Gauthier Dance JUNIORS// Theaterhaus Stuttgart: Radical Classical

In the organizer's words:

Choreographies by Aszure Barton, Mauro de Candia, Marie Chouinard, Eric Gauthier, Andreas Heise, Ohad Naharin and a world premiere by Marco Goecke

With seven cinematic portraits about the fascination of classical music

Which art form combines classical music and movement? In a quick poll on the street, almost everyone would surely answer "ballet". But Radical Classical shows just how fascinating the combination of contemporary dance and classical music can be. The program includes modern "classics" by famous choreographers. In this technically and dramatically demanding program, the Gauthier Dance JUNIORS prove that classical dance can be radical, surprising and incredibly lively.

Between the dance pieces, short, specially produced films open small doors into the world of classical music. Seven very personal portraits with different experts in their field illuminate each piece of music of the evening from a different angle and open up unusual and exciting insights: sometimes into the world of the instruments, sometimes into the minds of the composers, sometimes into the work of the musicians. Together with the author and director Thomas Geiger, a series of cinematic miniatures were created that do not explain the music - but make it tangible.

With her pas de deux from Lascilo Perdere / Duet, originally created in 2005 for her own company AB&A, Aszure Barton may have broken a record - for the longest and most daring French kiss scene in a dance piece. To the hypnotic music of Antonio Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus - Cum Dederit , the new artist in residence binds a couple in an almost physically impossible intertwining for the entire duration of the piece. Vivaldi has never been danced like this before!

The big bang of modern dance: Nijinsky choreographed his iconic dance piece L'Après-midi d'un faune for the Ballets Russes in 1912. The musical template was the impressionist masterpiece by Claude Debussy. Inspired by Nijinski's ground-breaking choreography and historical photographs showing him in his starring role, Marie Chouinard created her own version for a faun, which can also be considered a key work in her oeuvre. With the first notes of Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune , the solo transports us into a mythical, archaic, literally inhuman world. How and what does a mythical creature dream? The Canadian dance avant-gardist shows us.

Britten, Handel, Mozart, Schütz, Purcell, Schubert, Wagner ...: Few choreographers have explored classical music and opera in particular as thoroughly as Andreas Heise. Frühlingsstimmen also looks beneath the surface. On the one hand, the exuberant bliss of Johann Strauss Sohn's classic waltz, the exhilaration and beauty of awakening nature. On the other, doubt and skepticism, a marionette-like scene with dancers who move as if remote-controlled. And the pressing question: where are the fault lines in a supposedly intact world?

Hardly any other piece of music has been translated into dance as often, as differently and as creatively as Maurice Ravel's Boléro. Ohad Naharin was also inspired by this iconic piece - on his own terms ... Not only does the title B/olero contain a slash, the Godfather of Gaga also opted for a synthesizer arrangement by Japanese composer Isao Tomita.

Orchestra of Wolves by Eric Gauthier also brings a good dose of humor. Set to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, this miniature comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the much-vaunted conflict of authority between conductor and orchestra. In the professional music scene, this is usually a struggle between two halfway equally strong opponents. The only problem is that in this piece the conductor is a bird and the orchestra is made up entirely of wolves ...

Michel Fokine's The Dying Swan from 1905, adapted by Eric Gauthier, has been an essential part of every MOVES FOR FUTURE Mobil show from the very beginning. Originally created for the prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, the solo set to the dreamy music of Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals became the epitome of classical ballet. With La Morte del Cigno, Italian choreographer Mauro de Candia takes a truly radical new look at the iconic work. In his interpretation, the dying swan is not personified by a delicate ballerina in a tutu, but by a male dancer.

One more surprise: instead of the originally planned Firebird pas de deux, Marco Goecke is now contributing a world premiere for Radical Classical. He is dedicating it to costume designer and Theaterhaus co-founder Gudrun Schretzmeier, who died in September 2025. Created in a breathless rehearsal phase lasting just six days, FURIA is an attempt to capture time. The long-standing artist in residence at Gauthier Dance chose baroque La Folia variations by Marin Marais and Arcangelo Corelli as the musical template - two compositions from an era that was artistically obsessed with the fleeting nature of time. "You have to fight for the time that passes", said the choreographer to the dancers in rehearsal, "fight to keep the time, even if you realize that it is passing".

Age recommendation: From 16 years.
The performance contains depictions of sexual content.

A captivating declaration of love to the power of music in words, images and dance. - dance network

With the excellent ensemble of the "JUNIORS", pieces by seven choreographers are danced magnificently. - The German stage

A grandiose dance theater evening with a large, not at all junior-looking ensemble. - The German Stage

The seven numbers of the [...] evening present pointe dance in a different way: short bravura pieces on common iconic concert quotations, mostly brushed against the grain. - Südwest Presse

Icons of ballet history and musical classical hits combine to create an attractive choreographic mix of prominent signatures. - Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung

Price information:

Cat. 1: 30,- / reduced: 21,- // Cat. 2: 22,- / reduced: 14,- €