Raimund Hoghe

Raimund Hoghe practised the art of the portrait from early on in his career: even before he crossed paths with Pina Bausch, he was known as a journalist for his articles on well-known and less well-known personalities. His choreographic work is full of tributes, especially to performers. In Canzone per Ornella, he turns his attention to Ornella Balestra, a former Maurice Béjart dancer.
A haughty figure with flamboyant hair, Ornella Balestra sets off with Hoghe on a journey into memory. The voice of Pier Paolo Pasolini combines with choreographic allusions, from the beat of a swan’s wing to a few cha-cha-cha steps. Popular Italian songs evoke the story of this dancer whose career also continued in her native country. Raimund Hoghe sees his pieces as “musical offerings”: here, the reverie gives the audience a sense of how great performers carry roles and history in their bodies, years after their virtuoso youth.

For thirty years, the German dancer and choreographer Raimund Hoghe, formerly a dramaturge to Pina Bausch, has stood out as a unique figure in dance-theatre. His solos and group pieces, which deal with issues such as history, memory and the influence of bodily norms, have toured the world. In 2019, he was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. Raimund Hughe is also a writer and his works have been widely translated and published internationally.