009 his was Assistant Ballet Master and he is since 2009 Ballet Master as well. Since 2015 he is also Deputy Artistic Director
CREATIONS
in Hamburg
Sebastian in "VIVALDI or What You Will"
Hamlet in "Hamlet" (1997 version)
Pas de deux "Scheherazade II" (Easter Concert 1998, Munich)
Petrushka in ‘Petrushka’ in "Nijinsky"
Piotr Nikolayevich Sorin in "The Seagull"
Lloyd in "Préludes CV"
Gustav von Aschenbach in "Death in Venice"
A Man in "Christmas Oratorio I-VI"
Ficsur in "Liliom" (for Dario Franconi)
Gustav Mahler in "Purgatorio"
King Florestan in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Mats Ek)
and solos in
hello
Bernstein Dances
Winter Ways from "Images from Bartók"
Messiah
Winterreise
Voice of the Night
Nocturnes and Nachtwanderung
from "Songs of the Night"
Purgatorio
Moments Movements Mendelssohn (Kevin Haigen)
Beautiful Freak (Marco Goecke)
Renku (Yuka Oishi / Orkan Dann)
REPERTORY
in Copenhagen
Lenski in "Onegin" (John Cranko)
The Joker in "Jeu de Cartes" (John Cranko)
James in "La Sylphide" (August Bournonville)
Gennaro in "Napoli" (August Bournonville)
Albrecht in "Giselle" (Jean Coralli-Jules Perrot / Henning Kronstam)
Romeo and Benvolio in "Romeo and Juliet" (John Neumeier)
Puck and Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (John Neumeier)
King Christian VII in "Caroline Mathilde" (Flemming Flindt)
Don Quixote in "Don Quixote"
Apollo in "Apollo" (George Balanchine)
Poet in "La Sonnambula" (George Balanchine)
and solos in
Konservatorium (August Bournonville)
A Folk Tale (August Bournonville)
The Kermesse in Bruges (August Bournonville)
The Fifth Symphony (Gustav Mahler / John Neumeier)
Soldier Songs (John Neumeier)
Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
Tchaikovsky Pas de deux (George Balanchine)
in Hamburg
Romeo, Mercutio, Valentino and Lord Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet"
Armand, Gaston and Monsieur Duval in "Lady of the Camellias"
Odysseus in "Odyssey"
Petrushka in "Petrushka"
Prince Désiré in "The Sleeping Beauty"
Günther and Drosselmeier in "The Nutcracker"
Puck, Theseus/Oberon, Demetrius and Bottom/Pyramus in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Orsino and Sebastian in "VIVALDI or What you will"
The Prince and Cinderella's Father in "A Cinderella Story"
The King in "Illusions - like Swan Lake"
Serge Diaghilev in "Nijinsky"
Albert in "Giselle"
King Arthur in "The Saga of King Arthur"
Petrushka in "Petrushka"
Doubt aspect in "Peer Gynt"
Touchstone in "As You Like It"
W. A. Mozart in "Windows on MOZART"
The Hermit in "Parzival – Episodes and Echo"
The Poet in "The Little Mermaid"
Harold Mitchell (Mitch) in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
A Man in "Seasons – The Colors of Time"
Widow Simone in "La Fille mal gardée" (Frederick Ashton)
A Dandy in "A la Françaix" (George Balanchine)
The Sage in "Le Sacre du Printemps" (Millicent Hoson, inspired by Vaslav Nijinsky)
Father Sheperd in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)
and solos in
Now and Then
Saint Matthew Passion
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Night Sketches aus "Images from Bartók"
Bach-Suite 3
Requiem
Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
She was black (Mats Ek)
Forgotten Land (Jirí Kylián)
Wege (Yukichi Hattori)
Jewels – Emeralds (George Balanchine)
GUESTING
Tokyo, Moscow, Toronto, Copenhagen, Florida, Washington, Paris, Munich and in New York with the American Ballet Theatre.
