Smart festival choreography: With the acclaimed premiere of MEGA ISRAEL, the hosts had hit upon the ideal festival opener for COLOURS 2017. Since then, the dynamic triple bill with pieces by Hofesh Shechter, Sharon Eyal–Gai Behar and Ohad Naharin has been shown with great success at Theaterhaus Stuttgart and on tour worldwide. The new Gauthier Dance production is meant to get the audience once again in the mood for almost three weeks full of dance. In spite of the tongue-in-cheek title, one should not expect a lavish ballet evening, though! Classy Classics is a celebration of contemporary dance, combining three masterpieces by star choreographers with two favourites from the Gauthier dance repertoire.

Modern ballet is inseparably linked with the name of William Forsythe: For several decades, the elegance and clear lines of his impressive oeuvre have enriched contemporary dance. At the same time, the Herman Schmerman Duet is the best proof of how much lightness and humour there is in Forsythe‘s accomplished, almost mathematically structured works. A dancer in pointe shoes and her male partner initially seem to be all set for a neoclassical pas de deux. But it takes Forsythe only a few minutes to ironically break the familiar patterns and tell the story of a very contemporary relationship. Witty, laid-back – and incredibly virtuosic. The Herman Schmerman Duet used to be the showpiece of the great Sylvie Guillem but is now rarely seen on dance stages around the world. Gauthier Dance is honoured that Forsythe has given the go-ahead to include his duet in the Classy Classics programme.

After several succesful collaborations, the time was ripe for an official partnership: From January 2019, Marco Goeckewill be associated with Gauthier Dance as Artist-in-Residence. It is thus only logical that the much sought-after choreographer will be part of the Classy Classics line-up. He is represented by the production that marked his breakthrough and made his unmistakable, quivering dance idiom known to a broad audience. Within the framework of the programme, Äffidoes not only stand for the solo position. It is also a supremely confident choice. After all, the breathless piece set to music by Johnny Cash demands everything from its performer, both technically and emotionally.

DECADANCE is the ultimate surprise bag. Not a piece but a constantly changing work-in-progress. As if he was turning a kaleidoscope,Ohad Naharin compiles a new version for each city, for each company, all excerpts from his previous works. And that‘s a lot since the original version was premiered in 2000. Now he has agreed to create a DECADANCE arrangement for Stuttgart! A sign of appreciation that is no coincidence. The House Choreographer of the Batsheva Dance Company and world-famous „Mr. Gaga“ already had two opportunities to appraise the quality of Gauthier Dance first-hand. True to the motto „No COLOURS festival without a piece by Ohad Naharin“, the company performed Kamuyot at the COLOURS debut in 2015 and Minus 16 at the second edition in 2017 – each time to the master‘s complete satisfaction.

Full attack: Malasangre is a whirlwind of a piece. Dressed in short skirts, their hands shaped into claws, the dancers are sweeping over a stage covered with black fabric butterflies. Cayetano Soto‘s deeply felt homage to the Cuban singer La Lupe shows the darkness of a tormented soul, at the same time turning this inner conflict into the source of the greatest possible energy. In combination with the radiant music of the Queen of Latin Soul, this eccentric, feverish revue literally blows the audience away. Premiered in 2013 as part of the ballet evening Future 6, it is high time for a revival.

The much-loved miniature comedy Orchestra of Wolves dates back even further. Today it is hard to imagine that, in 2009, Eric Gauthier created the humorous showdown between a conductor and his orchestra for a company of just eight dancers. To the pounding sounds from the well-known first movement of Beethoven‘s 5th „Symphony of Fate“, the musicians in wolf masks encircle their principal. In the extended new version, the unfortunate man at the stand will have to face an even bigger pack...

Choreography: William Forsythe, Eric Gauthier, Marco Goecke, Ohad Naharin, Cayetano Soto | Premiere: Herman Schmerman Duet: September 26, 1992, Frankfurt | Orchestra of Wolves: November 18, 2009, Luxemburg | Äffi: Juni 18, 2005, Arnheim | DECADANCE: 2000, Tel Aviv | Malasangre: January 11, 2013, Stuttgart | Duration: approx. 130 minutes no intermission