Sol León and Paul Lightfoot present contemporary choreographers in Munich

Jeannette Andersen talks to Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, curators of the Bayerisches Staatsballett’s ‘Sphären.03|León & Lightfoot’ programme about why they chose the other choreographers they did, how it is to create as a team, and why they see Germany as a dance loving country.

For the third year in a row the Bayerisches Staatsballett (BSB) has commissioned a choreographer to curate an evening of new contemporary dance. This year they engaged the duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, who follow Angelin Preljocaj and Marco Goecke.

León/Lightfoot are an exception in the world of dance. They met as young dancers at Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), and since creating their first piece together in 1989, their names have been inseparable. In 2002 they were appointed house choreographers for NDT, for which they have created over 60 works. In 2011, Lightfoot was appointed artistic director, with León becoming artistic advisor a year later, positions they held until 2020.

In the programme Sphären.03|León & Lightfoot, they present two of their early pieces, Shutters Shut and Subject to Change both from 2003, and works by Pau Aran Gimeno, Dimo Milev and the duo of Eliana Stragapede and Borna Babić.

Doing an interview with Sol León and Paul Lightfoot is a pleasure. You ask a question and then you are invited into an amicable dialogue between two people who know each other very well. In 2023, they staged the full-evening program Schmetterling with the BSB, which was a huge success. Now they are happy to be back and being able to introduce the dancers and the audience to other contemporary choreographers.

León says, “It makes me proud, but I also feel it as a responsibility. The older you get the more important it becomes to pass on not your opinion of dance, but more like what you think it can be or what you imagine can be.” Lightfoot continues, “I thought a lot about the company, and I think for both of us it was very important to expose the dancers to different processes, to introduce them to people with a significant style. Paired with our pieces, we just feel it represents a beautiful spectrum.”

Speaking of the dance-makers they have selected for Sphären.03, León says, “The two important features about these choreographers are that they love what they do and they are unique. It is very important to be yourself, especially with the internet. It is so easy to copy.”

Lightfoot adds, “They are authentic artists. Pau spent much of his career with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, so he has this dance theatre edge to his work. (Pau Aran Gimeno was one of the stagers of Bausch’s Rite of Spring with the BSB this spring). Dimo spent a lot of years with Nacho Duato in Madrid, and has his own very grounded way of moving. And Eliana/Borna come from the Belgian school and have done a lot of very physical and theatrical work.” (Eliana Stragapede is part of the group Peeping Tom and Born Babiç is a member of Wim Vandekeybus’ Kompanie Ultima Vez.)

Like León/Lightfoot, Stragapede/Babiç work as a creative duo. But that was not why they were chosen. León says, “One difference is they are not a couple, but it is nevertheless, interesting when two people share the dynamics in the ‘kitchen’.”

Lightfoot adds, “They are similar to us in the sense that becoming choreographers was not the fixed goal. It was working together and being creative. I spent years putting ourselves, and our own bodies into our works, but that changes as you develop. I think I see them very much still at that stage where they are really invested. It is interesting to have two opinions or two visions in one work.”

León and Lightfoot’s creative collaboration started as a natural process. León explains, “We were dancing together and we both love choreographing. We did not think we would become choreographers. We started working. As dancers at NDT, we worked with a lot of different choreographers. They were our inspiration. We learned that amongst the significant things are vocabulary and a physical style; it makes your signature specific.”

The pair do not divide the work between them, explains León, “There is not a rule as to who does what. It just happens. It is like, if you make love, who does what. But we talk about it. We feed each other.”

The couple were married, had a daughter but have been separated since 2005. They continue to work together, however. Lightfoot says, “Of course. We have a child and our lives together. In lots of ways, we are much more together than other couples. Our world is our work, is our relationship. So, we are always very close to each other.”

León believes their work has changed little since their separation. Lightfoot agrees, adding that the content is more a question of age. “Our work is about having a real engaged artistic experience with people, trying to give them ‘food’, tools and guidance, and this is what this Sphären project is about for me. It is about the artists in this company, who are talented and gifted, but maybe underexposed to real creative processes. That is because it is a Staatsballett, with a big responsibility towards the house and the repertoire. I hope this is about gifting the dancers with something they can take with them further in their process as artists.

León adds, “They are another generation. We have the responsibility to pass all our knowledge, qualities and experiences on to them, but without limiting them.” Lightfoot continues, “But in order to achieve this there has to be a level of trust, which I feel we established, when we did the Schmetterling program with them.”

Instead of talking specifically about the qualities of the BSB dancers – at the moment they are extremely good – Lightfoot goes into what seems to characterise the present generation of young dancers. He says, “We have been working a lot around the world and I see more connections that differences. There are a lot of young artists who are feeling a little bit lost at the moment in the dance world.” León continues, “They are served a lot of ‘fast food’ creatively. Sometimes it is necessary, but there has to be a balance between what they do and what they are fed.”

Lightfoot says, “I think, what is special here in Germany is, that there is a huge love for culture. It is probably the best area in Europe, where you can develop and bring out your work and create artistic projects with fulfilment, not least because of a large loyal group of supporters.”

After Munich, León and Lightfoot go to Copenhagen where they will present Stay Tuned, an evening of three works featuring nine dancers who are travelling to the city with them, and live music. Hosted by local dance company Kammerballetten, the programme includes Lightfoot’s Suffer Little Children (2023), the world premiere of León’s Serendipia, and a second new work created by both specially for the evening.

Sphären.03|León & Lightfoot is at the Prinzregententheater, Munich from June 27-30, 2025.

The Kammerballetten performances in Copenhagen are in Takkelloftet, at the Royal Danish Opera House, from August 8-16, 2025.