HE STAGED NEUMEIER'S BALLETS
"Sylvia" for the Het National Ballet in Amsterdam, "Odyssee" for the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, "The Little Mermaid" for the San Francisco Ballet and for the National Ballet of China, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for the Houston Ballet
HE STAGED
Bournonville's "Napoli"-Pas de six for the National Youth Ballet and "The Kermesse in Bruges" for the Royal Danish Ballet for the Bournonville Festival 2005. In 2014 he staged and choreographically completed August Bournonville's "Napoli" for the Hamburg Ballet
He worked on Donya Feuer's documentary: "The Work of Utopia"
AWARDS
"Benois de la Danse 2004".
"Danza & Danza Prize 2004" for his interpretation of his roles in "Bernstein Dances" and "Nijinsky"
More about Lloyd Riggins
Ulrich Ruckdeschel has worked as a Stage Manager for the Hamburg Ballet since 1985.
Since 2012, Eliot Worrell has been a professional ballet dancer within the corps de ballet of the Hamburg Ballet. Over the past twelve years, he has performed in numerous choreographies of John Neumeier in Hamburg and on tours abroad. This journey has not only fulfilled his passion for dance but has also provided him with invaluable insights into the complexities of international productions and touring.
Building upon these experiences, with the beginning of the 2024/25 season, he disembarks on a new chapter, utilizing this knowledge and aiming to seamlessly transition into the realm of stage management, thus merging his love for the arts with a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved in bringing productions to life.
Nathalia Schmidt, born in Hamburg in 1990, is a scholar of comparative literature. With the beginning of Demis Volpi's artistic directorship in the 2024/2025 ballet season, she will support the team as an dramaturgy assistant and in the field of outreach.
She joined the Hamburg Ballet in the 2014/15 season. After an internship in the press office, she initially worked in communications/PR and dramaturgy and was also managing the "jung" program and social media channels. In the same year she completed her Master's degree with the thesis "Poetry and Dance in Stéphane Mallarmé. On the significance of écriture corporelle in his work".
While still studying comparative literature at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, she gained her first experience in PR and dramaturgy and supported artists at various dance and chamber music festivals, including the DANCE Festival in Munich and the International Mendelssohn Festival in Hamburg. Her work behind the scenes at the Hamburg Ballet brings her full circle, as she completed her professional dance education at the affiliated School of the Hamburg Ballet.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-934
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-917
Nathalia.Schmidt@hamburgballett.de
BORN
in Zurich. German
EDUCATION
Royal Ballet School, London, she got the "Benesh Prize for Dance Notation"
Benesh Institute of Choreology, London
ENGAGEMENTS
She worked as a guest with the Hamburg Ballet for the "In the Between" (1994) and "Odyssey" (1995) productions.
Hamburg Ballet since 1996 as choreologist
SHE STAGED NEUMEIER'S BALLETTS IN
Copenhagen, Helsinki, Dusseldorf, Moscow, Dresden, Toronto and Vienna
Demis Volpi, Artistic Director of the Hamburg Ballet as of the 2024/25 season.
The German-Argentinean received his dance education in Buenos Aires, at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto and at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. Subsequently he became a member of the Stuttgart Ballet. In 2006, Volpi choreographed his first work for the renowned Noverre Society: Young Choreographers series in Stuttgart. In 2013 was appointed Resident Choreographer of the Stuttgart Ballet after the world premiere of his highly successful story ballet Krabat. He took on his first directorship in 2020/21 as Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of the Ballett am Rhein, which he will lead until summer 2024. Fascinated by stories and their potential to inspire people, he continues to explore the possibilities of storytelling in ballet. In his first season as Director of the Hamburg Ballet, he will create Demian based on the novel by Hermann Hesse.
During his time at the Stuttgart Ballet, Demis Volpi choreographed, among others, Krabat (based on Ottfried Preussler’s novel), Salome (based on Oscar Wilde) and The Soldier’s Tale. He also created The Nutcracker for the Royal Ballet of Flanders and Giselle and Closed Game for the Ballett am Rhein. In addition, he has created numerous abstract works such Aftermath for the Stuttgart Ballet, Sanguinic for a quadruple bill titled Four Temperaments and The thing with feathers (both for Ballett am Rhein). In 2010, he created The Carnival of the Animals for the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, which was added to the repertoire of the Hamburg Ballet School by John Neumeier in 2012.
