FAST FORWARD

George Balanchine's Serenade from 1935 is considered an epoch-making work: it was the first piece created by the Russian-born choreographer in his adopted home, the USA, and heralded a new era in dance history. Balanchine, considered the father of neoclassical ballet, created this iconic and romantic ballet for 20 women and six men to the lush music of Peter I. Tchaikovsky.

Another Hamburg premiere is contributed by Catalan Marcos Morau with Totentanz (The Death of Death). Recently named ‘Choreographer of the Year’ for the second time by the renowned dance magazine TANZ, Morau is one of the most sought-after dance makers of our time. His pieces create captivating universes with powerful, theatrical images, characterised by poetic, humorous, touching and sometimes grotesque moments.

In 1995, French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj created his moving Pas de Deux Annonciation. In it, he traces the moment of the annunciation – which is also the moment of conception – and calls conventional expectations into question. The intimate piece triggers a flood of questions on the part of the viewer about what we think we know about this legendary moment. The pas de deux for two women is musically contrasting, alternating between Antonio Vivaldi's Magnificat and the electronic sounds of Stéphane Roy. Preljocaj, one of Europe's leading contemporary choreographers, will work with the Hamburg Ballet for the first time.

The evening concludes with a world premiere of The Moon in the Ocean by Chinese choreographer Xie Xin. The contemporary choreographer is known for her fluid, highly original dance language. Together with the Hamburg Ballet dancers, Xie Xin develops a new work which uses the theme of the moon and the ocean as a metaphor for the human heart - our interactions with others and the world around us. A dreamlike current of movement and rhythm brings the evening to a moving close in a contemporary vision of dance.