unearthing. Choreography Maja Mirek and Borys Jaźnicki. Photo Rolf K. Wegst
Ghosts - Geister. Choreography Ursina Tossi. Photo Rolf K. Wegst
My body a stranger that protects me that kills me. Choreography Maura Morales. Photo Lena Bils
Orbis. Choreography Paula Rosolen. Photo Rolf K. Wegst
The dance ensemble at the Stadttheater Gießen sees themselves as a platform for diverse contemporary stage and movement languages. Traditional genre boundaries are transcended. Constantin Hochkeppel's works, in particular, are collaborative piece developments that use the interdisciplinary means of physical theatre to critically and humorously address current issues of our time. Together with international guest choreographers, the dance ensemble works on four world premieres per season and is involved in interdisciplinary theatre productions. The dancers are also supported in developing their own works. The expansion of a network with other companies facilitates guest performance exchanges. Various outreach and education formats are constantly being developed to communicate the artistic work. The international ensemble consists of 9 dancers, whose individual artistic personalities and styles characterize all productions both aesthetically and in terms of content. The dance department maintains collaborations with renowned training institutions for dancers and choreographers in the region and supports exchange with the independent dance scene in the Rhine-Main region and throughout Germany.
Ensemble Members Season 2023/2024
Dancers:
Gustavo de Oliveira Leite, Borys Jaźnicki, Emma Jane Howley, Pin-Chen Hsu, Rose Marie Lindstrøm, Maja Mirek, Jeff Pham, Magdalena Stoyanova, Omar Torrico Real
Team:
Constantin Hochkeppel, Artistic Direction & Choreography
Caroline Rohmer, Dramaturgy & Deputy Artistic Direction
Niv Melamed, Training Management, Rehearsal Direction, Choreographic Assistance
Julia Rilling, Department and Production Assistance
The history of the ensemble
The Stadttheater Gießen, founded in 1907, is a municipal theatre with five artistic departments and about 250 employees. For decades, dance has developed with the signature of contemporary dance theatre. Under the name Tanzkompagnie Gießen, directed by Tarek Assam from 2002 to 2022, the ensemble built up an international reputation. Since the 2022/2023 season, under the new artistic direction of Constantin Hochkeppel, the dance department has been restructured as Tanzensemble Gießen and has been working at the interface of contemporary dance and physical theatre.
Constantin Hochkeppel studied Physical Theatre at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. While still a student, he co-founded the Cologne-based physical theatre company KimchiBrot Connection, whose plays have won several awards. He choreographed for productions at the Staatstheater Kassel, the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Schlosstheater Moers, the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum and the Maschinenhaus Essen, among others. He received the 2020 KunstSalon Theatre Prize from the City of Cologne for his physical theatre play "in decent times", and was a scholarship holder of the foundation in 2021. In 2022, Constantin Hochkeppel took over the artistic direction of the new dance ensemble at the Stadttheater Gießen. He develops two productions per season in collaboration with the ensemble.
Productions from the 2023/2024 season
PREMIERS
Ghosts - Geister (2023)
Dance piece for people with and without visual impairment by Ursina Tossi
World premiere
Premiere: September 30, 2023
Choreography: Ursina Tossi
7 dancers
Stage dimensions: 10x11 m
Duration: 70 minutes
Die andere Seite (2023)
Dance x physical theatre by Constantin Hochkeppel & ensemble
World premiere
Premiere: December 8, 2023
Choreography: Constantin Hochkeppel
7 dancers, 3 actors
Stage dimensions: 8.5 x 15 m
Duration: 75 minutes
in decent times (2019)
Physical Theatre by Constantin Hochkeppel
Premiere: February 23, 2024
Choreography: Constantin Hochkeppel
3 dancers, 1 actor
Stage dimensions: 12.5 x 8 m
Duration: 50 minutes
Close to you (and think of the song) (2024)
Dance x physical theatre by Yi-Chun Liu
World premiere
Premiere: May 4, 2024
Choreography: Yi-Chun Liu
9 dancers
Stage dimensions: 8.5 x 15 m
Heat up (2024)
Dance x performance by Marie-Lena Kaiser
World premiere
Premiere: June 14, 2024
Choreography: Marie-Lena Kaiser
5 dancers
Stage dimensions: 12.5 x 8 m
EXTRAS
unearthing (2023)
Dance performance by Maja Mirek & Borys Jaźnicki
