Thu, Jun. 25, 2026, 7.30 pm | Main Stage
no advance ticket sale yet 
Mixed Bill with works by Xie Xin, Angelin Preljocaj, Marcos Morau and Demis Volpi
POINT OF NO RETURN
Introduction at 6.45 pm
In every life, in every society and in every era, there comes a "point of no return": a moment when everything changes and from which there is no going back. The quadruple bill POINT OF NO RETURN takes such moments as its starting point.
In his moving work "Annonciation", the French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj examines a lifechanging event: the annunciation. In doing so, he turns our expectations upside down and triggers a flood of reflection in the viewer on what we believe we knew about this moment. The pas de deux for two women is also rich in musical contrasts and alternates between Antonio Vivaldi's "Magnificat" and the electronic music of Stéphane Roy. Preljocaj, who is one of Europe's leading contemporary choreographers, has created works for the Paris Opera Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet the New York City Ballet and for his own company, Ballet Preljocaj, among others.
Demis Volpi created "Aftermath" for the Stuttgart Ballet in 2014. For this piece he was inspired by a song – sung by the famous Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa: "Si se calla el cantor", the lyrics of which say, among other things: "When the singer is silent, life is silent, because all of life itself is a song ...". To a commissioned score by the American composer Michael Gordon, Volpi creates a simultaneously dystopian and poignant vision of an individual who is gradually swallowed up by a menacing mass of people who silence her "voice" forever. The pointe shoes worn by the all-female cast are used in an unusual way: the sound of the shoes – which is normally never heard - is deliberately integrated into the choreography, thus accentuating the aggression of the uniform, anonymous mass.
In addition to these two pieces, Artistic Director Demis Volpi has commissioned world premieres by Xie Xin and Marcos Morau, two globally active artists who belong to a new generation of inspiring and exceptional choreographers. Xie is the director of the Shanghai-based company Xie Xin Dance Theater and has created pieces for numerous contemporary dance companies in China as well as for the Paris Opera Ballet, the Venice Biennale, BalletBoyz London and the Hessian State Ballet. Morau is the director of the Barcelona-based company La Veronal (guest company of the Hamburg Ballet Days 2025) and is known for his striking, highly aesthetic and theatrical pieces.
N.N. (World Premiere)
Choreography: Xie Xin
ANNONCIATION
Choreography and Scenography: Angelin Preljocaj
Music: Stéphane Roy (Crystal Music), Antonio Vivaldi (Magnificat)
Recorded version: Ensemble international de Lausanne / Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne – Michel Corboz (Recorded music)
Costumes: Nathalie Sanson
Lighting Design: Jacques Chatelet
WORLD PREMIERE:
Ballet Preljocaj (created in a residency at the TNDI Châteauvallon, Toulon), Opéra de Lausanne, September 26, 1995
N.N. (World Premiere)
Choreography: Marcos Morau
AFTERMATH (New Version)
Choreography: Demis Volpi
Music: Michael Gordon – "Aftermath" (commissioned score)
Costumes: Katharina Schlip
WORLD PREMIERE:
The Stuttgart Ballet, Stuttgart, April 17, 2014
PREMIERE IN HAMBURG:
Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg, February 22, 2026
Supported by the Foundation for the Patronage of the Hamburg State Opera
Choreographers:
>> Xie Xin
>> Angelin Preljocaj
>> Marcos Morau
>> Demis Volpi
