Ballet

White Darkness

William Forsythe / Sharon Eyal / Nacho Duato

This multi-part evening by the Semperoper Ballett takes us on a thrilling exploration through recent dance history. The evening begins with »The Second Detail«, a modern classic from 1991 by William Forsythe, who brilliantly pushes the forms and movements of classical ballet to the outer limits of balance and spatial orientation.

In June 2023, Israeli creator Sharon Eyal premiered »Half Life« at the Semperoper. Her creation is full of intense contrasts: stage meets audience, individual meets collective, sound patterns meet space. All of this makes »Half Life« a masterpiece that evokes tensions that you can experience with all your senses and that range from minimalist to extreme ones. The evening finishes with the choreography »White Dark-ness«, which the Spaniard Nacho Duato created in 2001 following the death of his beloved sister. A requiem full of pain and devotion to a person who has lost faith in love and seeks oblivion. This intense programme celebrates dance as an expression of the creative spirit, of exultation and deep-seated compassion.

Please note that during the ballet evening »White Darkness«, especially in the second part »Half Life« (duration approx. 45 minutes), a noise level of 85 dB, and for a short time also 95 dB, will be exceeded. In addition, bass tones in a low frequency range can lead to physically noticeable vibration stress.

Three-part ballet evening

Premiere
3. June 2023,

No further performances in the current season.

Please note: Some biographies reflect the information available at the time of the respective premiere date and are not necessarily updated on an ongoing basis.

Premiere cast

Music from tape

Project Partner: Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen, Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden, Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen, LBBW

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Stücktrailer

White Darkness

This multi-part evening by the Semperoper Ballett takes us on a thrilling exploration through recent dance history. The evening begins with The Second Detail, a modern classic from 1991 by William Forsythe (*1949), who brilliantly pushes the forms and movements of classical ballet to the outer limits of balance and spatial orientation. With Half Life from 2017, the Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal (*1951) introduces herself to Semperoper audiences with a typically explosive works that seems to have sprung directly from a techno rave. The evening finishes with the choreography White Dark-ness, which the Spaniard Nacho Duato (*1957) created in 2001 following the death of his beloved sister. A requiem full of pain and devotion to a person who has lost faith in love and seeks oblivion. This intense programme celebrates dance as an expression of the creative spirit, of exultation and deep-seated compassion.
Making-of

White Darkness – Making-of (3)

The ballet evening White Darkness concludes with the title piece, White Darkness, by Spain’s Nacho Duato, who has received international accolades for his work, including the Prix Benois de la Danse for Best Choreographer. His dance requiem, created during a period of mourning for his late sister, was premiered in 2001 by the Compañía Nacional de Danza Madrid. This is an intense story of love, the pain of loss and suffering, but also the search for joy in life and hope in dance. The music for White Darkness was created by Karl Jenkins, one of the most popular composers in the field of classical crossover, World and New Age music. As a former member of the jazz-rock group Soft Machine and a musician honoured around the world with several doctorates, the Welshman’s back catalogue includes many silver-, gold- and platinum-selling recordings.
Making-of

White Darkness – Making-of (2)

Half Life gives Semperoper audiences a first chance to acquaint themselves with the work of Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal. A former dancer and in-house choreographer of the Batsheva Dance Company and co-founder of the ensemble L-E-V, she is one of the leading figures in contemporary dance. In her work, created in 2017 for Stockholm’s Royal Swedish Ballet, she propels the dancers to the physical limits of individual expression before allowing the ensemble to merge into a homophonic dynamic organism, moving to the beats of musician Ori Lichtik, one of the founding fathers of Israel’s techno scene.
Making-of

White Darkness – Making-of (1)

The triple bill White Darkness opens with The Second Detail by William Forsythe, one of the most important contemporary choreographers and founder of The Forsythe Company. This piece, which premiered in Canada in 1991, is already considered a modern classic. Drawing on the paradigms of classical ballet, Forsythe is also influenced by the language of neo-classical and expressive dance in a thrilling work that culminates with an ironic twist. The sensuality of this synaesthetic masterpiece is heightened by the female soloist’s costume, created by star designer Issey Miyake, as well as the specially arranged score by Dutch composer and electronic music specialist Thom Willems.
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