The Austrian choreographer Bernd Roger Bienert has made works for the stage and screen, pieces that employ classical technique but also some that explore movement beyond the ballet tradition. He began his study of ballet at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School and completed his training in Monaco, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and the United States. In 1982 he started choreographing and directing his own works for the Vienna State Opera.
At the Embassy of Austria he will show “The Moldau,” set to Smetana’s famous tone poem, as danced on screen by the Zurich Ballet; “Tides,” a dance created especially for film; “Nutcracker,” a film excerpt with American Ballet Theatre star Ethan Stiefel; and “Bolero” as performed on screen by Netherlands’ Introdans and set to Maurice Ravel’s unique tone poem. Premiered live will be Bienert’s solo “SCHRIFTzeichnen” ("Signings"), starring Washington Ballet’s Jonathan Jordan. Bienert will talk about his choreographic concepts in discussion with dance critic George Jackson.
In his new work, “Signings,” international sign language serves as a point of departure for expanding the range of dance movement. From abstract to concrete, the dancer's body becomes a vessel of emotion.