The Triadic Ballet

The Triadic Ballet is today considered an epochal masterpiece of the avant-garde - a milestone in theatre and fine arts alike. Like many of his colleagues at the beginning of the 20th century, Oskar Schlemmer, one of the most important Bauhaus artists, tried to rejuvenate the theatre by developing exciting tendencies in the visual arts. His "Triadic Ballet" is an unprecedented series of vivid and colourful costumes, animated by dancers who have been stylised into abstract artificial figures. Seven of the original costumes can be seen today in the Stuttgart State Gallery. After its premiere in 1922, the work was only performed a few times. It owes its worldwide fame to the first reconstruction in 1977 by the choreographer Gerhard Bohner, the composer Hans-Joachim Hespos and the costume designer Ulrike Dietrich in the Academy of Arts in Berlin. For 12 years this ballet toured around the world. The impressive costumes were then packed into boxes and revived once again in 2014 by Ivan Liška and Colleen Scott with the young ensemble of the Bavarian Junior Ballet Munich.

As a dance prelude, the Bavarian Junior Ballet Munich will present Hans van Manen's Concertante set to the music of Frank Martin (Petite symphonie Concertante (1945)). At their core, Hans van Manen’s ballets are about the complexities of human relationships. His unique and immediately recognisable choreographic language highlights the subtleties that all too often go unnoticed in daily life. His ballets typically show dancers in postures of an almost electrically charged physicality, which celebrate the strengths of their individuality. Originally created for the young ensemble of the Netherlands Dance Theatre II in 1994, Concertante has lost none of its original charm. The timeless beauty of its group sections, trios and duets and the shimmering iconic unitards designed by van Manen’s longtime collaborator Keso Dekker continue to thrill audiences to this day.