Since the beginning of the season 2019/20, the ballet ensemble of the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau is directed by Stefano Giannetti. When it comes to his work quality and diversity are particularly important to him: “The audience in Dessau is made up of young and old people. Of course, I want to appeal to everyone”, Giannetti explains. He does not focus on any particular dance style. He rather uses the entire range of styles and forms of dance: “Dance is dance. Dance is modern, contemporary and classical. As a choreographer, I like to experiment with the individual styles“.
The constant dialogue between the dancers is important to Giannetti in order to ensure a good collaboration: “It’s like a give and take“.
The focus is also on shaping the personality of each dancer. Behind each individual role stands a person who should not be disguised. Ultimately, authenticity is of great importance: “The dancers are part of my creation. The young members also have the opportunity to unfold their own creativity in the format “Junge Choreografen” (Young Choreographers). In addition to the choreographies, the costumes, space and light concepts are also created by the dancers themselves. This results in extremely personal and diverse dance pieces.
On the ensemble`s history
The first ensemble of permanently engaged artists in Dessau was formed under artistic director Michael Greiner, to which the first ballet ensemble joined in 1851. The ballet was directed by Richard Fricke, who supported Richard Wagner at the first “Bayreuth Festival. ” Apart from a few short interruptions, the ballet division has since become an essential part of Dessau’s theatre life, with its own productions as well as its involvement in musical theatre.
In the GDR, the ballet ensemble was firmly integrated within the state theatre. The national ballet competition of the GDR was arranged in the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau. After the german reunification, the ballet under the aegis of Arila Siegert, Gonzalo Galguera and Gregor Seyffert & Compagnie gained supra-regional importance with productions that were performed nationwide resulting in a sold-out auditorium. In 2009, Tomasz Kajdanski took over the direction of the ensemble. Kajdański made his debut at the Anhaltisches Theater with the dance theatre Lulu. Afterwards was followed by many other productions, such as: Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung (2010), Die Nibelungen: Siegfriedsaga (2011), Alice im Wunderland (2013), Cinderella (2013), Der Sturm (2013), Drei Grotesken (2017), Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray (2018), Carmen-Suite/Der Dreispitz (2019).
Kristallpalast, the revue of the century choreographed by Kajdanski in 2015, was awarded the „Theaterpreis des Bundes“. In total he was responsible for almost 20 ballet productions at the Anhaltisches Theater. Since the beginning of the season 2019/20, Stefano Giannetti has been the new ballet director and chief choreographer.
Stefano Giannetti studied dance at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. In 1983 John Neumeier engaged him at the Hamburg Ballet. Other engagements followed, for example at the English National Ballet, the Zurich Ballet or the Ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Giannetti was the ballet director at the Northern Ballet Theatre, England and founded the „uomo danza“ dance centre in Berlin in 2004. From 2006 to 2015 he was the ballet director at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern. Since then he has worked as a freelance choreographer and ballet master. Engagements followed at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Landestheater Niederbayern and Teatro di San Carlo (Naples). Since the beginning of the season 2019/20 he has been ballet director and chief choreographer at the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau.
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
Violett
Anhaltisches Theater Dessau (Großes Haus)
Friedensplatz 1a | 06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Anhaltisches Theater Dessau (Altes Theater)
Lily-Herking-Platz 1 | 06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Tel 0340 2511 0 | Fax 0340 2511 0