Ivan Liška
Ivan Liška was born in Prague on 8 November 1950 and received his ballet-training at the local conservatory. After graduating in 1969, he emigrated from his home country and joined the ballet company of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. From 1974 to 1977, he was with the Bavarian State Opera Ballet before joining the Hamburg Ballet as principal soloist, where he danced and created the title roles in numerous works by John Neumeier. Ivan Liška directed the Bayerisches Staatsballett from 1998 to 2016. In spring 2007, he was honoured by the State Ministry for Federal and European Affairs with the »Medal for Special Services to Bavaria in a United Europe«. On 9 July 2009, Minister President Horst Seehofer presented him with the Bavarian Order of Merit. Following the death of Konstanze Vernon, he took over the management of the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung and the Bayerisches Junior Ballett München in April 2013.
Patrick Teschner
Born in Munich and a graduate of the Munich Ballet-Academy with honours. Winner of a sponsorship award from the City of Munich and the Free State of Bavaria.
Patrick Teschner danced as a first soloist with the Bayerisches Staatsballett in choreographies by John Cranko, William Forsythe, Jacopo Godani, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, John Neumeier and Hans van Manen, among others.
As a freelance training director, he has worked with the Stuttgart Ballet, the Forsythe Company, the Ballet de l’Opera de Lyon, the Compania Nacional de Danza, the Niedersächsisches Staatsballett and the Staatsballett Berlin.
In 2007 he joined the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz as training director and assistant. Here he was responsible as an assistant for choreographies by William Forsythe, Christian Spuck and Marco Goecke, among others. Since 2012, he has worked with Edward Clug, Marco Goecke, Jo Stromgren, Christopher Roman, Lucas Timulac, Jeroen Verbruggen, Andonis Foniadakis and Eyal Dadon. Patrick Teschner was responsible for the re-staging of William Forsythe’s ONE FLAT THING REPRODUCED and Marco Goecke’s LA STRADA.
Karl Alfred Schreiner
Karl Alfred Schreiner received his dance-education at the ballet school of the Vienna State Opera, and his first engagements took him to the Graz Opera and the Vienna State Opera. He then danced for Introdans and the ABC Dancecompany St. Pölten.
Karl Alfred Schreiner has been working as a choreographer since 1999 and was assistant of Ismael Ivo, the artistic director of the Venice Biennale‘s dance department, from 2008-2011.
Karl Alfred Schreiner has been ballet director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz since the 2012/2013 season and has choreographed ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, memento mori, Berlin 1920, Chicago 1930, Jean and Antonín, The Nutcracker, Undine – Ein Traumballett, Giselle and Peer Gynt.
Dora Meyer
Dora Meyer is the performance nutritionist at the Ballet Academy of the University of Music and Theatre Munich. She holds a MSc. in public health, a MSc. in nutrition and biomedicine, and a PhD in nutrition. In addition to teaching at the ballet academy, Dr. Meyer is a postdoctoral researcher in nutritional medicine at the Technical University in Munich. Her role at the ballet academy is to teach students the knowledge and skills to be able to make food choices that support their health, wellbeing, growth and performance. Dora Meyer offers nutrition workshops and cooking classes throughout the academic year and meets regularly with the students to develop and optimize personalized nutrition plans.
Suddenly the body, to space and back
with Simone Sandroni
The body as a point of reference, as a focal point from which to start. An instinctive body, free from aesthetic canons, and focused on the efficiency and effectiveness of actions. Through simple games and tasks, dancers will be guided to tune into space, with other dancers, to listen to internal sensations, and create an open and tension-free internal space, enhancing the listening and perception of what surrounds us. The second part will be dedicated to repeating some tasks and simple choreographic movements to create instinctive movements that become familiar and a language of the whole group. Always in relation to the external space, the internal one, others, and time, we will primarily focus on experimenting with physical actions that can become choreographies, without starting from canonical movements or belonging to any repertoire, style, or technique, but movements born as a result of a physical action, sometimes instinctive, sometimes urgent, or still measured. The ambition is to bring bodies, with their peculiarities and differences, to the forefront, at the center of action, space, and narration without covering them with recognizable movements or aesthetics.
WINGS BEHIND THE BACK
with Alexei Ratmansky
Alexei Ratmansky is one of the most important creators of classical dance of our time and has worked in almost all major international companies: as artistic director, artist in residence or guest choreographer. The roots and basis of classical dance from the 19th century repertoire are important to Ratmansky, as are the aesthetic twists and turns that ballet can take today, enriched with contemporary impulses in his own creations. For Alexei Ratmansky, the central characteristics of a dancer are naturalness, spontaneity and individuality, which he believes should be supported, developed and inspired.
Trust and share
with Julie Shanahan
My workshop aims at searching for the unique qualities of each individual student. In a professional career that is still ongoing and spans over 4 decades, I have always worked as a creative collaborator with each choreographer and director. This has enabled me to research and contemplate the importance of not only being an accomplished performer that can follow the ideas of a creator, but, one that can contribute and enhance the possibilities of a creative process. I will use methods of my own and those of the brilliant directors I have had the privilege to collaborate with. We will research and create together along a journey paved by trust and amazement. I will take time for each student and encourage the students to listen to and watch each other. We will discover a lot together and share generously. These are my intentions, to make a connection with the students, to discover our performative possibilities and by doing so make a connection with an audience.
Krzysztof Zawadzki
Ballet Academy, HMTM
Krzysztof Zawadzki was born in Poland and received his dance education at the State Ballet School in Lodz. This was followed by engagements as a soloist at the State Theatre in Lodz, the State Theatre in Augsburg, the State Theatre on Gärtnerplatz in Munich and the Bayerisches Staatsballett. Zawadzki received his diploma as a ballet teacher at the Munich University of Music and Theatre under Prof. Alex Ursuliak. He received further training at the Waganowa Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Classical Training
In my classes, it is crucial for me to instill in the students not only a deep passion for ballet but also essential aspects such as precise technique, conscious coordination, endurance, and strength. Discipline and perseverance naturally play a vital role.
David Valencia
Ballett des Staatstheaters am Gärtnerplatz
David Valencia received his training at the Incolballet in Santiago de Cali in Colombia. While still a student, he was awarded second prize at the International Ballet Festival “La Habana”. After his studies, he continued his training in modern dance, ethnic dances, tango, singing and acting. After his first engagements in Lausanne, Chemnitz and Munich, he danced in the Gauthier Dance Company at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart and at the Anhaltisches Theater in Dessau. Since the 2015/2016 season he has been a member of the ballet of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and has also created several of his own choreographies, including: in the Munich art area.
Contemporary Training
The main goal of the training/workshop is to introduce different movement qualities and physicalities in demand by contemporary choreographers. Starting with the alignment of the bone structure and identifying the force of gravity on our body and consciousness, followed by the introduction of a specific awareness to the respiratory system, and how this natural action has a big impact on our body and movements. Finally, we will intensify the muscular engagement, differentiate muscle tones and their function in movement. In around 12 exercises we will insert these three experiences in floor elements and rhythmical patterns that help the dynamic of the training.
