Forsythe / Hauert

About this event

The double bill pairs two contrasting approaches to contemporary dance. In "Undertainment," William Forsythe – the choreographer who led Ballett Frankfurt and reshaped ballet's possibilities over decades – builds a structural order from an improvisational toolkit. Dancers explore a movement system they create together, producing kaleidoscopic patterns that feel both precise and unpredictable. The piece is self-contained, offering aesthetic pleasure through form rather than narrative. The second half, Thomas Hauert's "Playing with Sergei, Martha and the Others," sets the company moving to Martha Argerich's 1982 recording of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. Hauert, known for his work with ZOO and an improvisation method rooted in collective intelligence, encourages the dancers to interpret the music subjectively – they lean into its rhythm, emotional contrasts, and dynamics while weaving a complex web of interactions. The approach turns the concerto from a commanding score into a lively partner, creating a refreshing tension between the myth of the genius composer and a radically collaborative creative process. Together, the evening offers a rich journey for anyone curious about how dance might think, breathe, and react. The audience is seated in the Schauspielhaus, watching a performance that runs about 1 hour 45 minutes with one intermission.