Vienna State Ballet: Season 2020/21

For everyone who is involved in Ballet, it is quite obvious that due to the „pandemic“, it was not possible for the new direction of the State Opera to present the programme for next season in a traditional Press conference – a situation that is similar to many other ones around the world. Unfortunately, the traditional, sometimes "old-fashioned" Viennese audience does not have the habit of looking further than its own backyard, lacking comparisons and internationality.

Just having read online an article about the new Opera´s direction I cannot suppress my opinion. Having been confronted again with this kind of traditional article, I feel an urge to earnestly express my opinion.

First of all, I do not like comparisons especially when they are based on suppositions – yes, the author of this article (which consists mostly of a repetition of the information that is anyway described on the press release from the Opera) tends to compare the work of Mr Martin Schläpfer, the newly appointed Ballet director, to Manuel Legris´ work here in the past. Once more we are confronted with a kind of traditional thinking that gives away how much Viennese will not accept changes easily. A fact proved anyway throughout history.

For everyone who cannot look further than their own backyards and are not used to the international ballet world, I would like to make a point that changes (which also include changing companies) are quite a common thing. Careers do not last long and one has to make the best out of it since „time itself“ is short. Very short.

It has been many years since I have witnessed Mr Schläpfer´s work in Düsseldorf. This is the reason why I have not and will not venture any opinion about it. I am not “up to date”. I was going to change this but unfortunately, because of the „pandemic“, I could not go to the performances in Düsseldorf and St. Pölten to which I had been invited to by him and by the Press department. Luckily, I am a person that normally welcomes changes. And this makes the beginning of the next season even more exciting.

I must add that I did not quite enjoy the way in which the above-mentioned article was written: It simply did not strike the right note. Not at all. Starting with the choice of pictures, showing mainly dancers whose contracts were not extended, the repetition of the information of the Press release (Exactly the same way as most of the critics written by this same person are a boring repetition of the content that is anyway written in the programmes) and the comparison between Mr Schläpfer´s and Mr Legris´s work – without knowing Mr Schläpfer´s work… This is short-sighted and very narrow-minded. This is judging without the right to do so and being extremely impartial.

All this just proves what I have been saying for a long time: Such behaviour is petty and narrow-minded and gives away a total need to acquire some internationality. Urgently. I would like to leave you with a thought which I have read some time ago (Unfortunately I do not know who is the author):

„Before you assume, learn the facts. Before you judge, understand why. Before you speak, think“