Lloyd Riggins – Landgraf on Dance

24. October 202624. October 2026

It Is What It Is

“Nijinsky”
Vienna State Ballet
Vienna State Opera
Vienna, Austria
October 20, 2026 (live stream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2026 by Ilona Landgraf

The insight I gained from the Vienna State Ballet’s premiere of Nijinsky hit me at the curtain call when choreographer John Neumeier took his bow. He looks back on an oeuvre of more than 180 pieces, and though his foundation’s website announces a new choreography for 2027, his career is nearing its end. He held on past his prime and missed the right time to hand over his company. On stage, another career was over: Nijinsky’s. But he certainly hadn’t yet realized his full potential.

I saw Nijinsky several times in 2009 and 2011, always danced by Neumeier’s home company, The Hamburg Ballet, and each time Nijinsky’s misery preoccupied me. What was the final straw that shattered his mental health? That both his wife, Romola, and Diaghilev used him? The brutality of World War I? The untimely death of his older brother, Stanislav? Although Nijinsky does not show the hero’s stay at the sanatorium, I wondered what harm the high insulin doses he received there might have done to him.

Fifteen years later at the premiere in Vienna, these questions have become secondary. To ruminate on the wherefore of Nijinsky’s sad fate is pointless. Nothing can be fixed anyway. And when watching the eighty-seven-year-old Neumeier, visibly touched and gratefully acknowledging the applause, I recognized that the same applies to Neumeier. He has done his best. The time for changes is over.

Nijinsky (2000) is one of his strong pieces. It recaps key moments of Nijinsky’s career in a flashback that lasts from the first bars of his 1919 farewell performance at the Suvretta House, St. Moritz, to its last. He remembers his famous roles and choreographies—L’Après-midi d’un faun, Jeux, Le Sacre du Printemps, and Till Eulenspiegel—the blossoming romance with Romola and her later betrayal, the romantic and professional entanglement with Diaghilev, his brother’s fatal decline, and the relentless approach of a crushing war. Countless associations and thoughts run through his mind, which Neumeier merged into two cleverly constructed acts.

Back in 2000, he drew on a broader choreographic palette that allowed fascinating characterizations: Nijinsky’s Marriage to God solo, for example, his and Romola’s sultry encounter on a ship to South America, and Diaghilev’s power plays in which seduction and repulsion alternated at whim. I was mesmerized by the Golden Slave’s sensuality, suffered with Petrushka, and shared Nijinsky’s horror at Stanislav losing his mind. But being familiar with the works that followed Nijinsky and the movements and poses Neumeier increasingly used until they became hackneyed is a red rag to me. It’s like spoiling a fine menu with a stale ingredient.

Compared with Hamburg Ballet’s doyen, Alexandre Riabko, who frequently danced the title role and set the standard high, Alessandro Frola’s performance in Vienna was impressive. A former principal of Hamburg Ballet, Frola has grown tremendously since he joined the Vienna State Ballet one year ago. Also, Ketevan Papava’s stony-faced Romola was convincing. Nijinsky’s erotically charged roles enamored her more than the man himself, but she deserves credit for taking care of him when his psyche cracked. (Let’s disregard that she later neglected him for years while pursuing her ambitions in the U.S.) Why she would cuckold Nijinsky with the aloof Doctor Frenkel of all people (Masayu Kimoto) was incomprehensible to me.

Ionna Avraam portrayed Nijinsky’s sister, Bronislava (Avraam’s sculpted features made her a perfect cast). Tamara Karsavina (Madison Young) joined her in the dance scenes of Nijinsky’s choreographies and Bronislava’s Les Noces. Karsavina also appeared as the sylph, reminding Nijinsky of his role as the poet. Davide Dato crossed his mind as the Harlequin and the Spirit of the Rose, and Rinaldo Venuti scampered as the tragic Petrushka (but couldn’t match his Hamburg colleagues, Ivan Urban and Lloyd Riggins). Jerking as if electrocuted, António Casalinho’s Stanislav died a terrible death.

The impenetrable facade and rigidity of Eno Peci’s thin-lipped Diaghilev made it hard to believe that Nijinsky—and later Massine (Laurids Seidel)—gave in to his sexual desires voluntarily. Victor Caixeta’s Faun convinced, but the way his Golden Slave switched between eye-dazzling speed and sensual wriggles looked calculated and lacked the eroticism that Hamburg’s Otto Bubeníček oozed.

The pretentious posturing of the Suvretta House’s audience reminded me of modern-day realities. Nijinsky is, in fact, highly topical. War today feels as close as then, and Nijinsky’s empty glance made me think of a shop owner in last week’s riot-battered Paris. He hunkered on the doorstep of his demolished shop with exactly the same look.

