It was a rather bold move to entrust Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo und Julia to a mere 22-year-old—and as a festival opener at that. The Thuringian State Ballet took the risk—and hit the jackpot. Emanuele Babici, a dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet, has attracted attention since 2022 with seven smaller choreographic works; his trio Heartquake—premiered last year at London’s International Draft Works—had already caused a stir. Yet the fact that the Italian has so quickly tackled a full-evening work—one long since cast into what are now virtually canonical versions (Cranko, MacMillan, Mats Ek, et al.)—comes as something of a surprise.
Especially given that, in doing so, he also provided the opening act for the Internationales BallettFestival Gera—a festival that made its debut with an ambitious ...
