Latvian National ballet invites to the premiere of “Nijinski” by the outstanding contemporary choreographer Marco Goecke. The ballet with the music by Frédéric Chopin and Claude Debussy deals with the ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. It reveals the most important moments in Nijinsky’s life on and off stage showing how closely art and madness are related.

Music director and conductor of the new production is Mārtiņš Ozoliņš. The leading cast: Aeden Willian Conefrey or Kristaps Jaunžeikars as Nijinsky and Antons Freimans or Phillip Fedulov as Diaghilev. The production in Latvian National ballet is staged by Fabio Palombo. The set and costumes, created by Michaela Springer, here in Riga are adapted by Marvin Ott. Dramaturgy of the ballet was created by Esther Dreesen-Schaback, but the lighting design by Udo Haberland. Pianists – Mārtiņš Zilberts and Veronika Zubairova.

The original of “Nijinski” was premièred at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart’s Gauthier Dance to great acclaim in 2016; since then, it has been performed on worldwide tours to great success. In 2017 Marco Goecke received the Italian prize “Danza&Danza” for “Nijinski” as the best choreography of the year.

For ten years (~1889-1950) Vaslav Nijinsky was the premiere and choreographer at the Sergei Diaghilev’s legendary  “Ballets Russes”. He intoxicated audiences with virtuoso leaps and androgynous charisma, while his audacious choreographies provoked scandals. The last thirty years of his life Nijinsky spent in mental asylums.

“Iestudējuma Ņižinskis kodolu veido ārkārtīgi aizraujošā šī izcilā dejotāja un horeogrāfa biogrāfija. Tomēr veids, kādā es strādāju, būtiski neatšķiras no manas pieejas citos darbos. Pēc nu jau divdesmit gadiem horeogrāfa arodā es vēl arvien cenšos ikreiz atbrīvoties no jebkādas zināšanu bagāžas un tēmu aplūkot pēc iespējas naivāk.[..] Dejas uzvedums pieprasa citus risinājumus, nekā filma vai balets ar krāšņām dekorācijām un kostīmiem. Neskaitot Ņižinski, es tāpēc koncentrējos uz četrām personībām: viņa māti, draugu Isajevu, sievu Romolu un Sergeju Djagiļevu, kurš bija ne tikai Les Ballets Russes impresārijs, bet arī Ņižinska lielākais atbalstītājs un mīļākais. Par šīm attiecībām ir bijuši tik dažādi viedokļi, ka tās vēl arvien rada telpu interpretācijām. Visādi citādi es vienmēr atgriežos pie kaislības un neprāta, kas raksturīgs dejai,” explains Marco Goecke in an interview with Michael Küster.

Marco Goecke is currently one of the most recognized choreographer in the world. Currently he is the Artistic Director of the State Ballet Hannover, Artist in Residence with Gauthier Dance Stuttgart and the Associate Choreographer at the renowned Nederlands Dans Theater. The choreographer creates new works for the leading European dance companies, with Ballet of the Paris Opera, Vienna State ballet, Bavarian State Ballet, among them. Many are also performed by companies for whom they were not originally created, for example by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, the Canadian National Ballet, the Ballett-Theater in Munich, the Finnish National Ballet in Helsinki, the Stanislavsky Theater in Moscow, the Zurich Ballet, the German Opera on the Rhine in Düsseldorf, among others. Goecke has received many international awards.

The recommended age of the spectators: 16 +

Ballet “Nijinski” at the Latvian National Opera will be performed on April 14, 16, 22 and 30, as well as May 27.

Tickets available at the box offices of LNO and “Biļešu paradīze”, as well as online.

“Nijinski” is being created with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation.