• Brahms – Glaube Liebe Hoffnung | © Andrea D´Aquino

  • Beethoven. Unerhört. Grenzenlos. | © Andrea D´Aquino

  • Die 4 Jahreszeiten | © Andrea D´Aquino

TANZ THEATER PFORZHEIM

Portrait

The Theatre Pforzheim is the most important cultural institution in Pforzheim and the region. The profile of the city and state-sponsored multi-genre house with over 200 employees ranges from masterpieces in the opera to contemporary narrative ballet and multi-part dance evenings to contemporary drama, comedy or musicals. Since 2015, Guido Markowitz has shaped dance at the Pforzheim Theater together with Damian Gmür as his deputy, rehearsal director and house choreographer and Alexandra Karabelas as his dramaturge. Markowitz set striking accents with full-length contemporary new productions at unusual dance locations in the city, the founding of the URBAN THEATER PFORZHEIM LAB as an interface between contemporary stage dance and urban dance in Baden-Württemberg, the Digital Dance Lab for the aesthetic transfer of own dance pieces into the medium of film and as experienced TANZLAND cooperation partner of several cities in southern Germany.

The in-house new productions aim at a new and stylistically diverse narrative of existential themes of people in conflict with themselves and the world to important works of the musical canon. Young international guest choreographers add further highlights to the annual programme. With the start of Markus Hertel's new directorship, the Ballet Theater Pforzheim changed its name to TANZ Theater Pforzheim in order to pay tribute to the diversity and practice of the styles and modes of expression.

 

History and biography

On the ensemble’s history

The Theatre Pforzheim is a house of opera, ballet and play. In 1997 the american choreographer Anthony J. Sterago was appointed to director and chief choreographer of the ballet. Sterago stayed four years until 2001. After that Ricardo Fernando dos Santos overtook the ballet direction for one season. In 2002, the scottish  James Sutherland started to create a separate era. Together with Elsa Genova, Sutherland shaped the ballet and dance at the Pforzheim Theatre for thirteen years. After this period, Guido Markowitz was appointed to new ballet director and chief choreographer. He enlarged the company and gave her a new and very contemporary image and profile. He also set new accents regarding site specific works.

Guido Markowitz was born in Villach. He studied classical and contemporary dance at the Iwanson International School of Dance in Munich. Between 1996 and 2006, he was a soloist in Brigitta Trommler's dance theatre company at State Theatre Darmstadt. Later on, he started to choreograph.  As of 2004, he worked as a freelancer. He was resident choreographer at the Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf and also as of  2012 at the Schauspielhaus Bochum. In 2015, his catalog of works included 50 new creations in contemporary ballet and dance theater as well as direction and choreography for plays, operas, operettas and musicals. Guido Markowitz has been on the board of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland since 2018 and he was in the board of directors of Tanzszene BW e.V. until 2022. His works have been nominated twice for the FAUST theater prize. In 2019 he was honored with the Isadora Prize of the Iwanson Sixt Foundation.

“Dance means life for me. As a choreographer, I'm concerned with people and strong feelings. The dancers give my thoughts soul and implement ideas with passion, expression and dynamism. If we then manage to touch people, it's a lot.”

Guido Markowitz

 

Productions

  • 2020/2021/2022

    2020/2021/2022

    Productions from the seasons 2020/2021 and 2021/2022

    Die vier Jahreszeiten
    World Premiere: 25th January 2020, Pforzheim
    Choreography: Guido Markowitz
    Music: Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
    Music Director: Alexandros Diamantis
    Badische Philharmonie Pforzheim
    Number of dancers: 14
    Other persons on stage: 1 Violinist
    Stage: 10 x 14,5 m
    Duration: ca. 1 Stunde 20 min, no intermission

