Staatsballett Berlin

In the location's words:

With 80 dancers from 30 nations, the Staatsballett Berlin is the largest ballet company in Germany - and the only one that performs its diverse repertoire on three opera stages in the city: the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Komische Oper Berlin and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Founded in 2004 through a merger of the former ballet ensembles of these three opera houses, the Staatsballett is an independent institution under the umbrella of the Stiftung Oper in Berlin.

The founding artistic director in 2004 was Vladimir Malakhov, one of the outstanding dancers of his generation. Until 2014, he brought a varied repertoire to the stage, characterized by numerous new creations, the rediscovery of rarities from the ballet repertoire and the engagement of outstanding dancers, whom he was able to bind to Berlin. Works by Maurice Béjart and George Balanchine shaped the repertoire, as did creations by Mauro Bigonzetti and Angelin Preljocaj, protagonists of a choreographic avant-garde at the time.

The Spaniard Nacho Duato, artistic director of the Staatsballett from 2014 to 2018, was also in demand worldwide as a choreographer. With his very personal, sensitive and introverted movement language, his own works shaped the repertoire, alongside works by Jiří Kylián, his mentor and teacher, and Ohad Naharin.

Under the co-directorship of Johannes Öhman and Sasha Waltz, a Berlin protagonist of contemporary dance, new choreographic working methods were tested. Personalities such as Alexander Ekman, Alexei Ratmansky and Richard Siegal developed new creations with the company, each with a different approach.

During the provisional directorship of Dr. Christiane Theobald, works by Pina Bausch and Mats Ek were performed alongside works by a younger generation such as David Dawson. In addition, various supporting program formats sought a multi-perspective dialogue and increased audience involvement.

Christian Spuck has been artistic director of the Staatsballett Berlin since the start of the 2023/24 season.