Season 22/23

From left to right | Opéra de Strasbourg Theatre, Oldenburg, State Theater, Palais Garnier, the three theatres where my creations will be performed next season.

After a rather long period of uncertainty due to the health crisis - which is hopefully ending - , but which nevertheless has seen the creation of Silentium at the Bolshoi in 2020, I am pleased to announce three new productions for the 2022/23 season.

The first chronologically, and surely the most significant, is Giselle for the Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin which will be premiered in Strasbourg on the 14th of January 2023.

This completely new production will be an opportunity to update the dramaturgy in the light of all the feminist movements fighting to give women a voice. Starting from the same starting point as the original, I will be developing a story based on Giselle’s point of view and giving a more prominent place to the female characters. For the music, I will use different parts from Adolphe Adam’s original score and intertwine two symphonies from Louise Farrenc, a female composer contemporary to Adam, who despite her undeniable talent was to be forgotten at her death until recent years.

The second creation will be Hammer, for the Oldenburg State Theatre on the 28th of January 2023.

Part of a triple-bill evening, the piece is based on the Concerto For Piano, String, and Timpani from Galina Ustvolskaya and The Messenger from Valentin Silvestrov, a Ukrainian composer who recently flew his homeland because of the war. This diptych ballet will be a reflection on the essence of the human being, partly based on the Apollonian and Dionysian construct conceptualized by Friedrich Nietzsche.

Last but not least, my third creation next season will be Ma Mère l’Oye for the Paris Opera Ballet School on the 15th of April 2023 at the Palais Garnier.

A homecoming for me, having spent six years of my youth in this school. This ballet based on the eponymous music by Maurice Ravel will evoke the innocence of youth through the tales of Madame Leprince de Beaumont (Beauty and the Beast), Madame d’Aulnoy (Green Serpent), and Charles Perrault (Sleeping Beauty, …).

Voilà! This season ahead of me is full of promise and is already a source of inspiration and great motivation.

Martin

If you are interested, you will find below some more detailed information as well as links to the ballet companies’ websites.

Giselle | Choreography Martin Chaix Music Adolphe Adam, Louise Farrenc Music Director Sora Elisabeth Lee Dramaturg Martin Chaix, Ulrike Wörner von Faßmann Musical Dramaturg Martin Chaix Decor Thomas Mika Costumes Catherine Voeffray Lighting Tom Klefstad CCN • Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin, Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse

Hammer | Choreography & Set Martin Chaix Music Galina Ustvolskaya und Valentyn Silvestrov Kostüme Aleksandar Noshpal Assistant to the choreographer Eleanor Freeman

Ma Mère l’Oye | Choreography Martin Chaix Music Maurice Ravel Decor Camille Dugas Costumes Aleksandar Noshpal Lighting Tom Klefstad