14 extremely lean and muscular bodies move aesthetically in slow motion through the room to the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. They undress, change and dress, they slip into transparent clothing and in flowing movements they mutate into swans. A man is sitting in the corner. He gives precise instructions in an affable tone.
Day ten of the rehearsals for the ballet classic Swan Lake in the Linz Music Theater, the premiere after 41 days of rehearsals will be on April 23rd. It is the first work by the ensemble and Roma Janus, the new director of the troubled dance company, following the involuntary departure of Mei Hong Lin.
It’s a new start, also organizationally. While Mei Hong was also responsible for choreography, external artists are now being brought in for this. This time the Viennese Chris Haring. The 51-year-old is a well-known, award-winning number in the world of dancers and choreographers.
Cheat, be cheated
Here he is choreographing his first Swan Lake, which will take a very contemporary approach. It wasn’t love at first sight, but on closer inspection there was an awakening experience: “When I dealt with this piece professionally, I saw that it was much more than a midnight interlude performed by random men in a drunken state is danced.” Above all, the topics of appearance and reality, deception and disappointment, cheating and being cheated would have attracted him.
He guides the 14 dancers from twelve nations with short announcements in English: “Concentrate more on the character, less on the clothes.” They’re almost done with an hour and a half of training and soon six hours of rehearsals for Swan Lake. In addition, there are always performances of the current plays “The Garden” and “Buddha”. This high-performance sport has left its mark on their bodies. Bruises and scraped knees are part of everyday life.
Company boss Roma Janus follows the rehearsal with stoic calm. She is satisfied because her path of togetherness is working. She carefully selected the external choreographers. Firstly reputation, secondly “appreciative interaction with the dancers is important”. Chris Haring underscores this approach: “We treat each other with respect. What the artists give is extremely inspiring.”
Whether the Swan Lake in Linz could sometimes irritate because it is brought to the stage by a choreographer for contemporary dance? Roma Janus: “The main characters will be dusted. But don’t worry, it will be Swan Lake. And beyond that, a visual spectacle, accompanied by the Bruckner Orchestra.”
Until then, a lot of (dance) steps are still necessary, a lot of sweat will flow, bruises will hurt and maltreated tendons and muscles will hurt.
Source: Nachrichten
