Vienna State Ballet


Vienna State Ballet, Wiener Staatsballett, is considered one of the world's top ballet companies. It was formerly named the Vienna State Opera Ballet as it is based at the Vienna State Opera building. In 2005 the ballets of the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Volksoper were merged under the name Das Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper und Volksoper and Gyula Harangozo became the artistic director. On 1 September 2010, a further name change was accompanied by a change in leadership. Manuel Legris, former principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet, succeeded as the artistic director.

2010–2011 season

In his first season Legris created all together eight premieres, including the triple bill evening "Juwelen der Neuen Welt" featuring ballets by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp and William Forsythe, Schritte und Spuren with choreographies by Jorma Elo, Jiří Bubeníček, Paul Lightfoot and Sol León and Jiří Kylián, Don Quixote by Rudolf Nureyev after Marius Petipa, and Hommage an Jerome Robbins including his ballets Glass Pieces, In the Night and The Concert and the Nureyev Gala 2011 at the Vienna State Opera. At the Vienna Volksoper he brought Patrick de Bana's Marie Antoinette, Maurice Béjart's Le Concours and the ballet evening "Junge Talente des Wiener Staatsballetts".

2011–2012 season

In the second season three premieres followed in the Vienna State Opera: Pierre Lacotte's La Sylphide, the triple bill evening "Meisterwerke des 20. Jahrhunderts" with Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc, Nils Christe's Before Nightfall, and Roland Petit's L’Arlésienne, and the Nureyev Gala 2012. At the Vienna Volksoper he presented a triple bill evening with Vesna Orlic's Carmina Burana, Boris Nebyla's Nachmittag eines Fauns and András Lukács' Bolero.

2012–2013 season

During the third season three premieres were staged at the Vienna State Opera: Rudolf Nureyev's Der Nussknacker, the quadruple bill evening "Tanzperspektiven" with David Dawson's A Million Kisses to My Skin, Helen Pickett's Eventide, Patrick de Bana's Windspiele and Jean-Christophe Maillot's Vers un pays sage, and the Nuryev Gala 2013. At the Vienna Volksoper there were also three premieres with Stephan Thoss‘ Blaubarts Geheimnis, Jorma Elo's Ein Sommernachtstraum, and the ballet evening "Kreation und Tradition".

2013–2014 season

The fourth season brought the three premieres: "Ballett-Hommage" with William Forsythe's The Second Detail, Natalia Horecna's Contra Clockwise Witness and Harald Lander's Études, Swan Lake by Rudolf Nureyev after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and the Nureyev Gala 2014. At the Vienna Volksoper there were two premieres: the double bill evening "Märchenwelt Ballett" with Vesna Orlic's Tausendundeine Nacht, and Andrey Kaydanovskiy's Das hässliche Entlein, and Ein Reigen by Ashley Page.

2014–2015 season

In the fifth season three premieres followed at the Vienna State Opera: John Neumeier's Verklungene Feste and Josephs Legende, a triple bill evening with Hans van Manen's Adagio Hammerklavier, Alexander Ekman's Cacti, and Jiří Kylián's Bella Figura and the Nureyev Gala 2015. Three premieres followed also at the Vienna Volksoper: the double bill evening Mozart à 2 / Don Juan by Thierry Malandain, Giselle Rouge by Boris Eifman, and "Junge Talente des Wiener Staatsballetts II".

2015–2016 season

The sixth season brought another three premieres at the Vienna State Opera: a triple bill evening with Stephan Thoss' Blaubarts Geheimnis , Christopher Wheeldon's Fool’s Paradise, and Jerome Robbins' The Four Seasons, as well as Manuel Legris' own choreography of Le Corsaire and the Nureyev Gala 2016. At the Vienna Volksoper Michael Corder's Die Schneekönigin had its premiere.

2016–2017 season

In his seventh season Manuel Legris showed three premieres at the Vienna State Opera: a triple bill evening with George Balanchine's Symphonie in C, Edwaard Liang's Murmuration, and Daniel Proietto's Blanc; a double bill evening with John Neumeier's Le Pavillon d'Armide and Le Sacre, and the Nureyev Gala 2017. At the Vienna Volksoper two premieres followed: Thierry Malandain's Cendrillon, and a triple bill evening with Andrey Kaydanovskiy's Der Feuervogel, Eno Peci's Petruschka and András Lukács' Movements to Stravinsky.

2017–2018 season

In his eighth season Legris presented three premieres at the Vienna State Opera: a triple bill evening with Kenneth MacMillan's Concerto, Wayne McGregor's EDEN | EDEN, and Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand; Edward Clug's Peer Gynt, and the Nureyev Gala 2018. At the Vienna Volksoper one premiere followed: Davide Bombana's Roméo et Juliette.

2018–2019 season

In his ninth season he showed three premieres at the Vienna State Opera: his own choreography Sylvia, a quadruple bill evening with William Forsythe's Artifact Suite, Hans van Manen's Trois Gnossiennes and Solo, and Jiří Kylián's Psalmensymphonie, and the Nureyev Gala 2019. At the Vienna Volksoper two premieres followed: Pierre Lacotte's Coppélia, and Vesna Orlic's Peter Pan.

2019–2020 season

In his tenth and last season at the Wiener Staatsballett Manuel Legris presents three premieres at the Vienna State Opera: George Balanchine's Jewels, the triple bill evening with András Lucács' Movements to Stravisnsky, Pontus Lidberg's world premiere Between Dogs and Wolves, and Nacho Duato's White Darkness, and the Nureyev Gala 2020. At the Vienna Volksoper two more premieres are going to follow: Mauro Bigonzetti's La Piaf, and the triple bill Appassionato - Bach und Vivaldi with Boris Nebyla's Il Prete Rosso, Eno Peci's Monkey Mind, and Martin Winter's Not Another Now.