Hamburg Ballet to Celebrate 40th Anniversary this Month

In June 2013, THE HAMBURG BALLET will celebrate its 40th Anniversary under John Neumeier as the Director and Chief Choreographer with a grand finale, the three week-long Ballet-Days. The Hamburg Ballet is aiming to set a record unprecedented in the world of ballet: To stage 23 different ballets in 19 performances.

The Ballet-Days were founded 39 years ago by John Neumeier. "Many of my colleagues around the world think that I am completely mad. There is hardly another company in the world that would attempt to mount such a large ballet festival, especially at the end of a season", John Neumeier says. "But this year we really will round off our jubilee season in style, and we will be able to offer people visiting Hamburg from around the globe the opportunity to see variety of different ballets in a single trip."

The festival will be kicked-off on the 9th of June by a new compilation of shorter versions of three of John Neumeier's Shakespeare ballets under the title "Shakespeare Dances - All the world's a stage". The evening unites excerpts from the ballets "As You Like It", "Hamlet" and "VIVALDI or What you will". The former dancers of The Hamburg Ballet have been invited to a special preview performance on the day before the premiere.

Former notable Hamburg Ballet members include Maria Eglevsky, Harkness Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Broadway; Marcia Haydée , Stuttgart Ballet, dancer, choreographer and director, François Klaus, Geneva Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and Munich Ballet; Lawrence Leritz, Chicago Ballet, L.A. Music Center Opera, Paris Opera, Broadway, film and television; Ivan Liska, director of Munich Ballet; and Magali Messac,, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.

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