Die vier Jahreszeiten (2024). Choreography Alfonso Palencia. Photo Heiko Sandelmann
Seelen - Behind the Window (2023). Choreography Alfonso Palencia. Photo Heiko Sandelmann
Die vier Jahreszeiten (2024). Choreography Alfonso Palencia. Photo Heiko Sandelmann
Seelen - Behind the Window (2023). Choreography Alfonso Palencia. Photo Heiko Sandelmann
The ballet company of the Bremerhaven City Theatre consists of 9 soloists with equal rights. The company is supplemented by up to 7 academy students from various universities. When selecting the members of the ensemble, ballet master Alfonso Palencia places particular value on internationality, dance diversity and variety, in addition to the indispensable high technical level in various dance styles. The diverse origins of the dancers - whether from Russia, South Korea, Brazil or Taiwan - their training at different schools, their experience in various ensembles and thus their own movement patterns flow into the development process of the ballet ensemble. Strong personalities and acting talent are equally sought-after and valued qualities. The company's work is characterised by a contemporary, athletic style with intensive incorporation of acrobatic elements as well as classical technique. The ballet evenings are staged by Alfonso Palencia as well as by renowned guest choreographers. Most of the dancers also have experience in developing their own choreographies. Thus, in addition to two premieres per season, including interpretations of story ballets as well as modern, abstract dance theatre, the ballet company also presents a third evening consisting of the dancers' own choreographies. At the end of each season, a ballet gala with invited guest companies takes place in the Großes Haus. In addition, it is important for a dance ensemble at a municipal theatre to support the performances of music theatre and drama, for example in the annual musical or in interdisciplinary projects. The ensemble also takes part in various guest performances, festivals and galas in other theatres.
The history of the ensemble
In 1931, the Bremerhaven City Theatre had its own ballet company for the first time, with one solo dancer and eight dancers under the direction of Christel Ebling. Horst Vogt became ballet director and principal dancer in 1956. Heinz Manniegel was ballet director from 1967 to 1968. For the first time, the ballet ensemble consisted not only of women, but of four dancers each. In 1968, Gudrun Kreutzberger took over the position as ballet director. The ballet now increasingly created its own evenings in addition to the performances in musicals and operettas. In 1993, the Brazilian Ricardo Fernando came as ballet director. From 2000 to 2004, Jörg Mannes was ballet director. His successor Sergei Vanaev served as ballet master and chief choreographer of the ballet company at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven until the 2021/2022 season. Alfonso Palencia has been the new ballet director and chief choreographer since August 2022.
Alfonso Palencia
Alfonso Palencia trained from 1985 at the Valencia State Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre, at the Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower, at the San Francisco Ballet School and at the Hamburg Ballet. He was a company member in Gelsenkirchen and went to the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich as a solo dancer in 1997, followed by engagements in Berlin, Leipzig, Prague and Augsburg, among others. He worked with choreographers such as John Neumeier, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Hans van Manen, among others, and took over as ballet director at Theater Hagen in 2017. From 2019 he was a freelancer, and since the 2022/2023 season Palencia has been ballet director and chief choreographer at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven.
Productions from the 2023/2024 season
Seelen (2023)
three-part dance evening
Twenty Eight Thousand Waves
Choreography: Cayetano Soto
Music: David Lang - I lie; David Lang - We sit and cry, from The little Match Girl Passion; Kronos Quartet with Bryce Dessner - Aheym
Behind the Window
Choreography: Alfonso Palencia
Music: Philip Glass - Morning Passages; Philip Glass - Dead Things; Philip Glass - The Hours
Anima
Choreography: Alfonso Palencia
Music: Max Richter - Dona Nobis Pacem 2; Johannes Sebastian Bach - Sarabande, from Cello Suite No. 2, recomposed by Peter Gregson; Johannes Sebastian Bach - Courante, from Cello Suite No. 2, recomposed by Peter Gregson; Peter Gregson - Sequence (Four) for solo violin and string orchestra Ólafur Arnalds - Beth's Theme; Philip Glass (Arr. Gediminas Gelgotas) - 2nd movement, from Violin Concerto; Christian Badzura - 847
13 dancers
Stage dimensions: 197.05 m² in the ballet
Duration: 90 min
Die vier Jahreszeiten (2024)
Choreography: Alfonso Palencia
Composition: Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, recomposed by Max Richter; Arvo Pärt - Fratres for Violin, String Orchestra and Percussion
Orchestra: Philharmonic Orchestra Bremerhaven
12 dancers, 57 musicians
Stage dimensions: 197.05 m² in the ballet
Duration: 65 min
Junge Choreografien
Dancers from the ballet ensemble present their own choreographies
Premiere: June 2023
Ballettgala 2024
Top-class international companies as guests in Bremerhaven
Date: June 21, 2024
Productions from the 2022/2023 season
Dornröschen (UA)
First showing: 1890
Premiere: 2022
Choreography: Alfonso Palencia
Composition: Pjotr Tschaikowski
Orchestra: Philharmonisches Orchester Bremerhaven
Dancers: 15
Members of the orchestra: 56
Extras: 2
Stage dimensions: 197,05 m² (ballet)
Duration: 120 min
Ballet Latino (UA)
Premiere: 2023
Choreography: Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Annabelle López Ochoa, Alfonso Palencia
Composition: Amadeu Vives i Roig, Tomás Bretón, Banda Ionica, Titi Robin, Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz, Rosalía, Xavier Cugat, Pérez Prado, Acerina, Paco de Lucía u. a.
