Sasha Waltz

Portrait of the Founder of the Choreographic Opera

She has once ushered a turning point regarding the relationship of theater to dance together with Thomas Ostermeier Meier at the Schaubühne in Berlin. After she left the stage, Sasha Waltz with "Dido & Aeneas" the first time developed a choreography for an opera, creating a combination of music, singing and dance. A portrait of an impressive German artist.

Sasha Waltz was born in Karlsruhe in 1963. As the daughter of an architect and a gallery owner she was familiar with arts early on. At the age of five she got lessons in free dance, and later in ballet and modern dance. Sasha is married to the cultural manager and dramaturg Jochen Sand. They have two children.

In 1996 Sasha Waltz together with her husband founded the Sophiensaele as an “Interdisciplinary Production and Home Ground Venue independently operated". For the opening she then staged her play "Allee der Kosmonauten", it was her international breakthrough. The piece shows the dreary everyday life in an estate of prefabricated houses. "Allee der Kosmonauten" was then performed around the world and even made into a film.

For the theater season 1999/2000 she took over as artistic director at the Schaubühne with Thomas Ostermann. Sasha Waltz here presented the world premiere of "Körper". "Körper" was hailed by the press, there are "magic pictures" and a "new, unprecedented beauty" is performed. After Körper other pieces of the trilogy followed: "S", which in particular focused on themes such as sexuality and eroticism that were knowingly recessed in Körper, and "noBody" which implemented the mortality of man and the respective metaphysical existence in a choreographic way.

In 1993 Sasha Waltz founded her own dance company "Sasha Waltz & Guests". Since 2006 the Radial System V, the Berlin School of Music, Dance and Fine Arts, was rehearsal and performance venue of the company. In 2005 then Sasha with her company developed her first choreographic opera. The merger of singers, choristers, musicians and dancers will be presented as a work of art at the opera. With "Orfeo" Sasha Waltz has created her sixth choreographic opera in 2015, which has no equal.

Sasha Waltz surprises with new, innovative dance performances. She is considered as the cultural hobbyhorse of Berlin and celebrates globally respected appearances. We will continue to report on her artworks.

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