Friedemann Vogel
I gain strength from frailty: Friedemann Vogel
“An injury years ago made me more aware and more motivated,” explains the German dancer, one of the greatest étoiles of the 21st century, who at the Spoleto Festival will reflect on body & artificial intelligence. And here it is told, right from the first split in kindergarten
Di Maria Laura Giovagnini per Hi Donna
“Is a dancer a complete artist or a choreographer's instrument? What does it express through the body? What margin of freedom does it have?” Friedemann Vogel - one of the greatest étoiles of the 21st century, Principal dancer of the glorious Stuttgart Ballet - offers the answer on its own: with a show. Die Seele am Fa-den/Soul Threads (The threads of the soul), a creation created with visual artist Thomas Lempertz, will debut on July 5 at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto. Inspiration comes from The puppet theater by Heinrich von Kleist, where two characters discuss the theme: is a dancer superior, human and therefore subject to mistakes, or a puppet, who has no physical limitations?
Von Kleist seems to conclude in favor of the puppet. And her?
No! Better to let your feelings, your heart, your soul speak. The proof of how decisive subjectivity is? Every Swan Lake It's different depending on the protagonists. The text, however, despite being from 1806, proves to be very current due to Artificial Intelligence. It will be an axólo, but videos will be screened in which my image has been scanned and transformed into a kind of puppet or avatar, which makes absurd movements. What will the public prefer? The real Friedemann Vogel or the amazing but virtual one?
Easy answer today that the trend is to emphasize the strength of fragility, the beauty of imperfection.
'Perfect' is seeing reality. So both the ideal, the lightness, and the ugliness, the heaviness... Life is like that, not constantly easy and pleasant, especially during this historical period. The purpose of dance is not entertainment: it must transmit something and, if it transmits something authentic, it cannot be 100 percent Beauty.
So won't the classic be a bit old-fashioned for the times, understood from a gender point of view?
There's room for everything. Our generation is fighting for fluidity, we can't wait to separate things too much!
I don't want to be called “a classical dancer”: I'm proud to have been classically trained, but I can do much more. As happens in contemporary choreography: Wayne McGregor, for example (in 2005 with Eden/Eden, Editor's note), inserting me into the creations, created something new. Art - which is a social glue - must evolve, it should not be kept in a museum. Although, at times, one is impressed by how modern Nijinsky (of the mythical company of Russian ballets, founded in 1911, editor's note).
Over the decades, the weight of men has changed.
Yes, definitely: Nureyev sparked a revolution.
Now they are no longer simple Porteur called to make the ballerina shine. They have emancipated themselves. There is a dialogue.
How did you approach this discipline?
In a natural way. My brother was a dancer and I, from an early age, knew I wanted to follow him: at three to four years old I was already trying the split! For my parents it was normal, having my eldest son taken this path.
Do you come from a family of artists?
Not at all, but each of us five brothers has something to do with the arts: two musicians, two dancers and a theater director, in Frankfurt.
Despite international recognition and success, he decided to stay in Stuttgart. Co-
Me more?
I have a home, and having a base is also important for my work. And then, if I were a freelancer, I would have to select the biggest roles while it's essential to try my hand at small pieces, to feel part of a group. The dancers Principal they can be as good as they want, but in the end - if there is no connection in the team - the result is not good.
His keywords?
Definitely love, passion. And 'conscious presence': I rarely think of 'later', our art form is so fragile that you never know when it will end. At 44, I can't plan too much, but in the past it was just as unrealistic: we are so dependent on our bodies that we absolutely must enjoy the moment, a small injury is enough to stop us.
Read the full interview on Hi Donna