As part of the cooperation series "(Re)Spacing" with Kunsthalle Gießen
Premiere: November 21, 2023
Choreography: Maja Mirek & Borys Jaźnicki
2 dancers
Duration: 30 minutes
Dance yourself (AT) (2024)
Dance project by the JFK School Bad Vilbel in collaboration with the Burgfestspiele Bad Vilbel and the dance ensemble of the Stadttheater Gießen
Supported by KUNSTVOLL - Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain
Premiere: June 2024
REPERTOIRE
Orbis (2023)
Dance by Paula Rosolen
World premiere
Premiere: June 16, 2023
Choreography: Paula Rosolen
5 dancers
Stage dimensions: 9 x 9 m
Duration: 70 minutes
My body a stranger that protects me that kills me (2022)
Dance by Maura Morales
World premiere
Premiere: October 21, 2022
Choreography: Maura Morales
4 dancers
Stage dimensions: 12.5 x 8 m
Duration: 55 minutes
Productions from the 2022/2023 season
My body a stranger that protects me that kills me (2022)
Dance by Maura Morales
World premiere
Premiere: October 21, 2022
Choreography: Maura Morales
4 dancers
Stage dimensions: 12.5 x 8 m
Duration: 55 minutes
where we are (at) (2023)
Dance x physical theatre by Constantin Hochkeppel & ensemble
World premiere
Premiere: January 13, 2023
Choreography: Constantin Hochkeppel
7 dancers
Stage dimensions: 8.5 x 15 m
Duration: 90 minutes, no intermission
Five Stages of Grief (2023)
Dance x physical theatre by Constantin Hochkeppel & ensemble
With the Philharmonic Orchestra & the Opera Chorus
Music by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Arvo Pärt, Anna Clyne and Ēriks Ešenvalds
World premiere
Premiere: April 8, 2023
Choreography: Constantin Hochkeppel
7 dancers, opera choir
Stage dimensions: 8.5 x 15 m
Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission
Orbis (2023)
Dance by Paula Rosolen
World premiere
Premiere: June 16, 2023
Choreography: Paula Rosolen
5 dancers
Stage dimensions: 9 x 9 m
Duration: 70 minutes
EXTRAS
Jamais-vu (2023)
Dance performance by Emma Jane Howley & Jeff Pham
As part of the cooperation series "(Re)Spacing" with Kunsthalle Gießen
Premiere: July 13, 2023
Choreography: Emma Jane Howley & Jeff Pham
2 dancers
Duration: 35 minutes
Productions from the 2019/2020 season
Rebellen (2019)
Choreography: EUER TRAUM: Jörg Mannes, WE ARE: Tarek Assam, SUBVERSIVE: Asun Noales
14 dancers, ca. 100 min
Jagen (2019)
Choreography: Olga Labovkina
6 dancers, ca. 60 min
Don Juan | Der Katalog des Versagens (upcoming 2020)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
14 dancers
Personal Trigger (upcoming 2020)
Choreography: Thomas Noone
Productions from the 2018/2019 season
Globetrotter (2018)
Choreography: GLOBE: Jacek Przybyłowicz, SWIFT STEPS, READY COURAGE: Rosana Hribar
13 dancers, approx. 100 min
Wegerzählungen/Cuentos del Camino (2018)
Choreography: Daniel Goldin
8 dancers, approx. 60 min
Metropolis-Futur Drei (2019)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
13 dancers, approx. 100 min
In | De | Fl | Air (2019)
Choreography: Lucyna Zwolinska
8 dancers, approx. 45 min
Carmen (2019)
Choreography: Ivan Strelkin
6 dancers, approx. 60 min
Productions from the 2017/2018 season
Lyrical (2017)
Choreography: AFTER/BEFORE/NOW: Dominique Dumais, CLEAR SHADOWS: Tarek Assam, DSCH: Moritz Ostruschnjak
14 dancers, approx. 80 min
Auftaucher (2017)
Choreography: Henrietta Horn
10 dancers, approx. 45 min
Cross (2018)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
7 dancers, 7 acrobats, approx. 100 min
Waves (2018)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
7 dancers, approx. 60 min
Close_Insight (2018)
Choreography: Tiago Manquinho
8 dancers, approx. 50 min
Productions of the 2016/2017 season
Seid was ihr wollt (2017)
Choreography: Massimo Gerardi
7 dancers, approx. 65 min
Titus Andronicus (2017)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
14 dancers
Der blonde Eckbert (2016)
Choreography: Paolo Fossa
7 dancers
All we see (2016)
Choreography: SIMILITUDE: Tarek Assam, THE FRAIL: James Wilton, MYSTIC VAPOUR: Jacek Przybyłowicz
14 dancers, approx. 120 min
Productions of the 2015/2016 season
Gravitas (2016)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
6 dancers, approx. 60 min
Penelope wartet (2016)
Choreography: Tarek Assam
Glaub an mich (2015)
Choreography: Rosana Hribar
6 dancers, approx. 70 min
Petruschka vs. Feuervogel (2015)
Choreography: PETRUSCHKA: Tarek Assam, THE FIREBIRD: Pascal Touzeau
13 dancers, approx. 120 min
Orbis
Trailer
My body a stranger that protects me that kills me
Trailer
Stadttheater Gießen GmbH
Südanlage 1 | 35390 Giessen
Tel 0641 7957 0
tanz@stadttheater-giessen.de
