Since the start of the 2019/20 season, the ballet ensemble of Anhaltisches Theater Dessau has been under the direction of Stefano Giannetti. Quality and diversity are particularly important to him in his work: “The audience in Dessau has a wide age range. Of course I want to appeal to everyone,” explains Giannetti, who also sees dance in all its facets as an open, interdisciplinary discipline. His work does not focus on any particular dance style. Instead, he makes use of the entire spectrum of styles and forms of dance: “Dance is dance. Dance is modern, contemporary and classical. As a choreographer, I like to experiment with individual styles”. Giannetti believes that it is important to maintain a constant dialog with the dancers in order to ensure good collaboration: “It’s like give and take. The focus is also on developing the personality of each dancer. Behind every single role is a person who should not pretend. Ultimately, authenticity is essential: “The dancers are part of my creation”. The young dancers in the ensemble also have the opportunity to develop their own creativity in the “Young Choreographers” format. In addition to the choreographies the costume, space and lighting concepts are planned by the dancers themselves as well. This results in extremely personal and very diverse dance pieces.
On the ensemble`s history
Under the artistic director Michael Greiner, the first ensemble of permanently engaged artists was formed in Dessau, which was joined by the first ballet ensemble in 1851. Richard Fricke, who supported Richard Wagner at his first “Bayreuth Festival“, directed the ballet. Apart from a few brief interruptions, the ballet division has been an essential part of Dessau’s theater life ever since, with its own productions as well as its participation in musical theater.
In the German Democratic Republic, the ballet ensemble was firmly integrated within the state theater. The national ballet competition of the GDR was held at the Dessau Theatre. After reunification, the ballet achieved national importance under the aegis of Arila Siegert, Gonzalo Galguera and Gregor Seyffert & Compagnie with productions that were seen nationwide and almost always performed to sold-out houses. Tomasz Kajdański took over the direction of the ensemble in 2009. Kajdański made his debut at Anhaltisches Theater in 2009 with Tanztheater “Lulu”. This was followed by many other productions, such as “The Taming of the Shrew” (2010), “Die Nibelungen: Siegfriedsaga” (2011), “Alice in Wonderland” (2013), “Cinderella” (2013), “Der Sturm” (2013), “Drei Grotesken” (2017), “Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray” (2018), “Carmen-Suite/Der Dreispitz “(2019). The century revue “Kristallpalast”, which he choreographed in 2015, was awarded the German Federal Theater Prize. In total, he has been responsible for almost 20 ballet productions at Anhaltisches Theater.
Stefano Giannetti has been ballet director and chief choreographer since the start of the 2019/20 season.
Stefano Giannetti studied in Rome and Paris. The Hamburg Ballet under John Neumeier engaged him in 1983. Other companies include the Basle Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Zurich Ballet. Giannetti was principal dancer and choreographer with the Deutsche Oper Berlin Ballet (1990-1998). Since 1990 he has produced several ballets and worked as a choreographer in opera productions with, a.o. the Arena di Verona Ballet, the Miami International Ballet Festival, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet and the Zurich Opera. He was Ballet Master at the Semperoper in Dresden (1998-1999) and Artistic Director of Northern Ballet Theatre in England (1999-2000) and was awarded the “Leonide Massine” Prize in Italy and founded in Berlin “uomo danza”, a ballet center focusing on male dance (2004). From 2006 to 2015 he was Ballet Director and Choreographer at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern in Germany. From 2015, Giannetti worked as a freelance choreographer for various companies and theatres such as the Bayerische Staatsoper in München, Landestheater Niederbayern, National Academy of Dance, Rom etc., and since 2019 he is Ballet Director at Anhaltisches Theater, Dessau in Germany. He has created in Dessau productions such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aubade”, “Chopin”, “Emancipacion”, “Sacre” and “Ritus”.
