Premiere performance at the Theater im Pfalzbauin Ludwigshafen, Germany,on October 24, 2009

DanceWorks Chicago is excited to collaborate with German arts partners Norddeutsche Konzertdirektion, The Lab Art & Media, Oper Köln, and Theater im Pfalzbau, Ludwigshafen on an urban version of Petrushka with choreography by Mario Schroeder, Artistic Director of Ballet Leipzig, in collaboration with French hip-hop choreographer Julie Pecquet.

After the initial three-week creative period in August 2009, DWC traveled to Berlin, Germany in September for another three-week rehearsal period followed by a week of stage rehearsal leading up to the world premiere of Love Hurts…Petrushka in Ludwigshafen, Germany on October 24, 2009. Since the premiere, LH…P has been presented in venues across Germany and the Czech Republic.Based on the characters from the ballet Petrushka (Petrushka, the Moor, the Columbine, and the Charlatan) which was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev with a libretto by Alexandre Benois and music by Stravinsky, Love Hurts…Petrushka explores the dreams that love inspires, the pain of loss, and the elusiveness of peace. With the addition of original music by hip-hop pioneer DJ Opossum and set/costumes by Claus Stump, this evening-length production received an enthusiastic welcome in Europe, including a rave review from the Leverkusener Anzeiger/Kölner Stadtanzeiger: “This wild mix of dance styles, completely different in time, expression, technique, and underlying music almost makes it seem as if the evolution of dance is happening right before your eyes. Everything is interdependent. Everything is connected. This is almost anarchy. A more innovative and complete performance is hard to imagine.”