RICHARD WHERLOCK
“Our art is… holding on and letting go, precision and disorganization. Dizzyingly fast, achingly slow, and everything in between. Back up, forth and down. Immeasurable… I just love it.”
Born in Bristol (GB). After studying at London’s prestigious Ballet Rambert School, he joined their company as a dancer. Wherlock was Ballet Director at Hagen Theatre in Germany from 1991 to 1996, then spending three seasons as director of the Lucerne Ballet before moving to Komische Oper Berlin as artistic director and choreographer of BerlinBallett. He has been director and head choreographer of Ballett Basel since the 2001/2002 season, and artistic director of the renowned festival «basel tanzt» from 2004to 2009.
He worked as choreographer with, among others, the following companies: New English Contemporary Ballet, Tanzforum Köln, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Finnish Dance Theatre Helsinki, Ballett Staatstheater Braunschweig, Romanian National Ballet, The Icelandic Ballet, Ballet National de Nancy et de Lorraine, Ballet National de Marseille, Ballet de l’Opéra de Nice, aalto ballett theater essen, Europa Danse (UNESCO), Ballett der Deutschen Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf, Singapore Dance Theatre, Ballett der Vereinigten Bühnen Graz, Introdans in Arnheim/Holland, Ballett des Badischen Staatstheaters Karlsruhe, Phoenix Dance Theatre Leeds and Ballet Contemporaneo del Teatro San Martín/Argentina. Wherlock also created a full-length ballet for Les Étoiles de l’Opéra National de Paris. At the International Music Festival in Lucerne he developed choreographies for operas by Monteverdi and Debussy.
His film and TV work includes the choreography for Claude Lelouch’s cinema production «Hasards ou Coïncidences», presented in 1998 at the Venice Biennale and at the Montréal and Chicago festivals. In 2000, Wherlock received the Prix Italia for the award-winning dance film «Passengers», produced by the Swiss broadcasting company DRS, RM Associates and 3SAT. His most recent film success «One bullet left» – also produced by Swiss broadcasting company DRS – was awarded the Golden Rose of Montreux in 2003. In 1999 he was nominated for the international dance award «Benois de la Danse».
He was co-founder of SiWiC, a Swiss international advanced training course in choreography from 1997 to 2011, and Richard Wherlock’s choreographies are regularly danced by participants in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne. Wherlock’s particular interest lies in supporting talented up-and-coming dancers and choreographers. He serves on the juries of numerous international dance and choreographic competitions. The city of Basel has dedicated a plaque to Wherlock on the Spalenberg «walk of fame», where he appears alongside other Basel personalities such as Roger Federer or Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.
CHOREOGRAPHIES
Don’t Tell The Kids 2018
Tod in Venedig 2018
Robin Hood 2016
Tewje 2015
Juditha Triumphans 2014
Snow White 2013
Eugen Onegin 2013
Stoned 2012
Fairy Queen 2012
Giselle 2011
Le spectre de la Rose / La Valse 2011
Carmen 2010
Casanova.. was bleibt 2009
Traviata – Ein Ballet 2008
Running Red 2008
A Swan Lake 2008
Verdi Code 2007
S(c)ent 2007
Danses Galantes 2006
James oder la Sylphide 2006
Nussknacker 2004
Der Tod und das Mädchen 2004
Boléro 2003
Peer Gynt 2003
Prelude à l’après-midi d’un faune 2003
Rebus 2003
Le sacre du printemps / Sidewinding 2002
COMPANIES WHICH HAVE PERFORMED WORK FROM RICHARD
New English Contemporary Ballet ✸ Tanzforum Köln ⚬ Scapino Ballet Rotterdam ✸ Finnish Dance Theatre Helsinki ✸ Ballett Staatstheater Braunschweig ✸ Romanian National Ballet ✸ The Icelandic Ballet ✸ Ballet National de Nancy et de Lorraine ✸ Ballet National de Marseille ✸ Ballet de l’Opéra de Nice ✸ Aalto Ballett Theater Essen ✸ Europa Danse (UNESCO) ✸ Ballett der Deutschen Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf ✸ Singapore Dance Theatre ✸ Ballett der Vereinigten Bühnen Graz ✸ Introdans in Arnheim / Holland ✸ Ballett des Badischen Staatstheaters Karlsruhe ✸ Phoenix Dance Theatre Leeds ✸ Ballet Contemporaneo del Teatro San Martín / Argentina ✸ Les Étoiles de l’Opéra National de Paris ✸ Ballet of the Opéra National de Bordeaux ✸ Seoul Ballet Theatre
CO-OPERATION PARTNERS AND ARTISTS
Bryan Arias ✸ Rami Beer ✸ Mauro Bigonzetti ✸ Christopher Bruce ✸ Claude Brumachon ✸ Joelle Bouvier ✸ Stijn Celis ✸ Patrick Delcroix ✸ Nacho Duato ✸ Jorma Elo ✸ Alexander Ekman ✸ Sharon Eyal ✸ William Forsythe ✸ Johan Inger ✸ Itzik Galili ✸ Jirí Kylián ✸ Blanca Li ✸ Hans van Manen ✸ Ohad Naharin ✸ Thomas Noone ✸ Angelin Preljocaj ✸ Jiří Pokorný ✸ Hofesh Shechter ✸ Stephan Thoss ✸ Ed Wubbe