Kinsun Chan will take over as Artistic Director of the Semperoper Ballett from the 2024/25 season. Overwhelmed by Dresden’s multifaceted artistic history, he set out to trace the traditions of dance in the Saxon state capital: from the Festspielhaus in Hellerau, which, like the Semperoper Ballett, is closely associated with choreographer William Forsythe, to the Villa Wigman, the seedbed of “New German Dance”; and from there to the Palucca University of Dance, known as “Dresden’s Harvard of dance studies”, founded by Wigman’s student Gret Palucca.
The end point of this historical stroll through dance history is the iconic Semperoper. Something of an architecture buff, the ballet director is not only enthusiastic about Gottfried Semper’s building, which so gracefully commands the Theaterplatz, but also about the traditions of dance that evolved here.
In the Historical Archives of the Saxon State Theatres, you will find the names of great romantic ballet stars and choreographers such as Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky and George Balanchine, but also pioneering figures of the 21st century. It is here, in Dresden’s opera house, that the Semperoper Ballett enjoys huge international acclaim for its performance of classical ballets and masterpieces of modern dance. Kinsun Chan considers it a privilege to work at a cultural institution with such a rich history. As Artistic Director, he is thrilled to have the chance to lead the Semperoper Ballett into its next 200 years.