Over the past two decades, Volpi has created narrative and abstract works for renowned companies such as the American Ballet Theatre, the Ballet de Santiago de Chile, the Ballet Nacional del Sodre in Uruguay, the Latvian National Ballet, Ballett Dortmund, the Compañia Nacional de Danza de México, the Royal Ballet of Flanders and Canada's National Ballet School, where he was Guest Artist in Residence in 2014.
Since 2014, Volpi has also been working as an opera director, expanding the boundaries of theater genres. In 2017, he staged Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice in a celebrated co-production of the Stuttgart State Opera, the Stuttgart Ballet and the John Cranko School. At the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, he interpreted Bluebeard's Castle by Béla Bartók.
Volpi was awarded the Erik Bruhn Prize in 2011, the Chilean Prize of the Art Critics' Circle in 2012 and the German Dance Prize "Future" in 2014. He was nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse in 2017 for his full-length ballet Salome and, following the successful opera premiere of Death in Venice, was voted Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 in the critics' choice of Opernwelt. Volpi was a member of the jury for the Prix de Lausanne 2018 and the International Competition for Choreography Hanover. In September 2019, his work and achievements as a choreographer over the past ten years were honored with the Merit Diploma at the Konex Awards in Buenos Aires.
March 2024
LIST OF WORKS
CHOREOGRAPHIES
on and on and on
World Premiere: "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, May 2006, Stuttgart Ballet
spinto
World Premiere: Gala "Musik und Ballett" of the orchestra association Stuttgart at the Liederhalle Stuttgart
swish
World Premiere: "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, June 2007, Stuttgart Ballet
palpable leers
World Premiere "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, July 2008, Stuttgart Ballet
The Broadway Baby
Collaboration with Bridget Breiner; World Premiere on April 1, 2009 for the gala on occasion of Ballet Director Reid Anderson's 60th birthday
from me to you
World Premiere "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, July 2009, Stuttgart Ballet
Big Blur
Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: March 31, 2010, Play House Theatre, Stuttgart
Der Zauberlehrling
World Premiere "Choreografen stellen sich vor", July 4, 2010; Baden State Theater Karlsruhe
Der Karneval der Tiere
Commissioned work for the John Cranko Schule, World Premiere during the "Aktion Weihnachten": December 5, 2010, Opera House Stuttgart
the choreography was taken into the repertoire of Hamburg Ballet's ballet school in May 2012
Little Monsters
World Premiere at The Ninth International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize on March 5, 2011, The National Ballet of Canada
Capricen
Commissioned work for the Badisches Staatstheaters Karlsruhe, World Premiere: March 12, 2011, Baden State Theater Karlsruhe
Private Light
Commissioned work for the American Ballet Theatre, World Premiere: November 5, 2011, Bard College, later at the New York City Center
Fingerspitzengefühl
World Premiere during the "Aktion Weihnachten": December 11, 2011, Stuttgart Ballet
Hypnotic Poison
World Premiere during the mixed bill "Forsythe, Galili, Volpi": March 24, 2012, Ballet Augsburg
Spaceman
Solo for Luis Ortigoza (Ballett de Santiago de Chile), World Premiere: August 29, 2012, Teatro Municipal de Santiago
Allure
Solo for Hyo-Jung Kang (Stuttgart Ballet), World Premiere: September 15, 2012, Dortmund Ballet
Krabat
Full-length ballet. Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: March 22, 2013, Stuttgart Ballet
Jam Session – on Tour
Choreography between objects of theartists Alexander Calder und Tamás Saraceno in the Kunstraum K20 und K21 in Dusseldorf, World Premiere: October 2, 2013, Ballett im Revier, Gelsenkirchen
self-protrait of a woman
World Premiere: February 8, 2014 at the Stadttheater Aschaffenburg, DanceWorks Chicago
Aftermath
Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: April 17, 2014, Stuttgart Ballet
Elēģija
World Premiere on April 26, 2014, Latvian National Ballet Riga
Chalkboard Memories
World Premiere in May 23, 2014, National Ballet School Toronto
Quasi una fantasia
