Keep the flame – don't pray to the ashes
The Choreographer Martin Schläpfer
A film by Annette von Wangenheim
Martin Schläpfer is one of the most important dance creators in Europe and on the verge of enjoying a huge international career with his Ballett am Rhein company. The press and audiences are full of praise: “Sensitive, stunning, masterly, intelligent – everybody is moved.” The awards keep piling up. Schläpfer has been voted as “Choreographer of the Year” in 2010 and his Ballett am Rhein as the “best company of the year” by the specialist magazine “tanz” for the third time in succession. In 2015 he won the “Duisburger Musikpreis”. The Ballett am Rhein troupe is not only a major attraction for Düsseldorf, but also far beyond this region; it has an unsettling and pleasing effect at the same time and reaches the most diverse target groups and audiences, both in Germany and abroad. The tour plan in 2014 included Muscat in Oman; and there was a guest appearance in Moscow and Tel Aviv for the first time in 2015. Schläpfer’s ballet is easily the “most exciting company in Germany” in the eyes of Manuel Brug (“Die Welt” broadsheet).
The cinema documentary accompanies the exceptional artist Martin Schläpfer during his daily work and shows the energy and creativity that he is using to revolutionise ballet. Three original performances at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein form the heart of this success story and ALLTAG also triggered a double sensation: Hans van Manen, the old master and grand seigneur of modern ballet, has created a work for a German company for the first time in 20 years and Martin Schläpfer himself danced the main role. We accompanied the creation of this unique work, where Martin Schläpfer returned to the stage as a dancer, from the first rehearsal to the opening night.
“Keep the flame – don't pray to the ashes” (Feuer bewahren – nicht Asche anbeten) is an intimate portrait of the passionate artist and the private person Martin Schläpfer and illustrates at many levels how and why dance is so much more than just art for the initiated. The production involves high-performance dance art, where the classical ballet technique and emotion, strength, expression and elegance combine with music to produce something unique, which can touch and cast its spell on all of us.
A 7T1 Media Production
Script and Directing:
Annette von Wangenheim
Camera:
Philipp Metz, Gordon Kalbfleisch, Dieter Stürmer, Monika Eise, Carsten Jost, Gabriel Pielke
Sound:
Lennart Speer, Filipp Forberg, Fabian Moh
Producer and Editor:
Ansgar Pohle
Editor:
Sabine Rollberg
Production and Distribution:
7T1 Media Cologne
Cinematic Distribution:
Real Fiction Film Distribution
Excerpts from the ballets:
Ein Wald, ein See
Alltag
Johannes Brahms – Symphony No. 2
DEEP FIELD
Seite 1
Seite 2
Credits
Keep the flame
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer in front of his hut in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
Hans van Manen and Martin Schläpfer at the creation ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Hans van Manen and Martin Schläpfer at the creation ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Hans van Manen, Martin Schläpfer and Gordon Kalbfleisch filming ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Martin Schläpfer, Hans van Manen and camera crew filming ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Interview with Martin Schläpfer and dramaturg Anne do Paço
© Philipp Metz
Martin Schläpfer, Hans van Manen and Gordon Kalbfleisch during shooting ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Lifting of the filming equipment to the alpine hut by helicopter
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer: DEEP FIELD, Dancer: Paul Calderone
© Gert Weigelt
Camping in front of Martin Schläpfer's hut during filming in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer: RAMIFICATIONS, Dancer: Marlúcia do Amaral
© Gert Weigelt
Martin Schläpfer backstage performing ALLTAG
© Philipp Metz
Martin Schläpfer in his hut in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer on his way to his alpine hut in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer and Hans van Manen during the creation ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Martin Schläpfer rehearsing ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Hans van Manen, Martin Schläpfer, Philipp Metz und
Gordon Kalbfleisch filming during the creation ALLTAG
© Gert Weigelt
Hans van Manen: ALLTAG, Martin Schläpfer
© Gert Weigelt
Martin Schläpfer: EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM, Ensemble
© Gert Weigelt
Martin Schläpfer on the way to his alpine hut in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer and Annette von Wangenheim during shooting in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
Martin Schläpfer in his hut in Switzerland
© Lennart Speer
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Annette von Wangenheim
Annette von Wangenheim is author and director for documentary films. She studied musicology, theatre and film studies at the university of Cologne. In 1985 her dissertation „Béla Bartók. The marvellous mandarin. From pantomime to dance theatre" (orig.: 'Béla Bartók. Der wunderbare Mandarin. Von der Pantomime zum Tanztheater') was published. Her documentaries are screened on TV and on international festivals – for example "Bellboys in the Dream Factory – Black Extras in German Feature Films" (orig.: 'Pagen in der Traumfabrik – Schwarze Komparsen im deutschen Spielfilm'), „Joséphine Baker. Black Diva in a White Man's World" (orig.: 'Joséphine Baker. Schwarze Diva in einer weißen Welt) or „Nijinsky & Neumeier. Soulmates in Dance" (orig.: 'Nijinsky & Neumeier. Eine Seelenverwandtschaft im Tanz').
Martin Schläpfer
Martin Schläpfer was one of the most charismatic soloists of Heinz Spoerli’s Basel Ballet as well as of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. From 1994 until 1999 he was head of the Bern ballet, afterwards Director of the newly formed ballettmainz. As from the 2009/10 season Martin Schläpfer accepted the position of Director and Chief Choreographer of Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg, that was awarded as “Best Company of the Year” in 2013, 2014 and 2015. In addition to the performances at the opera house in Düsseldorf and the theatre in Duisburg the company made numerous guest appearances at abroad and at international festivals. For his choreographic work – including world premieres for the Bavarian State Ballet and Het Nationale Ballet Amsterdam – Martin Schläpfer was awarded numerous prizes, among others the Arts Prize of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Dance Prize of the Spoerli Foundation, the Prix Benois, Der Faust, the Swiss Dance Award, “Taglioni” – European Ballet Award and the Music Prize of the city of Duisburg.
7t1 Media GmbH
Pictures and emotions are our strength. We develop and realise movies, TV shows and reports. 7T1 Media has become a strong partner of major TV broadcaster like RTL, Sky, ZDF, WDR and Arte as well as numerous private businesses. 7T1 Media was founded in 2004 as Studio 71 Medienproduktion GmbH by Torsten Bender and Ansgar Pohle. They both have more than 15 years of experience as director, producer and editor. Since 2015 the company operates under the new name of 7T1 Media GmbH.
We produce:
TV movies and reports
cine documentaries
image and production films
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We offer:
Concept and development of new formats and films
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„In the wonderful documentary ‚Keep the flame – don’t pray to the ashes‘ from director Annette von Wangenheim the audience come undreamtly close to award-winning choreographer Martin Schläpfer. The film creates a picture of an artist, who in his private rooms at the river Rhine and in his safe haven in the Swiss mountains conceives and suffers what later will become dance.“
Westdeutsche Zeitung
23. November 2015
„It’s so hard to talk about creativity,
but it’s so good to watch.“
Filmforum Duisburg
1/2016
„Director Annette von Wangenheim leads the viewer to a point where everything started for Martin Schläpfer. The viewer witnesses how Martin Schläpfer is relentlessly digging deep inside his mind to create his art: At his house, in the mountains, with his dancers, in the intimate cheerful moments with his colleague and friend Hans van Manen.“
Westdeutsche Zeitung
22. November 2015
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