Christiane Theobald

Christiane Theobald 2017

Christiane Theobald (born December 20, 1956 in Koblenz ) is the deputy director of the Berlin State Ballet , a German ballet dramaturge and cultural manager .

Life

Christiane Theobald grew up in Düsseldorf. She studied musicology , history and art history at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen and at the Free University of Berlin . In addition to her studies, she completed ballet training, which she continued in Berlin with a focus on modern dance . There she received her doctorate in 1985 at the Free University of Berlin with Rudolf Stephan with a dissertation on the composer Franz Schreker .

From 1987 to 1990 she worked as a ballet dramaturge at the Deutsche Oper Berlin under the direction of the ballet director Gert Reinholm and from 1990 to 1993 under the direction of the ballet director Peter Schaufuss .

As a ballet dramaturge at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Christiane Theobald gave ballet lessons on dance history as part of her professional duties and gave lecture series at the Lessing University in Berlin . From 1991 to 1996 she was a lecturer for “Ballet and Dance” at the Theater Studies Institute of the Free University of Berlin; from 2011 for "dance management" at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts .

In 1993 she moved to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden as a ballet dramaturge and ballet manager . In 1996, as part of cultural austerity measures at the opera houses, the Berlin Senate planned the amalgamation of the Berlin ballet companies, against which the general director and ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ( Götz Friedrich ) and the director of the Komische Oper (Albert Kost) vehemently rebelled. At this time Christiane Theobald was completing a part-time postgraduate course, which she completed in November 2002 with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) for media at the private Steinbeis University in Berlin . In her master's thesis on “The Profit Center Led Ballet”, she positively presented the theoretical foundations of a ballet company that was independent of the opera houses.

In 2003, Christiane Theobald confronted Polina Semionova, who was still unknown at the time, with an unusual offer to appear in a pop video by Herbert Grönemeyer. In the book "Polina" by VGS Verlag (published 2010), Polina Semionova answers the question of what one expects of her: Well, you should dance ". The video became a viral hit and Polina became a world star.

On January 1, 2004, the Berlin State Ballet was founded. With severe financial and personnel cuts, the ballet ensembles of the State Opera Unter den Linden and the Deutsche Oper Berlin were merged with a reduction in ballet staff from 180 to 88. The ballet of the Komische Oper Berlin with 66 staff positions was completely dissolved. According to the statistics of the German Stage Association , 140 dancers had been laid off into unemployment, Vladimir Malakhov became director of the Berlin State Ballet ; Christiane Theobald Director of Operations and Deputy Ballet Director.

As part of her new job, Christiane Theobald has a number of tasks as deputy ballet director, but above all she continues to lobby for dance and promotes talent:

With the format of the Jour Fixe in the Apollo-Saal Unter den Linden developed by Christiane Theobald (in collaboration with the Theatergemeinde Berlin) in 1993, she picks up on a typical Berlin tradition. Until 2013, Theobald worked with dance personalities such as the choreographer Uwe Scholz ; Polina Semionova , Margaret Illmann and Vladimir Malakov and many others, topics such as transition, various professions around ballet (conductor, ballet master, physiotherapist, mask and set designer, dancer, choreographer etc.) In 2004 she founded the association of "Friends and Patrons of the Berlin State Ballet eV " and is still deputy chairwoman.

From 2006 to 2012, she organized the International Dance Summit every two years at the Staatsballett Berlin and presented this institution as a trade fair for advanced training in dance. Theobald used this stage to discuss issues such as training and further education in dance, dance & sports medicine and health issues.

In 2007 she founded Tanz ist KLASSE! eV (short: TiK) - the education program of the Berlin State Ballet and is its managing director to this day. Together with the newly founded education program, Theobald published teaching materials with the title “Dance as part of general education”, which was published in November 2011 by Zeitbildverlag, with worksheets on “Dance in Class” for secondary levels 1 and 2. In 2017, over 30,000 children, young people and adults took part in the wide range of Tanz ist KLASSE! took part. In workshops, courses or as part of long-term school cooperation, not only were fear of contact with dance reduced, but completely new, previously unknown passions were also awakened.

In 2009, Theobald developed, in close cooperation with the Berlin Charité  , a relaxation room for the dancers of the Berlin State Ballet based on a scientific study on  the sleep-wake behavior of dancers , which was carried out on the occasion of the health partnership with the  Berlin State Ballet.

Theobald developed preVance in 2010/2011 under the patronage of the governing mayor, Klaus Wowereit . preVance is an excellence project from the interdisciplinary collaboration between the lighthouses Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Staatsballett Berlin.

In 2014 Theobald and Gabriele Brandstetter developed the format of the Ballet University. In cooperation with the Institute for Dance Studies at the Free University of Berlin and the Berlin State Ballet, Theobald is developing the Jour Fixe with dance science components. The newly founded ballet university aims to present a ballet academy that combines dance studies with dance. The guests include: Charlotte Butler, Nadja Saidakova , Beatrice Knop , Nacho Duato , Gentian Doda and many more

In 2014, after 10 years, Malakhov took over the artistic direction of the Staatsballett Berlin on the advice of Theobald Nacho Duato . Christiane Theobald kept her positions.

In February 2016 Christiane Theobald moderated the soireé for dance in Bellevue Palace under Federal President Joachim Gauck and the following month gave the laudation for the German dance award winner in the Aalto Theater in Essen. The winner was Prof. Martin Puttke.