Links:		Website of the Vienna State Ballet
		Introductory matinée
		Nijinsky—rehearsals
		Nijinsky—trailer
Photos:	1.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky) and ensemble, “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	2.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky) and ensemble, “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	3.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	4.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky) and Madison Young (Tamara Karsavina), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	5.	Victor Caixeta (Faun), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	6.	Davide Dato (Spirit of the Rose), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	7.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), Olga Esina (Eleonore Bereda, Vaslav’s mother), and ensemble, “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	8.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), Olga Esina (Eleonore Bereda, Vaslav’s mother), António Casalinho (Stanislav Nijinsky), and Ionna Avraam (Bronislava Nijinska); “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	9.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky) and ensemble, “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	10.	Ketevan Papava (Romola Nijinska), Victor Caixeta (Faun), Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), and Masayu Kimoto (Doctor Frenkel); “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	11.	Eno Peci (Sergey Diaghilev) and Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	12.	Laurids Seidel (Léonide Massine), Eno Peci (Sergey Diaghilev) and Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	13.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky) and ensemble, “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	14.	António Casalinho (Stanislav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	15.	Ketevan Papava (Romola Nijinska) and Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	16.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	17.	Rinaldo Venuti (Petrushka), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
	18.	Alessandro Frola (Vaslav Nijinsky), “Nijinsky” by John Neumeier, Vienna State Ballet 2026
		all photos © Vienna State Ballet/Ashley Taylor
Editing:		Kayla Kauffman

12. October 201622. April 2020

Almost Holy

“The World of John Neumeier”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden, Germany
October 08, 2016

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2016 by Ilona Landgraf

Calling two big stages home is a luxury few can call their own. Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier enjoyed it for the seventieth time this autumn when touring the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden for one week. Usually they bring along two pieces and one workshop moderated by Neumeier himself. This year the two ballets were “Romeo and Juliet”, scheduled three times with different leading couples, and “The World of John Neumeier”, a collection of excerpts from autobiographically significant pieces. It premiered in Tokyo earlier this year and was shown on two consecutive evenings in Baden-Baden. I saw the first performance. Continue reading “Almost Holy”

31. October 20152. November 2015

Not Exactly a Happy Love Affair

“A Cinderella Story”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg, Germany
October 23, 2015

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2015 by Ilona Landgraf

Indeed Cinderella gets golden shoes to dance in at the royal ball, but unlike in the Brothers Grimm’s or Charles Perrault’s fairy tale they are not the key element of John Neumeier’s “A Cinderella Story”. The 1992 production has been revived earlier this season. It is a version mainly referring to the Brothers Grimm text but also includes a few details from Perrault. Yet above all it is Neumeier’s own interpretation, his perspective on the story.

Neumeier avoided the bloody cruelties one finds in the written sources. The mean stepsisters neither chop off their toes or heels to fit into Cinderella’s shoes, nor are their eyes picked out as a punishment at the end. Instead Neumeier added a heavy dose of humor and exaggerated most characters with stark cliches, yet also allowed character traits to surface which put another complexion on some figures. Continue reading “Not Exactly a Happy Love Affair”

17. July 20157. February 2017

Grand Finale

“Nijinsky-Gala XLI”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg, Germany
July 12, 2015

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2015 by Ilona Landgraf

Traditionally Hamburg Ballet’s “Ballet Days” end with a Nijinsky-Gala and traditionally John Neumeier presents an extra large format, that is five hours or more. The programs of past galas did not necessarily refer directly to Nijinsky, but this year’s prominently did. Otto Bubeníček bid his farewell as Vaslav Nijinsky in an excerpt from Neumeier’s “’Le Pavillon d’Armide” which was the center piece of the three-part evening. It was in the “Spirit of the Romantic Period”, which was the common theme of the season’s repertory. The first part offered insights into eight different ballets, the final third part was made up of excerpts from five other ballets. Neumeier never presents small snippets, instead he tends to add another pas de deux rather than cutting one. Dancers from the Houston Ballet and the National Ballet of China broadened the spectrum. Other guests were the Bolshoi Ballet’s Svetlana Zakharova and Johan Kobborg who danced with Alina Cojocaru, a permanent guest of Hamburg Ballet. As usual Neumeier in person guided the audience through the program. Continue reading “Grand Finale”

2. April 201522. January 2017

Safety and Comfort are Rare

“Winterreise” (“Winter Journey”)
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg, Germany
March 29, 2015

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2015 by Ilona Landgraf

Reviving John Neumeier’s “Winterreise” in early spring seems odd programming. The ballet is based on Franz Schubert’s somber song cycle of 1828 as rendered musically by German conductor and composer Hans Zender. The twenty-four songs’ verses seem simple at first glance, almost folk-like, but plumb deeply into existential states of mind. Center stage are a young wayfarer’s experiences – encounters he has had with others along his life’s passionate path. Even if spring moods must be left aside “Winterreise” was a good opener the week before Easter.
Schubert had based “Winterreise” on poems by Wilhelm Müller (1794 – 1827), and he set them without informing the poet. Some attribute Müller’s death, which was untimely, to complete exhaustion; others speculate that he committed suicide due to unbearable depression. His verses exude gloom. He died in September and Schubert began composing in October. The two never met. Allegedly, Schubert secluded himself while composing. Eventually, when visiting friends he seemed to be unhinged. Zender suspects that the first concert performances of the piece must have caused fright rather than delight. Schubert died only one year later, in 1828. He was just thirty-one years old. Continue reading “Safety and Comfort are Rare”

