Ben Van Cauwenbergh has been dirctor of the Aalto Ballett Essen, a company with 30 dancers, since 2008. With ballets by internationally renowned guest choreographers as well as his own creations, the Belgian aims to present dance in its diverse forms and build a bridge between the classic and the modern. In addition to famous classics, the repertoire also includes modern story ballets by Heinz Spoerli, Stijn Celis, John Cranko or David Dawson as well as choreographies by Patrick Delcroix, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin or Alexander Ekman. Van Cauwenbergh's own works are primarily carefully refreshed versions of classical ballets such as "The Nutcracker" or "Swan Lake"or "Sleeping Beauty", but also popular dance evenings such as "Rock around Barock" and "Dance Homage to Queen". A special concern of the former solo dancer is the promotion of young talent. On the one hand, he would like to show his dancers a future perspective: within the framework of the series "PTAH - Young Choreographers", which he initiated, he enables members of his company to test their choreographic talent. He has also given some of the ensemble's dancers the opportunity to perform full-length pieces on the Aalto stage. On the other hand, Van Cauwenbergh offers a lot for children and young people: Every two years since 2015, there has been an education project for Essen school pupils in the form of "Queeny" and "Queeny Unplugged". Furthermore, he regularly cooperates with the Tanzgymnasium Essen-Werden.
On the ensemble´s history
The Aalto Ballett Essen is one of five departments at the multi-arts venue Theater und Philharmonie Essen. It has been housed in the Aalto Theater, one of the most remarkable theatre buildings of the 20th century, since 1988. Long-term ballet directors Heidrun Schwarz and Martin Puttke established a vibrant tradition which is now being continued by Ben Van Cauwenbergh – as ballet director since 2008 and artistic director of ballet since 2013 – to great public acclaim and critical success. Van Cauwenbergh’s works, characterised by a classical aesthetic incorporating contemporary dance elements, can be found in ballet repertoires worldwide.
Ben Van Cauwenbergh
Ben Van Cauwenbergh hails from an Antwerp family of dancers and was a soloist with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. From 1978-1984, he was principal soloist with the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet), where he danced alongside Rudolf Nureyev and performed several leading roles. In 1987, he became principal soloist at the Ballett von Bern and in 1989, he was appointed ballet director and chief choreographer in Lucerne (Switzerland). From 1992-2007 he worked as ballet director and chief choreographer at the Hessische Staatstheater Wiesbaden. In 2008, Ben Van Cauwenbergh became ballet director of the Aalto Ballett Essen and later assumed the post of artistic director of the ballet in 2013.
Productions from the 2019/2020 season
Dornröschen (2019)
Ballet by Ben Van Cauwenbergh after Marius Petipa
Music: P. I. Tschaikowski
Drei Schwestern (1984)
Ballet by Valery Panov after Anton Tschechow
Music: Sergej Rachmaninow
Don Quichotte für Kinder (2017)
Shortend version of the comic ballet by Ben Van Cauwenbergh after Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus (Music from tape)
23 dancers, 2 supernumeraries, stage 15 x 15 m, 50 min.
Onegin (1967)
Choreography: John Cranko after Alexander Puschkin
Music: P. I. Tschaikowski, arranged by Kurt-Heinz Stolze
37 dancers, stage 15 x 15 m, 150 min.
Rock around Barock (2019)
Ballet evening by Ben Van Cauwenbergh and the rock band Mallet
Music by J. S. Bach to the Beatles
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh, with contributions from: Igor Volkovskyy
26 dancers, live band, 1 cellist, 1 pianist, stage 15 x 15 m, 120 min.
Schwanensee (2018)
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh after Marius Petipa und Lew Ivanocv
Music: P. I. Tschaikowski
37 dancers, stage 15 x 15 m, 165 min.
Tanzhommage an Queen (2004)
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh
Music: Queen
27 dancers, 20 dance students, stage 15 x 15 m, 90 min.
Der Nussknacker (2015)
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh
Music: P. I. Tschaikowski
34 dancers, X ballet students, stage 15 x 15 m, 120 min.
Productions from the 2018/2019 season
Queeny Unplugged (2019)
(Education project of the Aalto Ballet Essen)
With school children from Essen as well as soloists and the Corps de ballet of the Aalto Ballet Essen
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh, music: Queen
Cinderella (2011)
Choreography: Stijn Celis, music: Sergej Prokofjew, Les Baxter
25 dancers, stage dimensions 15 x 15m, 90 min.
