With "Shall We Dance?", the Ernst Deutsch Theater continues its successful collaboration with the German National Youth Ballet. Following "The Invisibles," this evening is conceived, choreographed, and staged by John Neumeier. "Shall We Dance?" is a reflection on the interwar period—an era full of hope for lasting peace after the First World War, marked by artistic flourishing and social awakening.

A total of 29 performers are involved: the dancers of the German National Youth Ballet, the Hamburg Chamber Ballet, four guests, and a music ensemble. Together, they create a multifaceted picture of the period in which dance, music, and literature intersect. Live music is also a central element of the production, bringing music by George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel to the stage. References to the Harlem Renaissance, literary figures such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as the Ballets Russes and dance icons such as Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan, are interwoven.

In my role as conductor, I accompanied the ensemble intensively through three weeks of rehearsals and then conducted 24 performances at the Ernst Deutsch Theater.