Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company:
Undertainment / À la Carte

Undertainment

William Forsythe is regarded as one of the most important choreographers of the late 20th century. His innovative approach to the tradition of ballet has opened up directions for dance that would otherwise be difficult to imagine. From 1984 to 2004, Forsythe directed the Ballett Frankfurt and from 2005 to 2015 The Forsythe Company, which was later renamed Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company. At the end of his career, Forsythe returned to the place of this legacy of many years and created a final stage work for the company’s new ensemble. In this piece, starting from a toolbox of improvisational construction, Forsythe creates a structural order which, instead of signifying something else, offers an aesthetic pleasure in itself. Like in a kaleidoscope, patterns emerge that are always unpredictable and surprising yet within a clear framework. The dancers explore the movement system that they themselves form to its limits. The audience is invited to follow this exploration and experience the work as a living, breathing system.

Partners: World premiere production Undertainment 2025: In Coproduction with DE SINGEL – International Arts Centre and the Romaeuropa Festival. With support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.

The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company is supported by the state capital Dresden and the Free State of Saxony as well as the city of Frankfurt am Main and the state of Hesse. Company-in-Residence at HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts in Dresden and at Bockenheimer Depot in Frankfurt am Main.

À la Carte

The first production by the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company under the artistic direction of Ioannis Mandafounis. With this work, the ensemble presents its dance practice, which is based as much on the exchange between the individual artists as it is on communication with the audience.

Human encounters are always unpredictable. You eye one another, rush ahead, wait, circle each other, stumble, suddenly stop, start again - and maybe realize, ah, yes, we can understand each other. 

The scenes in "À la carte" use different props, sound effects, music and lighting to allow for a variety of dance styles, atmospheres and topics. The starting point is always the encounter between the ensemble and the audience, just as if they were cooking a colorful menu together. The framework for this is Ioannis Mandafounis' dance methodology, which makes it possible to create a choreography live on stage. Almost nothing that the dancers do in this production is predetermined. All movements arise from the meeting of the different bodies. 

Undertainment

William Forsythe is regarded as one of the most important choreographers of the late 20th century. His innovative approach to the tradition of ballet has opened up directions for dance that would otherwise be difficult to imagine. From 1984 to 2004, Forsythe directed the Ballett Frankfurt and from 2005 to 2015 The Forsythe Company, which was later renamed Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company. At the end of his career, Forsythe returned to the place of this legacy of many years and created a final stage work for the company’s new ensemble. In this piece, starting from a toolbox of improvisational construction, Forsythe creates a structural order which, instead of signifying something else, offers an aesthetic pleasure in itself. Like in a kaleidoscope, patterns emerge that are always unpredictable and surprising yet within a clear framework. The dancers explore the movement system that they themselves form to its limits. The audience is invited to follow this exploration and experience the work as a living, breathing system.

Partners: World premiere production Undertainment 2025: In Coproduction with DE SINGEL – International Arts Centre and the Romaeuropa Festival. With support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.

The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company is supported by the state capital Dresden and the Free State of Saxony as well as the city of Frankfurt am Main and the state of Hesse. Company-in-Residence at HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts in Dresden and at Bockenheimer Depot in Frankfurt am Main.

À la Carte

The first production by the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company under the artistic direction of Ioannis Mandafounis. With this work, the ensemble presents its dance practice, which is based as much on the exchange between the individual artists as it is on communication with the audience.

Human encounters are always unpredictable. You eye one another, rush ahead, wait, circle each other, stumble, suddenly stop, start again - and maybe realize, ah, yes, we can understand each other. 

The scenes in "À la carte" use different props, sound effects, music and lighting to allow for a variety of dance styles, atmospheres and topics. The starting point is always the encounter between the ensemble and the audience, just as if they were cooking a colorful menu together. The framework for this is Ioannis Mandafounis' dance methodology, which makes it possible to create a choreography live on stage. Almost nothing that the dancers do in this production is predetermined. All movements arise from the meeting of the different bodies.