AN INTRODUCTION

In light of her 2024 exhibition Reconstruction of a Danse Macabre at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, Olga de Soto revisits the documentary performance An Introduction, based on The Green Table (1932), the legendary work by choreographer Kurt Jooss, created just a few months before Hitler came to power in Germany.

Inspired by a medieval danse macabre and the political writings of the time, this ballet—composed of eight tableaux for sixteen dancers—denounced the rise of fascism and the horrors of war. Celebrated for its pacifist message, it is considered one of the most politically engaged works in 20th-century dance and bears witness to the darkness that would define an era.

On a bare stage, accompanied by a screen displaying videos and surrounded by archival materials, Olga de Soto recounts her research on this canonical work. At the crossroads of documentary choreography and theatrical form, she delves into both the origins of the piece and its lasting resonance. Retracing a complex journey marked by questions, pathways, and discoveries, she brings to light what often lingers in the margins. In a performative gesture that makes a living history tangible, she transforms the very process into the work itself. Investigation, excavation, and sharing become the heart of the artistic act and raise a number of key questions: What traces remain of a performance in the memory of those whose work ensures it continues to exist today? What does transmission entail? What role the dancers play in the history of dance? How does a dance piece evolve over time?

An Introduction was created in 2010 at Festival Tanz Im August, in Berlin and was presented in about twenty countries until 2019. Revisited and expanded, the performance will be available for touring from the 2025-2026 season onwards. It will be presented on January 27, 2026, at the Kaaitheater in Brussels as part of Europalia España, within the programme Figures of Fascism and Antifascisme, curated by Bojana Cvejić.

PRESS

Concept, documentation, text, camera, sound and performance Olga de Soto | With testimonies by (in order of appearance)Micheline Hesse, Brigitte Evellin, Suzanne Batbedat, Françoise Olivaux, Frederic Stern, Françoise Dupuy, Joan Turner Jara and Michelle Nadal | Video direction Olga de Soto | Video editing Julien Contreau and Olga de Soto | Lighting Thomas Walgrave | Light technician Geni Diez | Sound and video technician Benoit Pelé | Software Pierre Gufflet | Dramaturgical feedback (revisitation 2026) Andrea Rodrigo

Archival materials

Pictures by Kurt Hege, Fritz Henle, Marian Reisman, Siegfried Enkelmann, Albert Renger-Patzsch/Albert Renger-Patzsch Archiv – Ann und Juergen Wilde / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn / SABAM, Belgium 2010, and various pictures by unknown photographs | Photographic restoration and prints Atelier KZG, Brussels | Archive sources Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln / SK Stiftung Kultur, Dartington Archive - Dartington Trust and The Elmgrant Trust / Fritz Henle Estate, Centro de Documentación de las Artes Escénicas - Municipal de Santiago, Olga de Soto archive | Voice off Kurt Jooss (excerpt from the interview Berghson-Jooss, California, 1974 - remasterised) | Video archive excerpts of “The Green Table”, BBC 1967, BBC Broadcast Archive / Getty Images, 2026 | Research assistant at Tanzarchiv Köln (creation 2010) Katja Herlemann | Research assistant dance companies (creation 2010) Karin Verbruggen

 

Program notes from the following companies and archives Aalto Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Ballet Arizona, Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon, Ballet du Rhin, Ballet Van Vlaanderen, Ballettmainz, Ballo dell’Arena di Verona, Bayerisches Staatballett, Birmingham Royal Ballet, CAPAB Kruik Ballet, former Cleveland Ballet now Ballet San José, Companhia Nacional de Bailado, Cullberg Ballett, Deutsches Oper Berlin, Deutschen Tanzarchiv Köln (for Ballets Jooss, Folkwang Ballett, Folkwang Tanztheater, Ballet Nacional de Chile, Introdans, Jeanette Vondersaar (for American Ballet Theater, Ballet Van Vlandereen, Ballet West, Ballett am Rhein, Saarländisches Staatstheater, Theater Mönchengladbach Krefeld), Malmo Stadsteater, Star Dancers Ballet Tokyo, Taipei University of the Arts, Tanzforum Köln, Tanztheater Wuppertal), Finnish National Ballet, Grands Ballets Canadiens, Het National Ballet, Israel Dance Library – Tel Aviv (for Batsheva Dance Company), Joffrey Ballet, José Limón Dance Company, Landestheater Dessau, Louisville Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Richmond Ballet, SNT Opera and Ballet Ljubljlana, Staatstheater Dresden, Staattheater Bern, Teatro Regio, Winnipeg Royal Ballet and Zurich Ballet

LANGAGES AND VERSIONS

Since its creation, An Introduction (2010) has been translated into nine languages: Czech, Dutch, German, English, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish. These translations accompanied its international circulation between 2010 and 2019 and remain available as part of the current reactivation. The new sections of the 2026 version will undergo specific translation work, adapted to the territories concerned.