World Premiere on August 27, 2014, Ballet de Santiago de Chile
Aus Ihrer Zeit
World Premiere on September 27, 2014 at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Stuttgart Ballet
Ebony Concerto
World Premiere on February 14, 2015, Ballet Dortmund
The Soldier's Tale
Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: March 13, 2015, Stuttgart Ballet
of the People
World Premiere July 15, 2015, National Ballet School Toronto
Flair
Pas de Deux für Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo
The Nutcracker
Full-length ballet. World Premiere January 24, 2016, Royal Ballet of Flanders
Salome
Full-length ballet. Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: June 10, 2016, Stuttgart Ballet
Death in Venice
Co-Production Stuttgart Ballet and Oper Stuttgart: Direction/Choreography. Premiere: Mai 7, 2017
Le sacre du printemps
World Premiere for Compañía Nacional de Danza de México, Premiere: March 11, 2018
King and King
World Premiere for Compañía Nacional de Danza de México, Premiere: July 27, 2018
the little match girl passion
Choreography of the vocal composition of David Lang, Co-Production for the National Youth Ballett and the PODIUM Festival Esslingen, Premiere: May 2, 2018
CHOREOGRAPHIES FOR OPERA
La Juive
Choreography for the opera "La Juive" at the State Opera Stuttgart, Premiere: March 16, 2008, State Opera Stuttgart
Don Giovanni
Staging of the opera "Don Giovanni" at the Nationaltheater Weimar, Premiere: September 8, 2018
Médée | Medea Senecae | Medeamaterial
(Opera by Luigi Cherubini | Choir by Iannis Xenakis | Monolgue from "Medeamaterial" by Heiner Müller)
Staging and Choreography of the Co-Production and Choreography of the Co-Production of opera, dance and drama of the Saarländisches Staatstheater, Premiere: January 19, 2019
Teseo
Choreography for the opera "Teseo" at the State Opera Stuttgart, Premiere: May 2, 2009, State Opera Stuttgart
Fetonte
Production of the opera "Fetonte" in Schwetzingen, Premiere: November 28, 2014, Theater Heidelberg
AWARDS
2007
Nomination in the category "Young choreographer to watch" in the critics' survey of the magazine ballettanz
2011
Nomination in the category "Young choreographer to watch" in the critics' survey of the magazine ballettanz
2011
Erik Bruhn Prize: Choreographic Prize for "Little Monsters", performed by Elisa Badenes and Daniel Camargo
2012
Nomination in the category "Young choreographer to watch" in the critics' survey of the magazine ballettanz
2012
Chilean Cultural Critics' Award nominated "Spaceman" the best choreography of the year 2012
2014
German Dance Prize "Future"
Kiran West based in Hamburg, Germany, is a former soloist with the Hamburg Ballet turned filmmaker, artist, book/poster/program designer, and fine-art photographer. He specializes in concert, documentary, and dance theatre. Having traveled extensively, he has captured artists on many of the world's historic stages, such as the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Bunka Kaikan Theater in Tokyo, The Joyce Theater in New York City, and the Opera di Firenze in Florence, among others. His work is published in DVDs, within stage set projections, and in newspapers/magazines such as Der Spiegel, Arte, Dance magazine, Geo, Lufthansa, Die Zeit, and Die Welt. He also has a permanent photo exhibition at Hamburg International Airport.
T: +49 (0)40 35 68-922
F: +49 (0)40 35 68-988
kiran.west@hamburgballett.de
Martina Zimmermann grew up near Munich and studied English literature, drama arts, and business administration at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and the University of Birmingham (UK). During her studies, she gained first experiences in dance management at the Munich dance promoter Joint Adventures, where she was in charge of the National Performance Network (NPN) and the Bayerischer Landesverband für Zeitgenössischen Tanz (BLZT) for two years. After completing her studies, she has worked at Bavaria Film Interactive GmbH for seven years as video editor, deputy project manager and senior consultant and was in charge of international projects in the field of corporate TV. From June 2016 to June 2024, she was responsible for marketing, sales, web content and audience communication for the Bayerisches Staatsballett.
martina.zimmermann@hamburgballett.de
Photo © Nicholas Mackay