Productions from the 2023/2024 season
Der Nussknacker (1892)
Choreography: Stefano Giannetti
Music: Peter Tchaikovsky
13 dancers
Stage dimensions: 26m x 19m
Duration: 90 min
König Roger (1926)
Choreography: Stefano Giannetti
Music: Karol Szymanowski
8 dancers
Stage dimensions: 26m x 19m
Duration: 120 min
Junge Choreograf*innen #V Carte blanche (2024)
Choreography: Martin Anderson, Marcos Vinicius dos Anjos, N.N., Leonor Campillo, Riccardo Esposito, Cristiana Rauccio, Carlotta Rocchi, Victor Costa Santos
8 dancers
Stage dimensions: 9m x 5.50m
Duration: 70 min
Sacre (WA 2022/2023 | UA 1913)
Choreography: Stefano Giannetti
Music: Sacre du printemps by Igor Stravinsky
8 dancers
Stage dimensions: 9m x 5.50m
Duration: 70 min
Ritus (WA 2022/2023 | première 1864)
Choreography: Stefano Giannetti
Music: Petite messe solennelle, Gioacchino Rossini
16 dancers
Stage dimensions: 26m x 19m
Duration: 90 min
Productions from seasons 2020/2021 and 2021/2022
Toccata 20 (Premiere / 2020)
Dance evening by Stefano Giannetti)
Choreography: Stefano Giannetti
Music by Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach and others
Musical Direction: Elisa Gogou
Orchestra: Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau
Duration 60 minutes
Stage: „Appia Stage“ Bauhaus Museum Dessau 4 x (2,64m x 3,96m)
4 dancers
„Tanz am Vulkan“ (Premiere / 2021)
Junge Choreograf*innen III im Wörlitzer Park
Choreography: Fergus Adderley, Martin Anderson, Marcos Vinicius dos Anjos, Anna-Sanziana Beschia, Leonor Campillo, Julio Miranda, Cristiana Rauccio, Moe Sasaki
Dauer: 90 Minuten
Bühne: Insel „Stein“ 10m x 8m
8 dancers
Tanzgala 2021 (2021)
Dance evening with orchestra
Choreography: Marius Petipa, Stefano Giannetti, Jutta Ebnother, Martin Anderson, Leonor Campillo, Julio Miranda
Music by Ludwig Minkus, Igor Strawinsky, Pjotr I. Tschaikowski and others
Musical Direction: Wolfgang Kluge
Orchestra: Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau
Duration: 120 minutes
Stage: 26m x 19m
11 dancers
achthochzwei (Premiere / 2022)
Junge Choreograf*innen IV (dance theatre)
Choreography: Fergus Adderley, Martin Anderson, Anna-Sanziana Beschia, Leonor Campillo, Marcos Vinicius dos Anjos, Julio Miranda, Cristiana Rauccio, Moe Sasaki
Stage: Bauhaus Museum 8m x 8m
8 dancers
Premiere on 7 April 2022
Productions from the 2019/2020 season
Violett (stagecomposition)
Production and choreography: Arila Siegert
Composition and sound design: Ali N. Askin
Cabaret (musical)
Musical direction: Wolfgang Kluge
Production and stage: Malte Kreutzfeldt
Choreography: Gabriel Galindez Cruz
Productions from the 2018/2019 season
Carmen-Suite / Der Dreispitz (Ballettabend)
Musical direction: Markus L. Frank, Elisa Gogou
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
King Arthur (multi-disciplinary semi-opera)
Musical direction: Elisa Gogou
Production: Mario Holetzeck
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski
Junge Choreografen ll (dance theatre)
Choreography: Fergus Adderley, Leonor Campillo, Johanna Raynaud, Moe Sasaki, Daisuke Sogawa, Anna-Maria Tasarz, Vincent Tapia
Productions from the 2017/2018 season
Dorian Gray (ballet)
Musical direction: Elisa Gogou
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
Kiss Me, Kate (musical)
Musical direction: Wolfgang Kluge
Production: Johannes Weigand
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
Junge Choreografen l (dance theatre)
Choreography: Daisuke Sogawa, Maria-Sara Richter, Nicola Brockmann, Vincent Tapia, Fergus Adderley, Johanna Raynaud, Julio Miranda
Productions from the 2016/2017 season
Schneewittchen and die sieben Zwerge (ballet)
Production and choreographie: Tomasz Kajdański
Music: Bodo Reinke
Walk of Fame! (musical-revue)
Musical direction: Wolfgang Kluge
Production and lyrics: Jana Eimer
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
Faust. Der Tragödie erster Teil (multi-disciplinary play)
Production: K.D. Schmidt
Choreography: Hannah Ma
Drei Grotesken (dance evening)
Musical direction: Elisa Gogou
Production and choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
staging the bauhaus VI (performance)
Musical direction and piano: Laura Bos
Production and choreographie: Tomasz Kajdański
Productions from the 2015/2016 season
Sugar – Manche mögen’s heiß (musical)
Musical direction: Wolfgang Kluge
Production: Johannes Weigand
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
Step-Choreography: Keith Wilson
Zaubernacht (dance project for children a spart of the Kurt Weill Fest)
Musical direction: Sebastian Kennerknecht
Production and choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
Der wanderbare Mandarin (dance theatre)
Musical direction: Markus L. Frank
Choreography and production: Tomasz Kajdański
Herzog Blaubarts Burg (dance theatre)
Musical direction: Markus L. Frank
Production: Benjamin Prins
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdański
Productions from the 2014/2015 season
Das verlorene Paradies (2015)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski, Music: Kurt Weill, Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schönberg
Stage 26 x 19 m
Kristallpalast (2015)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski
Stage 26 x 19 m
Der Revisor – Eine Stadt steht Kopf (2014)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski, Music: Alfred Schnittke, Libretto: after Nikolai Gogol
13 dancers, stage 26 x 19 m, 75 min
Cinderella (2013)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski, Composition: S. S. Prokofjew
15 dancers, Anhaltische Philharmonie, stage 26 x 19 m, 120 min
Productions from the 2013/2014 season
Der Revisor – Eine Stadt steht Kopf (2014)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski, Musik: Alfred Schnittke, Libretto: nach Nikolai Gogol
13 dancers, stage 26 x 19 m, 75 min
Amadeus (2013)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski
14 dancers, stage 26 x 19 m
Cinderella (2013)
Choreography: Tomasz Kajdanski, Composition: S. S. Prokofjew,
15 dancers, Anhaltische Philharmonie, stage 26 x 19 m, 120 m
Der Nussknacker
Trailer
Ritus
Trailer
Sacre
Trailer
Anhaltisches Theater Dessau (Großes Haus)
Friedensplatz 1a | 06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Tel 0340 2511 225 | Fax 0340 2511 0