BALLET IN THE SHOP WINDOWS OF THE KÖ-BOGEN
BREUNINGER MEETS BALLETT AM RHEIN
A shop window becomes a dance stage! The fashion and lifestyle company Breuninger Düsseldorf and the Ballett am Rhein have formed an extraordinary cultural collaboration: In the curved shop windows of the iconic Kö-Bogen, designed by the New York star architect Daniel Libeskind, dancers from the Ballett am Rhein performed choreographies created specifically for this event by Wun Sze Chan and Daniel Smith. Along the fifty-meter-long shop window front in the Düsseldorf flagship store, the floor was covered with a special dance floor, transforming it into a large dance area for the dancers.
“Events by the Opera and Ballet am Rhein at popular locations in the city reflect our commitment to providing spontaneous and accessible access to music and dance. That’s why I’m delighted about the innovative collaboration with Breuninger as our direct neighbor,” emphasizes Prof. Christoph Meyer, General Director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. The shop windows in the Kö-Bogen, usually creatively designed exhibition spaces for innovative fashion and lifestyle trends, turned into a stage for unexpected dance experiences during shopping, with a total of five slots.
In an atmosphere that combined dance with urban life, the company members Camilla Agraso, Paula Alves, Yoav Bosidan, Philip Handschin, Samuel López Legaspi, Marco Nestola, Dukin Seo, Courtney Skalnik, Kauan Soares, Imogen Walters, and Long Zou performed. The performances were accompanied by specially placed speakers inside and outside the building. “Breuninger is not just a fashion and lifestyle company – we see ourselves as an integral part of the city. Therefore, it is important to us to address all the concerns of the city and share the beautiful things of life on a local level with the people of Düsseldorf. This naturally includes the important art and culture scene of the city. We want to create something in Düsseldorf that has not existed in this form before,” says Andreas Rebbelmund, Managing Director of Breuninger Düsseldorf.
Ballet director and chief choreographer Demis Volpi: “We want to connect with the people in the city in a very direct and surprising way. The Ballett am Rhein with its 45 dancers is part of the city’s society and wants to be present beyond the stages, even to pique the curiosity of those who may not have come into close contact with dance before. Wun Sze Chan and Daniel Smith are two experienced dancer personalities and choreographers from our own ranks who have created an extraordinary ballet for this special place.”
.
