Shall we dance?

In the organizer's words:

Dance between the wars

With 'Shall we dance?', the Ernst Deutsch Theater continues its successful collaboration with the Bundesjugendballett. After 'Die Unsichtbaren', this evening is conceived, choreographed and staged by John Neumeier. Shall we dance?' is a reflection on the interwar period - an era full of hope for lasting peace after the First World War, characterized by artistic flourishing and social upheaval.

The new creation is based on a work by John Neumeier from 1986, when Neumeier developed a ballet revue to the music of George Gershwin for the Hamburg Ballet, which was celebrated with around ten performances at Hamburg's Kampnagel-Fabrik, but never returned to the stage afterwards. Almost four decades later, the young company is revisiting this material - with a new concept that goes far beyond a new production. A total of 29 participants are involved: the dancers of the Bundesjugendballett, the Hamburg Chamber Ballet, four guests and a music ensemble. Together, they create a multi-layered picture of that time, in which dance, music and literature come together. Live music is also a central element of the production, bringing music by George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel to the stage. References to the Harlem Renaissance, writers such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and F. Scott Fitzgerald as well as the Ballets Russes and dance icons such as Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan are interwoven.

An exciting choreographic journey through time between hope, splendor and the pressing question: Is it okay to dance when the world is shaking?