Working Title: The Storm

Presentation

Desire, death, loss, destruction - topics that are crucial in Shakespeare's work - can be understood as a reflection of changes in society and nature. "Der Sturm!" ("The Storm") is a dance production closely connected to Shakespeare´s "The Tempest" and to some of the most urgent ongoing topics of humankind, nature and climate change.

"Der Sturm" will be a large dance production by Ina Christel Johannessen from Norway for the ballet company and the orchestra of Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz. "I hope to find a way to talk about the killing of nature, and how it fights back. A furious nature! Humans can only lose that battle", the choreographer comments on her idea for the ballet. The piece will be produced for the big stage but will also be adaptable for independent venues and festivals.

The ballet will be accompanied by a project promoting inclusion of people who have only limited access to cultural education, theatre and dance due to physical and/or mental disabilities. A trusting and intimate collaboration will be the foundation of a year long inclusion project lead by a task force of the DANCE festival Munich. "Der Sturm" therefore will attract new audience groups to contemporary dance.

International co-operation partners are DIALOGE Festival, Salzburg with Stiftung Mozarteum and Szene Salzburg. Further international and national partners are interested in hosting the production and/or the task force and its results on how the production can be experienced also by special needs groups.

Artistic Team

Ina Christel Johannessen, a pioneer in contemporary dance and head of the company Zero Visibility Corp based in Oslo, is a choreographer whose art is capable of charming audiences while also challenging them. Her method of working is based on the creation of movement material in close dialogue with the dancers, through the dancers' bodies, intellect and emotions.

Karl Alfred Schreiner, the ballet director of the Gärtnerplatztheater, is not only a choreographer but also a curator for his company. He has already invited various outstanding international contemporary choreographers like Erna Ómarsdóttir, Alexander Ekman, Emanuel Gat, Tony Rizzi and Benoit Lachambre for his ensemble. His ballet company stands for contemporary dance: the core of their artistic work is the development of a dynamic and powerful dance style based on classical motion repertoire.

The stage production itself is driven by the artistic team of the Gärtnerplatztheater with the support of Nina Hümpel, the artistic director of DANCE, International Festival for Contemporary Dance in Munich. Nina Hümpel is an expert in developing innovative dance creations, new formats and opening them to the public space and a broader audience. She has initiated projects such as dance marathons, a bicycle tour exploring Munich´s dance history and a weekend in the industrial area called Kreativquartier München. DANCE is one of the largest and oldest festivals for contemporary dance in Germany. It takes place every two years and aims to present the most important trends of the international dance and performance scene.