On March 27, 2018, the curtain opened in the National Theater in Zagreb for the world premiere of “Sisi” - Elisabeth, Empress of Austria. The choreography is by Patrice Bart. Libretto and dramaturgy are by Christiane Theobald. This is the second world premiere of a libretto after “Das Flammende Herz” - a ballet about Percy Shelley , which premiered on June 20, 2009 on the stage of the State Opera Unter den Linden .

With Johannes Öhman , the third director of the Staatsballett Berlin will follow in August 2018. Christiane Theobald will keep her position. For the 2018/2019 season, the number of dancers will be increased to 93.

voluntary work

• In 1998 she was deputy chairwoman of the Society for Dance Research
• 2002–2013 Chairwoman of the Advisory Board Tanzarchiv Köln (Advisory Board since 2002)
• Since 2005 member of the " Rotary International Club Berlin Brandenburger Tor " (President 2017/2018)
• Since 2006 founding member and board member of the Permanent Conference on Dance - · under the umbrella organization of dance Germany - Permanent Conference on Dance
• Founder and managing director of the Tanz ist KLASSE association since 2007 - the education program of the Berlin State Ballet
• Since 2009 Member of the Presidium of the Federal German Ballet and Dance Theater Directors Conference (BBTK), (member since 2003, speaker 2009-2013, Presidium since 2016)

Publications

Additions to Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater

• 1987: Tatjana Gsovsky : Princess Turandot. Contribution to: Piper's Encyclopedia of Music Theater. Volume 2, Munich 1987, pp. 598-600.
• 1987: Tatjana Gsovsky: The Chinese Nightingale. Contribution to: Piper's Encyclopedia of Music Theater. Volume 2, Munich 1987, pp. 601-602.

Contributions to programs of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden

• 1996: Le Concours - A film. Contribution to: Program for Le Concours. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 1996, pp. 8-10.
• 1996: Foreword. to program booklet Die Welt der Ballet Russes. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 1996, pp. 12–13.
• 1997: Foreword: Swan Lake - an attempt at self-discovery. to the Schwanensee program . State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 1997, pp. 10-19.
• 1998: Foreword. to program booklet The Demon - Joseph's Legend . State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 1998, pp. 9–11.
• 1999: Foreword Viva Verdi to the Verdiana program . State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 1999, pp. 9–15.
• 1999: Speaking of the nutcracker . Contribution to: Program for The Nutcracker. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 1999, pp. 9-19.
• 2000: Speaking of Giselle . Contribution to: Giselle program . State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2000, pp. 9–13.
• 2001: Apropos A Linden Dream… Contribution to: Program for Apropos A Linden Dream…. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2000, pp. 9–11.
• 2001: Apropos choreographies by Angelin Preljocaj ; Contribution to: Program for Le Sacre du printemps. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2001, pp. 11-14.
• 2002: Apropos Romeo and Juliet - all lust wants eternity. Contribution to: Romeo and Juliet program. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2002, pp. 9–12.
• 2002: Speaking of the Bajadere . Contribution to: Program for Die Bajadere. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2002, pp. 7-10.
• 2003: Apropos without words. Contribution to: program for without words. State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2003, pp. 6-7.
• 2003: Speaking of Onegin . Contribution to: Onegin program . State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2003, pp. 11–12.
• 2004: Speaking of Cinderella . Contribution to: Cinderella program . State Opera Unter den Linden, Berlin 2004, pp. 6-8.

Author of ballet libretti 

• 1993: Roland Petit Dix or Eros and Death , premiere October 1, 1993.
• 1997: Patrice Barts Swan Lake , premiere December 16, 1997.
• 1999: Patrice Bart's Nutcracker , premiered December 18, 1999.
• 2002: Patrice Barts Romeo and Juliet , premiere January 19, 2002.
• 2009: Patrice Barts The Flaming Heart , premiere June 20, 2009.
• 2018: Patrice Barts Sisi Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, premiere March 27, 2018.

Author of books for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Ed. Schott Verlag )

• 2006: Malakhovs Sleeping Beauty - Affair with the Staatsballett Berlin 2006 - in collaboration with Vladimir Malakov (author) and Frank Sistenich (author)
• 2006: The State Ballet and Vladimir Malakhov The Company Book Vol. 1. 2006.
• 2008: The State Ballet and Vladimir Malakhov The Company Book Vol. 2. 2008.

Web links

• State Ballet Berlin

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Berlin is dismantling operas, ballet and theater from berliner-zeitung.de from October 13th. 2000
2. ↑ Rejection for Berlin Ballet on berliner-kurier.de
3. ↑ Polina . EGMONT Verlasgesellschaft mbH, Cologne.
4. ↑ ORIGINAL - Polina Semionova (HD - Ballet - H. Grönemeyer - instrumental). Accessed April 11, 2018 (German). 
5. ↑ Ballets are merged into dance company Radunski - no facility is sacrificed to save money from berliner-zeitung.de
6. ↑ Behind the stage: anger and sadness on berliner-kurier.de
7. ↑ Berliner Staatsballett dances from the Lindenoper on morgenpost.de
8. ↑ Freundeskreis Verein. Retrieved May 30, 2017 . 
9. ^ Association. Retrieved May 30, 2017 . 
10. ↑ In the resting box . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on May 30, 2017]).
11. ↑ Edith Wolf Perez: German Dance Awards 2016: Puttke, Kaydanovskiy, Menha. Retrieved May 30, 2017 (German). 
12. ↑ National Theater Zagrab: Premiere of "Sisi" 2018th (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 12, 2018 ; accessed on April 11, 2018 (Croatian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
13. ↑ Preview of the 2018/2019 season. Accessed April 11, 2018 (German). 
14. ↑ Preview of the 2018/2019 season. Accessed April 11, 2018 (German).