OVERVIEW

For the opening gala of the 2010 Dutch Dance Days, Marco Goecke created a short pas de deux set to the music of Stravinsky's The Firebird, which had its premiere in 1910. Goecke takes what was originally a classic Russian fairytale—featuring the battle between Prince Ivan Tsarevich and the magician Koschei the Deathless, who seeks to free the captive Tsarevna and her companions—and transforms it into an encounter between two shy, delicate beings. He chooses the lullaby that the mythical firebird uses to lull the magician and his minions to sleep, adding the triumphant finale. This duet can also be interpreted as a meeting between the firebird and the prince—two beings of contrasting natures: a bird that dances and a human who flies. At the 2015 gala in Dortmund, Goecke made the bold choice to have two men perform the duet, with Robert Tewsley, who had previously danced the role of the prince, now stepping into the role of the firebird.

The world premiere on 2 October at Nederlandse Dansdagen in Maastricht, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Maastricht, Netherlands