What´s going through my head right now #33

"The Thing About the Libretto"

Oh, what memories these are. These snapshots, these perspectives—views from the front of the audience, zoomed in from the wings, or images captured up close right on stage—all speak of energy, sensuality, poetry, and expressiveness. With many photos, I don’t even need a video to recall the scene or dance sequence. Here and there, initial thoughts about them even come to mind; the research I conducted myself to explore the appropriate movement material, or the subsequent rehearsal situations with the ensemble in the studio, right up to the first stage rehearsals, appear before my inner eye. And in some cases, these works date back over twenty years.

The process of creating a dance piece—whether it’s a five-minute piece, a half-hour work, or a two-hour dance spectacle—encompasses so many different components, and the starting point usually lies far before the first step is danced. Do I want to tell a story, or remain more abstract? Should it be emotional, or is it more about aesthetics and visuals? Purely nonverbal, or do I use other forms of theater or art that might help the work be better understood? Or should these other elements—such as language, video, or projection—simply open up multiple layers?

My artistic work is always about dialogue. Between the “creator” and the “performer.” Between the “performer” and the “viewer“. And finally, between the “creator” and the “observer.” A triangular relationship par excellence. If just one side is missing or doesn’t make an effort, one shouldn’t be surprised when misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or simply a lack of communication arise. I’ve experienced this all too often in my career in all three positions and have repeatedly asked myself what the cause might be for the discourse taking place only to a limited extent. Was it due to a lack of communication between the choreographer and the dancers, a lack of imagery, or emotional support? Or did the dancers at the performance I attended lack a connection with the audience, as if they were simply going through the motions? Or was I, as a spectator today, unable to engage with what was being presented? Was I distracted, caught up in my own thoughts, or simply not ready for it?

Well, we can only influence all these factors to a limited extent, because we are usually just one part of the triangle (unless we are both choreographer and dancer). At least one side will therefore be only partially receptive, and thus a guarantee of 100% attention and presence is rarely the case. The dialogue is influenced by subjective perceptions despite all preparations, precautions, and sources of information.

When I now look at the program booklets and notebooks for my works, and especially when I read my own contributions to them, I sense the numerous trains of thought and conversations I’ve had to lay the groundwork. A foundation on which I can bring together everyone involved—regardless of department, whether dancers, set designers, lighting designers, and especially the dramaturgs—in order to also establish a basis for dialogue with the audience. (I believe this is also an important source of inspiration for my literary writing.)

On February 9, I will hold a seminar at the University of Tübingen with students in the Studio for Literature and Theater (SLT) on choreographic work and the creation of libretti in the context of new interpretations or reinterpretations of existing works, with the goal of developing an original libretto for the historical figure “Maria Countess von Linden.” When one delves into the archives of one’s own repertoire, one discovers just how many works one has appropriated, reshaped, or even completely reinterpreted and reimagined—and with what intensity of research and often even risk-taking approach.

I have prepared three works for the students:

° “THE NUTCRACKER” (based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”)Music: Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyLibretto: Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius PetipaChoreography: Lev IvanovPremiere: December 18, 1892 / Mariinsky Theatre / St. Petersburg (RUS)

New interpretation of a classical ballet:Libretto / Choreography / Set design / Lighting: Jochen HeckmannPremiere: October 7, 2011 / Theater Nordhausen (D)

° “THE TEMPEST” (Play)Author: William ShakespearePremiere: November 1, 1611 / Blackfriars Theatre, London (UK)

Dance adaptation of a play:Concept / Libretto / Choreography: Jochen HeckmannPremiere: February 27, 2010 / Tyrolean State Theater Innsbruck (A)

° “LA PASIÓN” (“La Pasión Según San Marcos” / Symphonic commission for the International Bach Academy Stuttgart)Composer: Osvaldo GolijovPremiere: September 5, 2000 / New Church Stuttgart (D)

Free choreographic interpretation of a musical work:Concept / Libretto / Choreography / Lighting: Jochen HeckmannWorld premiere: February 2004 / Ballett-Theater Augsburg (D)

To delve into this now, to give you a closer look at my working methods and perspective, to reveal the tracing of my own intentions and inspirations, and to recapitulate their translation into a conceptual form will be a tremendous joy for me. Sharing my experiences and craft, making them tangible for others, is a gift to me every single time.

Let’s see what we’ll develop further here, what new aspects, images, and potential for dialogue will emerge. What kind of esret version of a libretto will come out of it.

I’m excited… like a rubber band.

Yours Jochen, sincerely