• Sacre (2022). Choreography Stefano Giannetti. Photo Claudia Heysel

  • Der Nussknacker (2023). Choreography Stefano Giannetti. Photo Claudia Heysel

Ballettensemble des Anhaltischen Theaters Dessau

Portrait

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.

 

History and biography

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”.

»There is a quotation of the American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: ›The creation of beauty is art.‹ - That is my motto«, Stefano Giannetti.

 

Productions

  • 2023/2024

    2023/2024

    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

  • 2020/2021/2022

    2020/2021/2022

    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

  • 2019/2020

    2019/2020

    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

  • previous seasons

    previous seasons

    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

Materials


Der Nussknacker
Trailer


Ritus
Trailer


Sacre
Trailer

Contact

Anhaltisches Theater Dessau (Großes Haus)
Friedensplatz 1a | 06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Tel 0340 2511 225 | Fax 0340 2511 0


https://anhaltisches-theater.de/ballettensemble