Michael Banzhaf (dancer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Banzhaf (born February 5, 1978 in Friedrichshafen ) is a German ballet dancer . He is a Berlin chamber dancer and was a solo dancer at the Berlin State Ballet between 1998 and 2017 .

Life

Michael Banzhaf grew up in Meersburg on Lake Constance . In his youth he was a track and field athlete, which led him to his first ballet lessons in 1994 in Ravensburg . In 1995 he began his professional ballet training at the Heinz Bosl Foundation / Ballet Academy in Munich under Konstanze Vernon. After completing his diploma at the University of Music in Munich, he was engaged directly at the ballet of the German State Opera in Berlin in 1998. From here he began his ballet career in Berlin. After founding the Staatsballett Berlin, the artistic director Vladimir Malakhov appointed him soloist in 2005 .

He danced numerous title roles in the classical and contemporary repertoire of the three Berlin opera houses and choreographers created ballets for him. In the revival of Bejart's masterpiece “Ring um den Ring” by the Staatsballett Berlin, Maurice Bejart cast him in 2004 with Siegfried.

He also danced the title role in Uwe Scholz's “Feuervogel”, Boris Eifman's “Tschaikowsky” and Mauro Bigonzetti's “Caravaggio”. Choreographers such as George Balanchine, John Cranko, Willem Forsythe, Peter Schafuss and Gerome Robbins can be found in his repertoire as well as Patrice Bart, Christian Spuck, Nacho Duato , Giorgio Madia, Itzik Galili and Angelin Preljocaj. In particular, his dramatic roles in action ballets meant that the Berlin theater community awarded him the Daphne Prize in 2007 for his outstanding performance.

He has been a guest in international opera houses, including in 2007, together with Polina Semionova , at John Neumeier's “Nijinsky Gala” in Hamburg. Guest appearances have taken him to Russia, Japan, China, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and Mexico. He participated in television recordings and DVD productions.

His partners on stage were Nadja Saidakova, Shoko Nakamura, Polina Semionova, Beatrice Knop, Diana Vishneva, Iana Salenko and Elisa Carillo Cabrera. In 2017 he was awarded the honorary title “Berlin Chamber Dancer” by the Berlin Senate for his artistic achievements.

On March 1, 2017, Michael Banzhaf said goodbye to his Berlin audience after 19 years with a farewell performance at the Komische Oper Berlin .

roll

Swan Lake (Bart) - Benno von Sommerstein (1999) Mozart Piano Concerto (Scholz) - Male Solo (2000) Schumann 2nd Symphony (Scholz) - Solo Couple (2000) Nutcracker (Bart) - Prince (2000) Sacre du printemps (Preljocaj) - Ensemble (2001) Romeo and Juliet (Bart) - Mercutio (2002) Feuervogel (Scholz) - Title role (2003) Ballet Imperial (Balanchine) - Pas de trois (2003) Without Words (Duato) - Solo couple (2003) Onegin (Cranko) - Lenski (2004) Cinderella (Malakhov) - evil stepsister (2004) Ring around the ring (Bejart) - Siegfried (2004) Serenade (Balanchine) - Solo couple (2005) Sleeping Beauty (Malakhov) - Carabosse (2005) The Second Detail (Forsythe) - Ensemble (2006) Tschaikowsky (Eifman) - Title role (2006) The Concert (Robbins) - shy boy (2006) Caravaggio (Bigonzetti) - Title role / solo couple (2008) La Sylphide (Schaufuss) - Madge (2008) In the middle ( Forsythe) - Pas de deux (2008) The Sofa (Galili) (2008) Courting the invisible (Gates) - Solo couple (2008) Snow White (Preljocaj) - Prince (2009) La Bayadere (Malakhov) - Bramin (2010) La Esmeralda (Burlaka) - Claude Frollo (2011) Oz (Madia) - the Wizzard (2011) Herman Schmerman (Forsythe) - Pas de deux (2012) The Open Square (Galilli) - Speaking role (2012) Romeo and Juliet (Cranko) - Garf Paris (2012) Nusskancker (Burlaka) - Drosselmeyer (2013) Don Juan (Madia) - Diavolo (2014) Multiplicity (Duato) - title role / Bach (2015) Sleeping Beauty (Duato) - Carabosse (2016) Farewell Performance - Multiplicity (Duato) - March 1st, 2017

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sandra Luzina: Oh no, Siegfried! Der Tagesspiegel, June 3, 2007, accessed on October 3, 2017 .
  2. ↑ “Daphne” for Michael Banzhaf. Berliner Morgenpost, May 31, 2007, accessed on October 3, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Maria Bidian: The last dance. Berliner Morgenpost, February 28, 2017, accessed on October 3, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Long-time solo dancer Michael Banzhaf leaves the State Ballet. 3sat.de, February 14, 2017, accessed October 3, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Banzhaf, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German ballet dancer
DATE OF BIRTH 5th February 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH Friedrichshafen , Germany