Heike Hennig facts for kids
Heike Hennig (born November 8, 1966) is a German dancer, choreographer, and director. She leads her own dance and opera group called "Heike Hennig & Co".
Contents
Her Life and Training
Heike Hennig started her first dance lessons at age 5 in Leipzig, which was then in East Germany. She later studied modern dance and choreography in Cologne, Germany. She also studied in Oakland, USA, with famous teachers like Steve Paxton. Before returning to Germany, she worked in Brazil and Portugal.
In 1995, she came back to Germany. From 1998, she worked as a freelance choreographer and teacher. She taught dance and movement at places like the Palucca School of Dance and the University of Leipzig. She also led workshops that mixed different arts, like anatomy, painting, and dance.
Creating New Dance Works
In 2000, Heike Hennig started the FZTM (Forum of Contemporary Dance and Music) in Leipzig. She also formed her own group, Heike Hennig & Co. As a director, she created many stage shows and art projects. These were shown in Leipzig, Berlin, Dresden, and Weimar. Her team includes over 50 artists, from architects to video artists.
At the Leipzig Opera, Heike Hennig created a dance piece called Zeit – tanzen seit 1927 (Time – dancing since 1927) in 2005. This dance show was about real life stories. In 2007, it became a documentary film called Tanz mit der Zeit Dancing with Time. The film was made by Trevor Peters from New Zealand. It was shown in German movie theaters, on TV, and at international festivals.
Heike Hennig brought former dancers of the Leipzig Opera back to the stage for this project. These dancers, like Ursula Cain and Horst Dittmann, were around 80 years old. They shared their dance and life stories through movement. Their stories were shaped by famous dancers like Mary Wigman and Gret Palucca.
While making the film, a new dance piece called Zeitsprünge (Leaps in Time) was created. In this show, the older dancers met younger dancers from Heike Hennig's group. You could see different dance styles, from Expressionist dance to Street dance and classical Ballet. This showed how dance changes across generations.
Exploring New Art Forms
For the 2007/08 season, Heike Hennig started a special series called oper unplugged (Opera unplugged). This series at the Leipzig Opera mixed music, dance, theater, and new media. In 2008, she began working with the baroque music group Lautten Compagney Berlin.
This mixing of different art forms created new types of shows, like the Tanzoper (dance opera) Rituale (Rituals). This show used music by George Frideric Handel at the Leipzig Opera. Another show, Timeless, was performed at the Neues Museum in Berlin. These projects brought new ideas to modern opera in Europe.
A big highlight in 2010 was "Maria" by Heike Hennig. This was a dance oratorio for three singers, seven dancers, twelve musicians, and one DJ. All the artists were part of the dance. It featured music by George Frideric Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti, and electronic music.
International Recognition
Heike Hennig & Co toured through Europe with their unique shows. They performed at major theaters in Hamburg, Weimar, and Dresden. They also gave guest performances in cities like Athens, Nanjing, Rome, and Copenhagen.
Heike Hennig also helps support new performing art and music. She serves on juries and artistic advisory groups. In 2009, she was a "Guest Speaker" in Canada at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. She gave talks and led workshops there. Since 2010, Heike Hennig has taught at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
Literature / DVD
- Marion Appelt: Tanz mit der Zeit (Dancing with Time), Leipzig, Plöttner Verlag 2008, ISBN: 978-3-938442-45-6
- Trevor Peters: Tanz mit der Zeit (Dancing with Time), Berlin, Good Movies/Ventura 2009, Indigo, DVD 926328
- Sebastian Göschel über "Estha" in: Arbeit und Rhythmus, München, Wilhelm Fink 2009, ISBN: 978-3-7705-4766-1
