A double bill featuring Ralf Dörnen and Adonai Luna with music by Gershwin, Beethoven, Scholl, and others
“When composing, we combine our musical knowledge with our emotions. I view a piece of music as a sketch. With a melody, you can take in the entire sketch at a glance.” George Gershwin, known as a composer, pianist, and conductor, is considered a master of “short” compositions. Everything he composed—from his world-famous songs to his rhapsodies—is characterized by a special dynamism and a unique use of rhythm, making his music particularly well-suited for dance, especially for dance evenings consisting of multiple choreographies. With “Gershwin Bits,” Ralf Dörnen now presents a ballet that features new versions of choreographies such as “Rhapsody in Blue” from the dance evening “111m² Tanz” and combines them with other short choreographies; creating a kaleidoscope that perfectly blends the composer’s creative power with the dancers’ virtuosity.
After intermission, we dive into the depths of the Arctic Ocean. In 2024, the year marking the anniversary of Caspar David Friedrich, Adonai Luna created a choreography for St. Nikolai Cathedral in Greifswald as part of the “Tanzfusionen” festival. Building on this idea, the longtime ballet master is now developing the dance performance “Eismeer” with BallettVorpommern, set to music by Beethoven, Scholl, and Jóhannsson, based on selected biographical milestones and several paintings by the Greifswald artist. A journey through the life of Caspar David Friedrich in solos, duets, and ensemble pieces, presented as an abstract ballet blending classical and contemporary elements.
Choreography, Direction & Costumes for “Gershwin Bits”: Ralf Dörnen
Choreography, Direction & Costumes for “Eismeer”: Adonai Luna
Gershwin Bits
BallettVorpommern: Elena Alessandrini, Lucie Apicella-Howard, Victor Finaurini, Wiktoria Kiełbasińska, Anderson Lima, Mattia Massa, Seth Marshall, Corinne Mulcahy, Giulia Nardin, João Oliveira, Nahia Soto, David Rivas, Carlos Tostado Serván, Heidi Stangertz Pacheco
Eismeer
Caspar David Friedrich, Mattia Massa
Johann Christoffer Friedrich, Carlos Tostado Serván
Christiane Caroline Friedrich, Elena Alessandrini
The Characters: Lucie Apicella-Howard, Victor Finaurini, Wiktoria Kiełbasińska, Anderson Lima, Seth Marshall, Corinne Mulcahy, Giulia Nardin, João Oliveira, David Rivas, Nahia Soto, Heidi Stangertz Pacheco