    Changes: Falling Face / 45  
    World Premiere: 26th of June 2020, Pforzheim
    Choreographies: Odbayar Batsuuri („Falling Face”), Damian Gmür (“45”)
    Music: Sound composition by Ulf Langheinrich („Falling Face“), Fabian Schulz („45“)
    Number of dancers: 6 / 8
    Stage: 10 x 14,5 m
    Duration: 40 min + 20 min
    In Cooperation with the  Palucca Hochschule Tanz Dresden

    Brahms – Faith Love Hope
    World Premiere: 5th June 2021, Villach
    Choreography: Guido Markowitz
    Music:  Johannes Brahms, 1. Sinfonie (1876); Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings (1938)
    Musical director: Robin Davis
    Badische Philharmonie Pforzheim
    Number of dancers: 13
    Other persons on stage: Orchestra and conductor backstage
    Stage: 10 x 14,5 m
    Duration: 70 min, no intermission

    How it molds into the shape of their skin
    World Premiere: 24th of July 2021, Online
    Choreography: Sebastian Abarbanell
    Music:  Dario Wilmington
    Number of dancers: 6
    Other persons on stage: Orchestra and conductor backstage
    Stage: 10 x 14,5 m
    Duration: 70 min, no intermission

    Urban Theater Pforzheim Lab
    World Premiere: 18th of July 2021, Pforzheim
    Choreography: Damian Gmür, Daniela Romero Rodriguez, Ziya Aktas
    Music: Collage
    Number of dancers: 28
    Set: 8  x  6 m
    Duration: 70 min, no intermission

    Freedom – A Tribute to George Michael
    World Premiere: 28.10.2021, Pforzheim
    Choreography and production: Guido Markowitz, Damian Gmür
    Musik: Johannes Brahms, 1. Sinfonie (1876); Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings (1938)
    Musikalische Leitung: Frank Nimsgern
    Frank Nimsgern & Band
    Number of dancers: 13
    Other persons on stage: Fabrizio Levita (Vocals), Svenja Meyer (Vocals) + 4 band-members
    Stage: 10 x 14,5 m
    Duration: 70 min, no intermission

    Beethoven. Unerhört. Grenzenlos.
    World premiere: 29.01.2022, Pforzheim
    Choreography and production: Guido Markowitz, Damian Gmür
    Music:  Ludwig van Beethoven 9. Sinfonie in d-Moll op. 125 (1824), 1. Satz, 3. Satz und 4. Satz (Anfang);
    Ludwig van Beethoven 7. Sinfonie in a-dur, op. 92 (1812), 2. Satz, 4. Satz; Fabian Schulz sound-designs and -scpaes „Rage”, “Sheep and Unicorn”, “Ode an die Freude”; Travis Lake Dust To Dust (2018), arranged by Fabian Schulz (2022)
    Musical direction: Robin Davis
    Number of dancers: 18
    Stage: 10 x 14,5 m
    Duration: 75 min

    Tanz Pur 7: On the Shoulders of Giants
    World premiere: 30.04.2022
    Choreography: Brian Scalini ("On the shoulders of giants"), Roberto Doveri ("Bacco"), Gil Kerer ("Another Land: Reflecions of 3rd Symphony in A minor")
    Music: Gaborhalasz art, “On the Shoulders of Giants” and excerpt from David Tennant, “Undone” (Late Night Tales: Òlafur Arnalds”); Domenico Palmeri ("Bacco"); Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Sinfonie Nr. 3 in a-moll, op.56, 1. Satz (1842)
    Number of dancers: 7 / 5 / 4
    Stage: 7 x 7
    Duration: 1 h 10 min
    In cooperation with Palucca Hochschule Tanz Dresden

  • 2019/2020

    2019/2020

    Productions from the 2019/2020 season

    Vier Jahreszeiten

    Premiere: 25 January 2020

    Choreographer: Guido Markowitz

    Composition: Max Richter, „Vivaldi – The four seasons“, rekomposition; music played by Badische Philharmonie Pforzheim

    Dancers: 14

    Stage: 10 x 12 m (Großes Haus), duration: 50 min

     

    TANZ PUR 5

    Premiere: 09 Mai 2020

    Choreographers: Damian Gmür, Lotem Regev, n.N. in cooperation with Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theater-Festival Stuttgart

    Komposition: n.N.