These versions were made possible thanks to the support of:

CZ | Czech version coproduced in collaboration with Tanec Praha, Prague (CZ).
DE | German version coproduced in collaboration with Tanz Im August, Berlin (DE).
EN | English version produced by Niels Production, Brussels (BE).
ES | Spanish version produced by Niels Production, Brussels (BE).
FR | French version produced by Niels Production (BE).
IT | Italian version coproduced in collaboration with Festival Astiteatro, Asti (IT).
NL | Dutch version coproduced in collaboration with Caravan Production, Brussels (BE).
PL | Polish version coproduced in collaboration with CK Zamek, Poznan (PL).
PT | Portuguese version coproduced in collaboration with Culturgest, Lisbonne (PT).

TOUR CALENDAR REVISITATION

27 JAN 2026, Kaaitheater, Europalia España, Brussels (BE)
13 MARCH 2026, Dansens Hus Oslo (NO)
28 JUNE 2026, Festival Montpellier Danse, Agora de la danse, Montpellier (FR)
29 JUNE 2026, Festival Montpellier Danse, Agora de la danse, Montpellier (FR)

TOUR DATES AND HISTORY

Since its creation in 2010, An Introduction has been presented in about twenty countries across Europe, as well as Central and South America. Between 2010 and 2019, the piece enjoyed wide international circulation, reflecting its resonance and continued relevance. It was presented in the following venues and festivals:

25 AUG 2010, Festival Tanz Im August, Berlin (DE)
26 AUG 2010, Festival Tanz Im August, Berlin (DE)
26 OCT 2010, Prési-danses, Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels (BE)
27 OCT 2010, Prési-danses, Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels (BE)
09 FEB 2011, Mercat de les Flors, Barcelone (ES)
06 APR 2011, Tanzquartier Wien, Vienna (AT)
17 APR 2011, Springdance Festival, Utrecht (NL)
20 JUNE 2011, Festival Uzès Danse, Uzès (FR)
06 OCT 2011, Les Halles, Festival Latitudes, Brussels (BE)
04 NOV 2011, Culturgest, Lisbon (PT)
05 NOV 2011, Culturgest, Lisbon (PT)
11 NOV 2011, MARCO - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Resistencia/Días de acción y pensamiento, Vigo (ES)
14 DEC 2011, Centre Pompidou, Paris (FR)
15 DEC 2011, Centre Pompidou, Paris (FR)
15 FEB 2012, Festival Pays de Danse, Centre Culturel d'Engis, Engis (BE)
03 AUG 2012, Festival Tanzwerkstatt Europa, Joint Adventures, Münich (DE)
26 OCT 2012, SESC Bom Retiro, São Paulo (BR)
27 OCT 2012, SESC Bom Retiro, São Paulo (BR)
19 APR 2013, Compil d'Avril / Les Brigittines, Brussels (BE)
21 SEP 2013, CK Zamek, Archive of the Body, Poznan (PL)
24 OCT 2013, Bienal do Ceará, SESC Iracema, Fortaleza (BR)
01 NOV 2013, KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art / Festival Moving in November, Helsinki (FI)
02 NOV 2013, KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art / Festival Moving in November, Helsinki (FI)
13 MAR 2014, Dansens Hus, Performing the Archives, Stockholm (SE)
14 MAR 2014, Dansens Hus, Performing the Archives, Stockholm (SE)
13 JUNE 2014, Théâtre Les Tanneurs, Focus Olga de Soto, Brussels (BE)
14 JUNE 2014, Théâtre Les Tanneurs, Focus Olga de Soto, Brussels (BE)
28 OCT 2014, Festival BAD, Bilbao (ES)
07 FEB 2015, Festival Escenas do Cambio, Cidade da Cultura, Santiago de Compostela (ES)
11 JUNE 2015, Festival Tanec Praha, Prague (CZ)
26 JUNE 2015, Festival Astiteatro, Teatro Alfieri, Asti (IT)
22 AUG 2015, Festival Transversales, Teatro Raul Gamboa, San Luis Potosí (MEX)
23 AUG 2015, Festival Transversales, Teatro Raul Gamboa, San Luis Potosí (MEX)
25 AUG 2015, Festival Transversales, Teatro Orientación, México DF (MEX)
26 AUG 2015, Festival Transversales, Teatro Orientación, México DF (MEX)
29 OCT 2016, NAVE, en collaboration avec le Goethe Institut et Tanzfonds Erbe, Santiago du Chili (CL)
30 OCT 2016, NAVE, en collaboration avec le Goethe Institut et Tanzfonds Erbe, Santiago du Chili (CL)
02 NOV 2017, Teatro Central, Mes de Danza, Seville (ES)
03 NOV 2017, Teatro Central, Mes de Danza, Seville (ES)
09 NOV 2017, Sala Hiroshima, Ciclo Hacer historia(s), Barcelona (ES)
10 NOV 2017, Sala Hiroshima, Ciclo Hacer historia(s), Barcelona (ES)
09 MAR 2018, Teatros del Canal, Madrid (ES)
10 MAR 2018, Teatros del Canal, Madrid (ES)
15 SEP 2018, Le Printemps des Laboratoires #6, Les Laboratoires d'Aubervilliers, Aubervilliers (FR)
02 MAY 2019, Teatre Principal, Palma de Mallorca (ES)
04 MAI 2019, La Mutant — Espai d’arts vives, Valencia (ES)
12 NOV 2019, CCN de Tours (FR)