Giving ballet a modern twist

Defining modern through classic

Ballet in the 21st century faces a problem of capturing audiences, especially younger people who grew up surrounded by pop culture. Neumeier believes the key lies in using classic techniques expressed in “modern ways.” The most important asct is that “the story touch people today,” he said.

Germany’s modern dance culture is more developed than its ballet tradition, and Neumeier seems to have responded to the challenge by fashioning a ballet style that borows from both traditions: the fairy tale scale of ballet’s narrative and the contemporary psychological introspection of modern dance.

For The Lady of the Camellias, the choreographer chose to tell the story in a series of flashbacks, in which Armand Duval, the young hero, recalls his life with Marguerite Gautier. The story opens with Duval attending the auction of Gautier’s possessions after her death.

Neumeier thought that if the characters and story touched him, it would have the same effect on viewers. His efforts have helped the Hamburg Ballet bring German ballet into the new century, imbuing upon it a distinctive contemporary edge.

“For me, makng art is instinctive,” Neumeier said. “But you prepare yourself to be instinctive. You prepare yourself for the moment you will be called upon by the art.”