A classical company with contemporary impulses.
The Dresden Semperoper
The Dresden Semperoper Ballet resides in the beautiful Semperoper opera house, the centerpiece of Dresden’s historical town center and one of the finest examples of ‘Dresden baroque’ architecture. The statues and relief designs of the exterior of the opera house have darkened over time, as if to define an existence going back to when Dresden was part of the Kingdom of Saxony. In fact, this building was only finished in 1985, and it is the third incarnation of the opera house since the original was built in 1841. Over the decades, fires and wars have razed its predecessors to the ground, yet, each devastation strengthened the peoples’ motivation to rebuild their beloved opera house in greater splendor than before.
The Semperoper Ballet company was most recently overhauled in 2006, under the direction of its Canadian artistic director, Aaron S. Watkin. The company reshaped its repertoire, adding definitive modern choreographies to its classical works. It also changed a few dancers, which currently include former Mariinsky Ballet dancers, Prix de Lausanne winners, Royal Ballet School and Teatro Alla Scala Academy graduates. Like the opera house that retains its old-world opulence, the dancers all have solid, classical training, not to mention captivating appearances. But, tradition has not stifled them; beneath their elegant exterior, these dancers say they have come to Dresden to unleash their individuality.
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