Ballet with singing by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht | Version for deep female voice (arranged by Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg) | | | A performative response by the Sebastian Weber Dance Company with music by Konrad Koselleck | A co-production with the Sebastian Weber Dance Company | 100 Leidenschaften is a commissioned work by the Staatsoperette Dresden
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
A ballet with singing by KURT WEILL and BERTOLT BRECHT
What values guide us, and do we live self-determined or influenced by societal pressure?
Anna I and Anna II, who are actually one, are sent on a journey through American metropolises to work their way up to prosperity for their family. When the young woman is exposed to the temptations of the seven biblical deadly sins along the way, she increasingly feels torn between conformity and resistance, is forced into self-hatred, and seduced into self-love. Driven by her family, Anna sheds anger, lust, and pride to function perfectly in a system that has declared ownership a quasi-religious ideal. In doing so, the piece seems to pose a question: Are the "deadly sins" not profoundly human needs that make us beings with a soul?
In their last collaboration, created in exile in Paris in 1933, the authors of The Threepenny Opera, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, show themselves once again in top form: With satirical bite and analytical sharpness, Brecht paints a picture of a capitalist society where the individual must present themselves as a commodity to survive in the market. Kurt Weill provides music that, with stylistic references from the 1920s such as tango and jazz, tilted waltzes, and ensembles somewhere between choral and barbershop, offers a dance floor that is as cynical as it is humorous.
Musical star, director, and choreographer Jörn-Felix Alt brings The Seven Deadly Sins to the stage with a large ballet ensemble, just like at the world premiere in Paris. As Anna I and Anna II, two leading musical performers of their generation at the Staatsoperette make their debut: Sophie Berner and Jasmin Eberl.
100 PASSIONS
A tap dance performance by the Sebastian Weber Dance Company with music by KONRAD KOSELLECK | World premiere
What does humanity need to withstand global crises? This question is explored in the experimental world premiere 100 Leidenschaften, co-produced with the Sebastian Weber Dance Company, developing the impulses of the Seven Deadly Sins in a contemporary interpretation. Following a concept by choreographer Sebastian Weber, the 13-member international ensemble leads through a series of associative scenes that delve into the existential challenges of the global community. Whether it’s concerns about the climate, social catastrophes that force people to flee, or the everyday experience of discrimination: Weber’s approach to the burdensome issues of our time is always inspired by the power and passion that ignite when individuals engage with one another beyond their personal interests. With a life-affirming outlook, 100 Leidenschaften opens up a spectrum of images between apocalyptic landscapes and intimate encounters, simultaneously sketching the self-destructive potential of humanity and its capacity for boundless empathy.
The movement language repertoire of the company is firmly rooted in tap and contemporary dance while also exploring all nuances of dance expression. This results in percussion storms, delicate duets, and hypnotic ensemble scenes. The performance is underscored by Konrad Koselleck’s theatrical score, which teases out unexpected colors from the orchestra of the Staatsoperette, ranging from disco beats, dark soundscapes, flamenco rhythms to exuberant Dixie.
100 Leidenschaften is a commissioned work by the Staatsoperette Dresden and a co-production with the Sebastian Weber Dance Company.