The second is a work by the celebrated choreographer Jiří Kylián, whose ballets have been staged by all prestigious companies worldwide. Dating from 2002, 27’52” is dedicated to Gerald Tibbs, a former renowned Nederlands Dans Theater dancer, to whose date of birth (20 July 1952) the piece’s title and duration refer. Kylián said of the work: “Time, speed, love and constant changes. We may not realise it, but we do not only age on the day of our birth – every fragment of every second of our life is responsible for our getting old, and each and every moment of our life represents a change! I find the idea very comforting and liberating. We need not remain the same from our birth to our death. We are capable of changing ourselves. I know it is an essential part of many Eastern religious teachings, but I deem it truly exciting when we become aware of it.”
The third work on the triple bill is by Marco Goecke, considered the most significant contemporary German dance creator. He has worked with a number of renowned companies, including as choreographer-in-residence at the Stuttgarter Ballett (2005/06 season) and the Scapino Ballet in Rotterdam (2006-2012), and as director of the Staatsballett Hannover (2019-2023). Since 2013, he has closely collaborated with the Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague. In the 2023/24 season, the Czech National Ballet presented Goecke’s Fly Paper Bird within the triple bill Beyond Vibrations.
