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Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui · Imre & Marne van Opstal
Multi-part ballet evening
Premiere: June 28 2025
There are no borders on the path to inner knowledge.
In brief
Is movement dance or dance movement? Siblings Imre and Marne van Opstal see themselves not only as choreographers in the classical sense but also as movement directors. Their multi-layered and often surreal approach to dance is hugely popular around the world. Collaborating for the first time with the Semperoper Ballett, the creative duo are providing the company with a brand-new work.
Similar to their exploration of the limits and possibilities of mind and body, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s „Noetic“ examines our instinctive human need to create structure, tied to the desire to break free of the rules. This beautiful work, featuring a mix of emotional and harmonious music, Japanese drums and a vocal soloist, invites us to probe the great questions of humanity with cool clarity.
Program and cast
Musical Direction: Charlotte Politi
Noetic
Direction & Choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Music: Szymon Brzoska
Set Design: Antony Gormley
Lighting: David Stokholm
Costumes: Les Hommes
Dramaturgy: Adolphe Binder
Text: Randy Powell, Jason Silva
World Premiere
Choreography: Imre & Marne van Opstal
Set Design: Boris Acket
Lighting: Tom Visser
Semperoper Ballet
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Project Partners:
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Noetic
Singer: Miriam Andersén
Taiko Drums, Kokyu & Flute: Shogo Yoshii
Semperoper Dresden
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper ballet. The building is located near the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden, Germany.
The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878. The opera house has a long history of premieres, including major works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.
The first opera house at the location of today's Semperoper was built by the architect Gottfried Semper. It opened on 13 April 1841 with an opera by Carl Maria von Weber. The building style itself is debated among many, as it has features that appear in three styles; Early Renaissance and Baroque, with Corinthian style pillars typical of Greek classical revival. Perhaps the most suitable label for this style would be eclecticism, where influences from many styles are used, a practice most common during this period. Nevertheless, the opera building, Semper's first, is regarded as one of the most beautiful European opera houses.