Orchestra: Philharmonisches Orchester Bremerhaven
Dancers: 10
Members of the orchestra: 56
Stage dimensions: 197,05 m² (ballet)
Duration: 90 min
Junge Choreograf:innen
Dancers of the ballet ensemble present their own choreographies
Ballettgala 2023
Top-class international companies as guests in Bremerhaven
Date: 27 June 2023
Productions from the 2021/2022 season
Faust (premiere)
Premiere: October 16, 2021
Choreographer: Sergei Vanaev
freely adapted from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
13 dancers
approx. 80 minutes
Petrushka / Le Sacre du Printemps (The Sacrifice of Spring) (premiere)
Premiere: March 12, 2022
Choreographers: Alba Castillo and Sergei Vanaev
Music by Igor Stravinsky
13 dancers
Taiko (premiere)
Premiere: May 21, 2022
Choreographer: Sergei Vanaev
in cooperation with the Taiko group Masa-Daiko Bremen
Ego-Zooming X
Dancers of the ballet ensemble present their own choreographies
Premiere: June 4, 2022
Ballet Gala 2022
Top-class international companies as guests in Bremerhaven
Date: June 28, 2022
Productions from the 2020/2021 season
Othello (premiere)
Premiere: 2021
Choreographer: Sergei Vanaev
freely adapted from William Shakespeare
13 dancers
approx. 70 minutes
Fireworks Music (revival)
Premiere: 2020
Choreographer: Sergei Vanaev
Music by George Frideric Handel
10 dancers
approx. 60 minutes
Productions from the 2019/2020 season
Der Feuervogel / Der Bolzen
Der Feuervogel: Ballet by Sergei Vanaev after the libretto by Michail Fokin with music by Igor Strawinsky // Der Bolzen: Ballet by Sergei Vanaev with music by Dwithri Schostakowitsch
Premiere: 19 Oktober 2019
First showings: «Der Feuervogel» 25 Juni 1910 // «Der Bolzen» 8 April 1931
Musical direction: Marc Niemann
Choreography & performance: Sergei Vanaev
Stage & costume: Darko Petrovic
Assistant choreographer: Wen-Hua Chang
Duration: ca 2 hours, one intermission
Feuerwerksmusic (UA)
Dance evening by Sergei Vanaev with music by Georg Friedrich Händel
Premiere: 29 February 2020
First showing: 29 February 2020
Choreography, stage & costume: Sergei Vanaev
Further information not yet available.
Taiko! (UA)
Dance evening in cooperation with the Japanese Taiko-group Masa-Daiko Bremen
Premiere: 25 April 2020
First showing: 25 April 2020
Choreography & performance: Sergei Vanaev
Direction by Masa-Daiko Bremen: Masakazu Nishimine
Stage & costume: Sergei Vanaev
Further information not yet available.
Ego-Zooming X
Ensemble dancers present their original choreographies
Premiere: June 2020
Further information not yet available.
Balletgala 2020
Top-class international companies hosted in Bremerhaven
23 June 2020
Further information not yet available.
Productions from the 2018/2019 season
Ein Sommernachtstraum (2018)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, Musik: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Philip Glass
Dauer: 100 min. (incl Interval)
On the Road (2019)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev and Nadav Zelner
Dancers: 10
Tanztage Bremerhaven 2019
Ego-Zooming IX (2019)
Choreography: Dancers of the ballet ensemble of the Stadttheater Bremerhaven
Ballet Gala 2019
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev
Dancers: 10
Productions from the 2017/2018 season
Romeo und Julia (2017)
Choreography Sergei Vanaev, music Libretto, composition, orchestra by Sergej Prokofjew, William Shakespeare
9 dancers, duration 110 min
Productions from the 2016/2017
Coppélia (2016)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev
9 dancers, 120 Min.
Goldberg-Variationen (2017)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev
9 dancers, 1 pianist, 70 Min.
Dance-Puzzle (2017)
Choreography: Itzik Galili, Sergei Vanaev
9 dancers
Ego-Zooming VII (2017)
Choreography: dancers of the Ballettensembles des Stadttheaters Bremerhaven
9 dancers
Productions from the 2015/2016 season
La Sylphide (2015)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, Music: Herman Severin Løvenskiold
9 dancers,90 min.
Mozart Requiem (2016)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Requiem in d-Moll KV 626
9 dancers
Drei Punkte (2016)
Choreography: Jiri Pokorny, Sergei Vanaev, Ed Wubbe
9 dancers
Ego Zooming VI
Choreography: Ensemble dancers
9 dancers
Productions from the 2014/2015 season
Ego Zooming V (2015)
Choreography: Ensemble Dancers, Music: various
9 dancers
Die vier Jahreszeiten/Adam Zero (2015)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, Music: Antonio Vivaldi, Arthur Bliss
9 dancers, 120 min.
Drums (2015)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, Music: diverse
9 dancers, 75 min.
Don Quichotte (2014)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev,
Music: Ludwig Minkus
11 dancers, 2 extras, 120 min
Productions from the 2013/2014 season
Ego Zooming V (2014)
Choreography: dancers of ballet ensemble of Stadttheater Bremerhaven, music: various
11 dancers
Carmen-Suite/Le Sacre du Printemps (2014)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, music: Rodion Schtschedrin (after Georges Bizet), I. Strawinsky
9 dancers, 110 min
Songs (2014)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, music: various
11 dancers, 60 min
Cinderella (Aschenbrödel) (2013)
Choreography: Sergei Vanaev, music: Sergej Prokofjew
11 dancers, background actors, 120 min
Seelen
Trailer
Die vier Jahreszeiten
Trailer
Stadttheater Bremerhaven
Am Alten Hafen 25
27568 Bremerhaven
Tel: 0471 - 48 206 - 0 (Zentrale)
Fax: 0471 - 48 206 - 482