6. January 20158. December 2016

The Land Where the Lemon Trees Blossom

“Napoli”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg, Germany
December 31, 2014

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2015 by Ilona Landgraf

Like the Bavarian State Ballet’s recent triumph with “Paquita”, John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet revived an old classic, August Bournonville’s “Napoli”, a buoyant, romantic love story with dramatic sprinklings, transferring the southern Italian joy of life to the Elbe River.
Premiering in 1842 in Copenhagen, “Napoli” is a staple of the Royal Danish Ballet’s repertory, so long as Nikolai Hübbe doesn’t continue replacing Bournonville’s legacy with his own creations, as happened with “La Sylphide” this autumn. Similar to other ballets of the romantic period, the libretto of “Napoli” is lightweight. Bournonville’s source of inspiration was a journey to southern Italy. Drawing on myriad impressions – from the quarreling fish traders to different types of street merchants, flirting youth, ragged beggars and monks strolling around – he wrote the libretto on his way back home, more precisely in the stagecoach between Paris and Dunkirk in northern France. Even an episode during an excursion to the fishing village Baiae was worked in: until 1848 Bournonville, still actively dancing in Copenhagen’s ensemble and also artistic director and senior choreographer, surprised his fellow travelers when he himself suddenly replaced a dancer of a local dance group in a lightning tarantella. Continue reading “The Land Where the Lemon Trees Blossom”

22. October 20142. December 2016

Final Fulfillment

“Death in Venice”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg, Germany
October 17, 2014

“Wer die Schönheit angeschaut mit Augen,
ist dem Tode schon anheimgegeben,…”
(August von Platen, “Tristan”, 1824)

“Whose eyes saw the beauty is already entrusted to death,…”
August von Platen’s late-romantic song, written in 1825, is grounded on the medieval tale “Tristan and Isolde”. Transgressive love and love-death are core aspects of Richard Wagner’s eponymous opera and Thomas Mann’s novella “Death in Venice”, published in 1913. John Neumeier’s ballet version of Mann’s text pays homage to both monumental figures of the history of art. It wouldn’t be “made by John Neumeier”, however, if he hadn’t included additional historical references to broaden and enrich the total picture of the unique love story. He chose Johann Sebastian Bach’s “The Musical Offering” as music to depict the intellectual, well-organized world of Gustav von Aschenbach, alternating with piano pieces by Richard Wagner. The latter evoke the ecstatic, Dionysian counterworld Aschenbach gets into in Venice. Integrating music by Wagner moreover takes into account that many aspects of his autobiography, published in 1911, recur in Mann’s “Death in Venice”. Just as for Aschenbach, Venice was Wagner’s city of refuge. In 1848 he intended to finish his “Tristan” in the lagoon city where he also wanted respite from his broken marriage with Minna and his desperate love affair with Mathilde Wesendonck. Continue reading “Final Fulfillment”

8. October 20142. December 2016

Neumeier Commenting on his Work

“Workshop”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden, Germany
October 03, 2014

Workshops have been a regular feature of Hamburg Ballet since John Neumeier’s first season there in 1974. Successful from the start, they are so in demand that one can call oneself lucky to get a single seat for just one Workshop per season. One watches the company do barre exercises before Neumeier picks up the microphone. The atmosphere is relaxed and the dancers are in practice clothes, with a bit of costuming showing only here and there.
This autumn Baden-Baden’s audience hit the jackpot with a Ballet Workshop that introduced Hamburg Ballet’s annual visit to the Black Forest where the stage of the Festpielhaus serves almost as a second home for the ensemble of dancers. The first Workshop there took place in 1998. The topics this time were “Shakespeare Dances” and “Giselle”, both of which were shown in their entirety during the company’s stay.

Continue reading “Neumeier Commenting on his Work”

16. December 201328. October 2016

Rejoice, Exult?

“Christmas Oratorio I-VI”
Hamburg Ballet – John Neumeier
Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg, Germany
December 09, 2013

John Neumeier recently extended his contract as head of the Hamburg Ballet and general manager of the Hamburg State Opera until 2019. In his tenure’s final phase he has returned to Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” completing what he had begun in 2007 with the choreography of parts I-III. With the entire “Christmas Oratorio I-VI”, “Saint Matthew Passion” (1981) and “Magnificat” (1987) he has now come full circle: From the lost paradise to Maria as the chosen one, to Christ’s incarnation and finally his crucifixion. Other religiously inspired works were “Requiem” (1991) set to Mozart and “Messiah” to music by George Frideric Handel and Arvo Pärt. Though a practicing Christian and strongly influenced by his long friendship with Jesuit Father John J. Walsh, (who led the drama group at Milwaukee’s Marquette University, where Neumeier took up his studies as young man), Neumeier emphasizes that his choreographies are not religious undertakings. They’re neither substitute services nor an attempt to proselytize. This piece’s key topics are rather universal human values, basic emotional experiences and above all hope for salvation. Continue reading “Rejoice, Exult?”