With Germany seemingly about to go back into lockdown Staatsballett Berlin have launched a digital season called Digital Imagination.
For fans of Sharon Eyal, the season launches with Strong - which was filmed in December 2019. You can watch Strong online on 9 April at 6pm. The recording will be available to stream for 24 hours and will be repeated on 11 May, 28 May and 15 June.
Strong was half of a double bill with a piece by Alexander Ekman that I had made plans to go to see in Berlin in May 2021 and then, March 2021 before everything started and continued to unravel. I guess this means that I am now unlikely to see it performed on stage ever, but will at least get an opportunity to see it. Sharon Eyal's work generally comes across well on film as her movements tend towards incremental static intensity rather than rapid movement across and around the stage (if that makes sense) - although she does that too.
The season also includes Sharon Eyal's Half Life, recorded on 1 June 2019 - which is the night I saw it with my good friend Thorsten: one of my happiest ever nights in a theatre. Half Life follows the same pattern - available for 24 hours from 6pm on 30 April, 21 May, 8 June and 25 June.
The season also includes Swan Lake, Caravaggio (Mauro Bigonzetti) and Distant Matter (Anouk van Dijk) - which formed the first half of the double bill with Half Life (and is also worth watching).
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| Staatsballett Berlin - Half Life: Sharon Eyal |