Badisches Staatsballett International Benefit Gala

Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe
July 15, 2023

The Badisches Staatsballett’s annual ‘ballet week’ rounded off with the usual benefit gala, this year held in support of the renovation of the Sybelcentrum of the Karlsruhe Home Foundation, formerly a children’s home and then a hospital, now a youth centre in the city that does much good work helping disadvantaged youngsters cope with their challenges and problems. Proceeds from tickets sales were donated to the project, and all the artists waived their fees.

The “evening among friends,” as Staatsballett director Bridget Breiner called it in her introduction, also proved a hugely enjoyable one, featuring international guests and the return of favourite dancers from the previous Birgit Keil directorship. Interesting too, the focus being on duets and the more contemporary end of the ballet spectrum, with only one firework pas de deux.

It started brightly with lickety–split, a new short piece by John McFall, Breiner’s former ballet teacher from Ohio. After opening in silence, the orchestra clap (their time-keeping when playing their instruments is rather better), prompting it to burst into glorious colourful life as if someone has thrown a switch. Joyous, playful and just a tad quirky, the ensemble of eight Staatsballett dancers threw themselves into it with everything they had, although Daniel Rittoles stood out with his great, bouncy allegro.

Almost new was the highlight of the first half: Follow Instincts by former Staatsballett now Salzburg Landestheater Ballett dancer/choreographer Kt. Flavio Salamanka. ‘Almost’ because, as Salzburg director Reginaldo Oliveira told me, it was made pre-Covid but only had one performance before the pandemic struck. It needs to be seen more because it’s a little diamond.

Also new and in classical vein was Verbunden by Staatsballett resident choreographer Kevin O’Day. Performed to Rachmaninov’s Prelude No.10, played live on stage, Olgert Collaku, Baris Comak, Ledian Soto and José Urrutia gave the flowing choreography all the nuance and delicacy it demands.

Almost new was the highlight of the first half: Follow Instincts by former Staatsballett now Salzburg Landestheater Ballett dancer/choreographer Kt. Flavio Salamanka. ‘Almost’ because, as Salzburg director Reginaldo Oliveira told me, it was made pre-Covid but only had one performance before the pandemic struck. It needs to be seen more because it’s a little diamond.

Performed by Salamanka and Mikino Karube, it’s and intensely beautiful, tender pas de deux whose sensitive choreography matches perfectly the intensely expressive Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No.5, to which it is danced. Much of it is as if in slow-motion. Bodies rarely seem apart. Karube often seemed to be in a ecstasy, as though she’s living some wonderful dream, especially when she rolled into his arms.

That was run close by the very different in mood ‘Finale’ from Richard Siegal’s The New 45, however. Nonchalant and easy-going, and danced to Kurt Weill’s ‘Mack the Knife’ and Benny Goodman’s ‘Get Happy,’ the choreography may be very precise but Pablo Octávio and Joshua Swain infused it with a wonderful sense of spontaneity. They looked like a couple of mates dance-jamming and having a great deal of fun doing it. Cheerful, cheeky and joyful, full of sharpness and bounce, it was a delight.

Earlier, David Dawson’s spare but exquisite reinterpretation, Faun(e), showed us what a wonderful dancer Marcelo Gomes, still is. In his tattered skirt he was grace and elegance personified drawing shape after shape that created images in the mind. He was later joined by fellow Semperoper Ballett dancer Alejandro Azorín, leading his younger partner through the dance. The way they perfectly mirrored each other, sometimes in different facings, was stunning.

Completing the pre-interval line up was Always/Only by O’Day, a dance for two couples that’s busy and on edge; and The Dying Swan, in which Bridgett Zehr showed beautiful sinewy arms.

The evening’s classical fireworks came at the start of the second half with Lucia Solari and Rittoles in that gala favourite, the Diana and Actaeon Pas de deux. Rittoles again flew, finding incredible height on his leaps and the warp speed button for his turns. And he did it with a big grin on his face. It brought the house down.

But if you are looking for subtlety, look no further than David Dawson’s dreamlike On the Nature of Daylight that followed. Set to music by Max Richter, the pas de deux has a deeply romantic feel. It felt like time had stood still as the graceful Sophie Martin threw herself into partner Joan Ivars Ribes’ arms before being lifted and swung around, either close to the ground or over his shoulders. It made you sigh with deep satisfaction.

Rather odder was a preview of The rabbit dreams of us, performed by choreographer Pontus Lidberg, and Jens Rosén, Oscar Salomonsson and Nadja Sellrup of The Royal Swedish Ballet. It’s a sort of strange, whimsical bunny masquerade involving several rabbit masks, long ears and a bunch of blue balloons, it starts a bit like children playing but gets seriously surreal.

Balkiya Zhanburchinova (who rumour has it is leaving to join Cathy Marston at Ballett Zürich) and Pablo Octávio gave a near-perfect rendition of the Balcony pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet. Zhanburchinova in particular was utterly believable as the teen experiencing first love. I’ll swear I could hear her heart thumping.

Equally touching and expressive, albeit in a different way, were Marcos Menha and Claudine Schoch of the Vienna State Ballet in director Martin Schläpfer’s three-part duet, Quartz, to ‘Ghostyhead’ by Rickie Lee Jones, Albanian folk music, and ‘City of Quartz’ by Marianne Faithfull. A fascinating chamber piece, it feels very melancholic almost despairing at times, the dance suggesting two people who have been together a long time but who have drifted apart and are now struggling to reconnect.

The Badisches Staatsballett brought the fine evening to a close with the fast-paced finale to the Breiner’s newly created Blessed Unrest from this season’s Per aspera ad astra programme, seen earlier in the week.