The World of John Neumeier

What does choreographic storytelling mean? How does an idea become a ballet? In the Ballet Workshop, John Neumeier is joined by dancers from the guest performance in order to show how artistic visions are translated into movement. The workshop combines conversation, reflection, and dance demonstrations – a format that makes the creative process visible on stage.

John Neumeier's Illusions – like Swan Lake combines motifs from Tchaikovsky's ballet with the biography of the Bavarian "Fairy Tale King" Ludwig II. In a mixture of classical reconstruction and psychological drama, Swan Lake becomes a canvas for inner conflicts. Neumeier addresses loneliness, longing, and the border between reality and illusion – integrating parts of the original choreography by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa.

Classical technique, contemporary movement language, and artistic development of the personality – the School of the Hamburg Ballet, founded by John Neumeier in 1978, takes into account the whole person. Numerous solos created and presented by students have won international awards. In the Absprung format, they also reach for the stars: we will be seeing choreographic works developed for the Young Creation Award of the Prix de Lausanne.

Even after his departure from the Hamburg Ballet, John Neumeier remains artistic director of the Bundesjugendballett, which was founded on his initiative. He brings together young dancers who devote themselves to contemporary dance with dedication and breathtaking skill. A company without a permanent stage, the ensemble regularly performs in schools, hospitals, retirement homes, and even prisons in order to bring dance to people who otherwise rarely have access to it. In Baden-Baden, too, the Bundesjugendballett will be bursting out of the Festspielhaus and dance in the Bénazetsaal in the Kurhaus.

John Neumeier's version of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker presents the ballet as a coming-of-age story. The focus is on Marie, who is introduced by ballet master Drosselmeier to the world of theater. Neumeier combines classic Petipa quotations with autobiographical elements, creating a poetic work about artistic awakening – a modern classic since its premiere in 1971.