Sechs Tänze

Photo: Hans Gerritsen

Choreographer: Jiří Kylián

“Two centuries separate us from the time Mozart wrote his 'German dances' (1789). A historical period shaped considerably by wars, revolutions, and all sorts of social upheavals.
With this in mind, I found it impossible to simply create different dance numbers reflecting merely the humor and musical brilliance of the composer. Instead, I have set six seemingly non-sensical acts, which obviously ignore their surroundings. They are dwarfed in face of the ever-present troubled world, which most of us for some unspecified reason carry in our souls.
Although the entertaining quality of Mozart’s 'Sechs Tänze' enjoys great general popularity, it shouldn't only be regarded as a burlesque. Its humour ought to serve as a vehicle to point towards our relative values. Mozart's ability to react upon difficult circumstances with a self-preserving outburst of nonsensical poetry, is wellknown. A fragment of a letter to his cousin is the finest example of this.” – Jiří Kylián