An electrical
fire broke out at the Harris Theater in Chicago yesterday forcing the
cancellation of both scheduled performances of Hamburg's
3rd Symphony of
Gustav Mahler. Subsequently this announcement was made (from Hamburg
Ballet's facebook page)
HAMBURG BALLET ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CHIEF CHOREOGRAPHER JOHN NEUMEIER SPEAKS ON CANCELLATION
CHICAGO (February 19, 2014) Internationally-acclaimed and Milwaukee-born
choreographer John Neumeier speaks on the subsequent cancellation of
Wednesday and Thursday nights presentation of Third Symphony of Gustav
Mahler.
Says Neumeier: To cancel a performance is a particularly devastating
moment for me, especially after the great success of Nijinsky last
season at the Harris Theater. Chicago is not just another city. Chicago,
for me, is very special because it is here that I attended my first
professional ballet school. Its incredibly significant, for me, to
return with one of my works.
To move a company of 60 dancers and 50 staff members is an enormous
undertaking. That we were able to do it is a miracle in itself. We are
very thankful that the Harris Theater invited us again, and we sincerely
apologize to all the peoplefriends, relatives, and audience members.
Ive never had to do this in 44 years as a ballet director, but the
security of my dancers and staff, as well as the audience, must always
be the highest priority.
After all the troubles we had with the costumes and the containers from
Germany [the ship carrying these was delayed by bad weather on the US eastern seaboard], and after the great help we received from Brigitte Lefèvre,
Director of the Ballet of the Paris Opéra [who flew their costumes for the piece to Chicago, where extra staff were hired to refit them for the Hamburg dancers], we were so looking forward to
this weeks performances. The rehearsals were going wonderfully until we
had to evacuate the Theater. The worst thing that can ever happen is to
cancel a performance.
I'm very grateful that weve formed a special relationship with the Harris
Theater. I'm confident that well be returning very soon in the future.
More (translated and summarized from the Hamburg Ballet blog, where there are some pics):
http://www.hamburgba...chtet.html#more
Around 1 pm two loud bangs were heard and then smoke was seen. Within
minutes the stage and dressing rooms were evacuated. People grabbed only
what was closest to hand. There was some consternation because the
stage is about six storeys underground at the Harris Theater, but the
evacuation up the stairs (about 90 people) was orderly. The dancers,
however, were wearing only practice clothes and ballet slippers, and it
was just above freezing in Chicago, somewhat chilly to be standing
outside the emergency exit of the theatre. They did a quick inventory of
who was wearing what, and jackets, sweaters, socks, etc. were
redistributed out among the company. The sidewalks were covered with
puddles.
After a few minutes, it became clear that the situation in the theater
was really serious and they would not be let back in, they moved a few
hundred meters to a subway station , where it was a little warmer . Many
of the male dancers and staff of the company carried ballerinas over
the puddles, because they had only slippers and leg warmers on. They
waited in station in the hope of being able to at least retrieve their
clothes from the theater .
Nothing doing. The theater was closed for several hours. For over 90
company members another solution had to be found. They all took taxis to
the hotel where one team was waiting with money, another with new room
keys , because most of them were still in the theater. After about an
hour all were in their hotel rooms.
One of the Harris Theater's founders laid on a dinner for the whole
company at the hotel, and that was when John Neumeier announced that
Thursday's performance was also cancelled.
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