    Dancers: 14

    Stage: 7 x 10 m (Podium), duration: 70 min

     

    ROMEO UND JULIA IN DER STADT

    Premiere: 26 Juni 2020

    Choreographers: Guido Markowitz, Damian Gmür

    stage and visual performance: Susan Hefuna, „Life Stories“

    Composition: n.N.

    Dancers: 14

    Stage: rooms at Bürgercentrum Pforzheim

    Duration: 60 min

     

    JUNGE CHOREOGRAFEN

    Premiere: n.A. 2020

    Choreographer: dancers of Ballett Theater Pforzheim

    Dancers: 14

    Stage: 7 x 10 m (Podium), Duration: 90 min

     

    TANZLAND-guest performance cooperations with Metzingen:

    Do. 04.06.2020 I 10am - 6pm                              
    Stadt bewegt: TANZAKADEMIE für alle

    Workshops on dance and further topics aimed at children, adolescents and adults with dancers of Ballett Theater Pforzheim at Stadthalle Metzingen.
    Fr. 05.06.2020 I 7.30pm     
    Vier Jahreszeiten (see above)

  • previous seasons

    previous seasons

    Productions from the 2018/2019 season

    Perfekt unperfekt (UA, 2018)
    Choreography: Guido Markowitz, Damian Gmür
    12 dancers, stage dimensions: rooms of the Pforzheim Schmuckmuseum in Reuchlinhaus, duration: 75 min.
    Verwandlungen – Der Feuervogel / Metamorphosen (UA, 2019)
    Choreography: Guido Markowitz
    12 dancers, Badischer Philharmonie Pforzheim, stage dimensions 10 x 12 m, 90 min
    Tanz Pur (2019, UA)

    Choreography: Damian Gmür, Edan Gorlicki, choreographers of the German-Swedish cooperation project Pforzheim-Linköping

    9th International Ballet Gala (2019)

     

    Productions from the 2017/2018 season
    Schwimm, wenn du kannst (2017)
    Choreography: Guido Markowitz, Damian Gmür
    11 dancers, 12 water polo players, stage; Emma-Jäger-Bad Pforzheim, 75 min.
    Mozart-Requiem – Feiert das Leben (2018)
    Choreography: Guido Markowitz
    11 dancers, 4 singer soloists, with Badische Philharmonie Pforzheim and choir, stage 10 x 12 m, 90 min
    Tanz Pur (2018)
    Choreography: Felix Dumérsil, Ana Rita dos Santos Brito da Torre, Stefaan Morrow, Adrien Ursulet
    10 dancers, stage 8 x 6 m, 90 min.
    Junge Choreografen (2018)
    Choreography: ensemble members, stage 8 x 6 m 

Materials

 

Die vier Jahreszeiten
Trailer

 

„Being human – menschlich Sein“
Tanzfilm

„How it molds
into the shape of their skin”
a piece by SEBASTIAN ABARBANELL

 

Brahms – Glaube Liebe Hoffnung
Trailer

 

EREMITES
Trailer

 

Beethoven. Unerhört. Grenzenlos.
Trailer

 

On the Shoulders of Giants
Trailer

 

Bacco
Trailer

 

TANZ PUR 7
Trailer

Contact

Tanz Theater Pforzheim

Guido Markowitz
Ballettdirektor
Guido.markowitz@pforzheim.de

Damian Gmür
Probenleiter und Choreograph
Damian.gmuer@pforzheim.de

Alexandra Karabelas
Dramaturgie, Gastspiele und Management
Alexandra.karabelas@pforzheim.de

Postadresse: Am Waisenhausplatz 5, 75172 Pforzheim
Telefon: 07231/39-2789, 0176 70739834


http://www.theater-pforzheim.de