Forsythe / Eyal

The programme opens with William Forsythe’s iconic “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated”, which he created for the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris in 1987. Surprising, raw and full of electrifying energy, this choreography celebrates ballet whilst simultaneously reimagining it in a radical new way. Building on classical academic virtuosity, Forsythe shifts and accelerates familiar shapes, realigns axes, sharpens transitions and pushes the vocabulary of ballet to its limits.

Next comes “Strong”, the first choreography Sharon Eyal created with her co-creator Gai Behar for the Staatsballett Berlin in 2019. Repetitive structures and pulsating electronic sounds by composer Ori Lichtik drive an ensemble that seems to come straight out of a techno club. Through hypnotic patterns, “Strong” explores the tension between control and ecstatic desire: a dreamlike world emerges, delicate and overwhelming at the same time.

Two big names in one evening, exploring intensity, physicality and the courage to rethink movement.