Johannes Wieland
Encyclopedia
Johannes Wieland is a choreographer, teacher and dancer.
, with John Neumeier
at the Hamburg State Opera
and the Amsterdam
School of the Arts where he earned his BFA
. His dance career took him back to Germany, the State Theatre of Brunswick
, Germany, followed by the Berlin State Opera
. Here he worked with numerous guest choreographers, among them Roland Petit
and Maurice Béjart
. He then joined the Béjart Ballet Lausanne as a principle dancer and also toured extensively with the company. Ready for a radical change, Wieland next moved to New York City
, where he was awarded a scholarship to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts
, earning his MFA
in Contemporary Dance
and Choreography in 2002. His company, johannes wieland, was founded that same year and debuted with his original work tomorrow at the Joyce SoHo theater. Praised as 'a spectacular exploration of relationships', by Anna Kisselgoff
of The New York Times
, this was one in the body of the startlingly powerful, terse strange pieces Wieland began creating for his company, prompting Dance Magazine
to cite him as one of the 25 to Watch, 2003. In addition to heading his own company, Wieland is artistic director and choreographer of the resident dance company of the State Theater of Kassel
in Germany. He was also associate artistic director of Paradigm in New York and is a guest choreographer and teacher in schools and companies in Europe and North America. He is a permanent resident of the United States and divides his time between New York and Germany.
As part of his integrated approach to performance art, Wieland has evolved a rigorous developmental process to explore various situations of causality. This intense process fosters an intimate and innovatingly fruitful relationship between the performers, composers, designers and other collaborating artists and institutions involved in Wieland's works. Wieland's work also often incorporates video, text, photography, original sound scoring, set designs of an installation character.
As part of his outreach initiative in Kassel, Wieland regularly holds open rehearsals and classes, pre- and post- performance talk-backs with the audience as well as inviting a roster of innovative choreographers to create pieces on his company.
Biography
Johannes Wieland received his early dance training under Ellys Gregor in Berlin, the ballet academy of the Deutsche Oper BerlinDeutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
, with John Neumeier
John Neumeier
John Neumeier is a well-known American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He has been the director and chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet since 1973. 5 years later he founded the Hamburg Ballet School, which also includes a boarding school...
at the Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
and the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
School of the Arts where he earned his BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
. His dance career took him back to Germany, the State Theatre of Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Germany, followed by the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
. Here he worked with numerous guest choreographers, among them Roland Petit
Roland Petit
Roland Petit was a French choreographer and dancer born in Villemomble, near Paris, France. He trained at the Paris Opéra Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets.-Biography:...
and Maurice Béjart
Maurice Béjart
Maurice Béjart was a French born, Swiss choreographer who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He was the son of the French philosopher Gaston Berger.- Biography :...
. He then joined the Béjart Ballet Lausanne as a principle dancer and also toured extensively with the company. Ready for a radical change, Wieland next moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he was awarded a scholarship to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
, earning his MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Contemporary Dance
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
and Choreography in 2002. His company, johannes wieland, was founded that same year and debuted with his original work tomorrow at the Joyce SoHo theater. Praised as 'a spectacular exploration of relationships', by Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for the New York Times. She began at the Times as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she held until 2005...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, this was one in the body of the startlingly powerful, terse strange pieces Wieland began creating for his company, prompting Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine is an "influential" American trade publication for dance, currently published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as The American Dancer. William Como was its editor-in-chief from 1970 to his death in 1989. Wendy Perron became its editor-in...
to cite him as one of the 25 to Watch, 2003. In addition to heading his own company, Wieland is artistic director and choreographer of the resident dance company of the State Theater of Kassel
Staatstheater Kassel
The Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and -operated theater in Kassel, Germany.- History :A permanent theatre house already existed in Kassel during the first decade of the 17th century. It stood immediately next to the Ottoneum near the State Theatre which is now used as a Natural History...
in Germany. He was also associate artistic director of Paradigm in New York and is a guest choreographer and teacher in schools and companies in Europe and North America. He is a permanent resident of the United States and divides his time between New York and Germany.
Work
Wieland guides his dancers to achieve 'unpredictable, improbable feats and configurations' employing his riveting movement vocabulary which exhibits his architecturally driven understanding of bodies and space. The performers equally serve as conduits for the emotional atmosphere in the perilous landscape of contemporary urban life that Wieland meticulously, exhilaratingly, uninhibitedly explores in his works. The result is a richness of unconventional, explicit ideas presented with baffling technical agility and visually arresting images by his company.As part of his integrated approach to performance art, Wieland has evolved a rigorous developmental process to explore various situations of causality. This intense process fosters an intimate and innovatingly fruitful relationship between the performers, composers, designers and other collaborating artists and institutions involved in Wieland's works. Wieland's work also often incorporates video, text, photography, original sound scoring, set designs of an installation character.
As part of his outreach initiative in Kassel, Wieland regularly holds open rehearsals and classes, pre- and post- performance talk-backs with the audience as well as inviting a roster of innovative choreographers to create pieces on his company.
Awards, Honors and Grants
- 16th International Choreographic Competition in HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany, semi-finalist, 2002 - 25 to Watch; Dance Magazine, 2003
- Hubbard Street Choreographic Competition Winner, Chicago, 2004
- Kurt JoossKurt JoossKurt Jooss was a famous ballet dancer and choreographer mixing classical ballet with theatre; he is also widely regarded as the founder of dance theatre or tanztheater...
Award, Germany, 2004 - Goethe Institut, 2004, 2005, 2006
- Harkness Foundation for Dance, 2004
- Choo-San Goh & H. Robert Magee Foundation, 2004
- Greenwall Foundation, 2004, 2005, 2006
- The Guglielmo Ebreo Competition semi-finalist, Italy, 2006
- Poseidon Services, 2006
- Trust for Mutual Understanding, 2007
- Mid Atlantic Arts FoundationMid Atlantic Arts FoundationThe Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation , headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, is one of six not-for-profit regional arts organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts . Founded in 1979, MAAF works to "promote and support multi-state arts programming"...
, 2007 ,2009 - The William J. Cooper Grant, 2009
- NYSCA, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011
Collaborations
- Staatstheater Kassel (State Theater of Kassel)Staatstheater KasselThe Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and -operated theater in Kassel, Germany.- History :A permanent theatre house already existed in Kassel during the first decade of the 17th century. It stood immediately next to the Ottoneum near the State Theatre which is now used as a Natural History...
- Folkwang University of the Arts
- Berkshire Theatre FestivalBerkshire Theatre FestivalThe Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating its 80th anniversary season in 2008.-History:...
- The Juilliard School
- Jacob's Pillow Dance
- Bard CollegeBard CollegeBard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
- New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
- Ben Frost, composer
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Carmen de LavalladeCarmen De LavalladeCarmen De Lavallade is a dancer, choreographer, professor and stage and film actress.-Early Years:Carmen De Lavallade was born in Los Angeles on March 6, 1931, to Afro-Creole parents from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was raised by her aunt who owned one of the first African American history...
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, performer