Don Quichotte (2016)
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh based on Marius Petipa, music: Ludwig Minkus
30 dancers, 2 extras, stage dimensions 15 x 15 m, 135 mins
Productions from the 2017/2018 season
Moving Colours (2018)
Ballet evening by Armen Hakobyan und Denis Untila
10 BY BEN
An 10th anniversary evening of Ben Van Cauwenbergh at the Aalto-Theater
3 BY EKMAN
Tuplet (2012)
Choreography: Alexander Ekman; music: Mikael Karlsson, Victor Feldman, "Fly Me To The Moon"
6 dancers, stage dimensions 15 x 15 m, 20 min
Flockwork (2006)
Choreography: Alexander Ekman, music: Marguerite Monnot, Alexandre Breffort, Martin Schmidt & Drew Daniel, Evan Ziporyn & Arden Trio, Alexander Ekman, traditional hawaiian music & Christophe
15 dancers, stage 15 x 15 m, 30 min
Tyll (2012)
Choreography: Alexander Ekman, music: Mikael Karlsson, 30 dancers, stage 15 x 15 m, 30 Minuten
La vie en rose (2003)
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh, music: John Adams und französische Chansons mit Gilbert Bécaud, Jacques Brel, Maurice Chevalier und Edith Piaf
26 dancers, 1 actor, stage 15 x 15 m, 105 min
Productions from the 2016/2017 season
Queeny Unplugged (2017)
Educational project of Aalto Ballet Essen for Schools
With pupils from Essen, Soloists and the Corps de ballet of Aalto Ballett Essen
Concept und Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh, music: Queen
PTAH IV (2017)
Jung Choreographers at Grillo-Theater
Choreographies: Dancers of Aalto Ballett Compagnie
Philia (2017)
Choreography: Julia Schalitz, music: Triosence "No one's Fault"
4 dancers, 14 x 14 m, 6 min.
Life is calling (2017)
Choreography: Yanelis Rodriguez, music: René Aubry „Mémoires du Futur“
4 dancers, 14 x 14 m, 6 min.
M.SELBST (2017)
Choreography: Qingbin Meng, music: Tan Dun
1 dancer, 14 x 14 m, 5 min.
Living waters (2017)
Choreography: Kevin Durwael, music: Vivaldi
4 dancers, 14 x 14 m, 7 min.
Kak DeLa!?! (2017)
Choreography: Igor Volkovskyy, music from Russia and Ukraine
17 dancers, 14 x 14 m, 20 min.
Romeo und Julia (2014)
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh, music: Sergej Prokofjew
30 dancers, 1 jump acrobat, stage 15 x 15m, 120 min
Vibrations
Premiers from Armen Hakobyan an Denis Untila
Frequencies (2017)
Choreography: Armen Hakobyan, music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Allessandro Marcello, Laurie Anderson, Max Richter, Philip Glass u. a.
9 dancers, 20 min.
Post Mortem (2017)
Choreography: Denis Untila, music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Arvo Pärt
13 dancers, 20 min.
Productions from the 2014/2015 season
Die Odyssee (2015)
Choreography: Patrick Delcroix, music: A Silver Mt. Zion, Ólafur Arnalds & Alice Sara Ott, Ben Frost, Michael Harrison & Maya Beiser, Gija Kantscheli, Abel Korzeniowski, David Lang, Machinefabriek, Dustin O’Halloran, Michael Price
23 dancers*innen, stage dimensions 15 x 15m, 75 min.
Queeny (2015)
Education-Projekt des Aalto Ballett Essen für Schulklassen
Konzept und Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh, Einstudierung: Nour Eldesouki, Ben Van Cauwenbergh, music: Queen
100 school students, 10 ballet students,16 dancers, stage 15 x 15m, 60 min.
Productions from the 2013/2014 season
Giselle (2008)
Coproduction with the musictheater im Revier, Gelsenkirchen
Choreography: David Dawson, music: Adolphe Adam
29 dancers, stage 15 x 15 m, 80 min
Ein Sommernachtstraum (1996)
Choreography: Heinz Spoerli, music: F. M. Bartholdy, Steve Reich and Philip Glass
33 dancers, 6 actors, stage 15 x 15 m, 120 min
Max und Moritz (1984)
Choreography: Michael Kropf, Libretto: Edmund Gleede, music: Gioacchino Rossini
27 dancers, 24 students, stage 15 x 15 m, 110 min
Rock around Barock (2019)
Onegin (1967)
Schwanensee (2018)
Nussknacker (2015)
Aalto-Theater Essen
Opernplatz 10 | 45128 Essen
Tel 0201 81 220 | Fax 0201 81 22503
Marek Tuma: marek.tuma@tup-online.de