Quod­li­bal­lett

Quodlibet. Arbitrariness. Generic. More than all possible predicates. Indifference: The opposite (or precursor) of difference. This is the meaning-laden core of Richard Siegal’s latest creation for the Staatstheater Nürnberg Ballet of Difference. Quodliballett, arbitrariness—whatever that may mean—serves as a method for approaching the present. While New Ballets Russes examine the legacy of modernity and modernism, Quodliballett turns toward our modern moment. In order to create this first full-evening premiere for Nuremberg, Siegal takes inspiration from the principles of self-generating choreographic systems that were already at the centre of the previous season’s Lilac—a piece in which each performance stemmed from the complexity of the dancers’ own actions in real time. As an audience, we not only observe the technical brilliance and remarkable athleticism of the ensemble, to say nothing of the strength of the harmonious community that the dancers create, but also the creation of time itself.