Gespräch: "Was nicht gesagt werden muss….Tanz und Ballett als politischer Ausdruck"

What does not need to be said....

Dance and ballet as political expression

A conversation with Anna Grass, Frank Frey and Heide-Marie Härtel

As part of the program accompanying the exhibition "Anna & Günter Grass - The Paris Years of the Artist Couple" (Mettre lien), which can be seen at the Institut français from 12 May to 18 June 2026, there will be a discussion about the history and social significance of ballet:

During their time together in Berlin and Paris, Anna and Günter Grass are confronted with the irreconcilable opposition of two styles and forms of expression in both dance and the visual arts: In sculpture and painting, the figurative versus the abstract; in ballet, the classical repertoire competes with modern dance. As a dancer, Anna unites both views in her work.

When the ballet Die Vogelscheuchen (The Scarecrows), based on a libretto by Günter Grass and music by Aribert Reimann, was to be premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1970, Anna was involved in the choreography. It is a politically heated time in the aftermath of the 1968 movement. In West Berlin, there is an "uprising of the dancers", which also affects the rehearsals and premiere of Vogelscheuchen. The stage actors demand a say and fairer treatment in the theater. And in the end, they were successful: a new openness for contemporary dance forms and greater involvement of dancers in decision-making processes emerged.

The now 93-year-old Anna Grass, who continues to be an attentive observer of ballet, and the solo dancer Frank Frey, who danced the main role in the ballet Die Vogelscheuchen (1970) in Berlin, reflect on the recent history of ballet together with Heide-Marie Härtel, Director of the German Dance Film Institute Bremen. The discussion will be moderated by cultural journalist Alexandra Albrecht.

The event will be held in German.