Virus call: Police call on Bavarian State Ballet

Virus call: Police call on Bavarian State Ballet

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norman lebrecht

April 01, 2020

Ballett-journal.de reports that Munich police yesterday raided Bavarian State Ballet, where a rehearsal was being held contrary to Coronavirus orders.

Names and addresses were taken. As from today, rehearsal will be distanced, from home.

Read here.

You might think it was a script for a particularly original crime series. But it’s all real. This morning, a police raid took place at the Ballet Rehearsal House at Platzl in Munich, the headquarters of the Bavarian State Ballet. The dancers had to identify themselves and their personal data was recorded. This was the last so-called “voluntary” daily training, which ballet director Igor Zelensky had decided to hold despite the pandemic… Today, the right and good things have finally been established in ballet as well, through strong pressure. The Pilates and fitness studio at the rehearsal house will finally be closed tomorrow. High time! But the company doctor on site had previously … inspected the controversial training at the ballet venue last Monday. To everyone’s surprise, however, he was highly satisfied with the fact that the ballet masters were paying attention to safety distances between the dancers during training on the barre.

 

UPDATE: Munich: why we kept the dancers at work

We have been asked to clarify the post with a statement from Bavarian State Ballet:

On Tuesday, 31.3.2020, the studios of the Bavarian State Ballet were inspected by the police in order to check the voluntary daily class. Afterwards, the company was informed that all official measures have been followed accordingly. The ensemble carried out the training in times of the Corona pandemic in accordance with all official guidelines known to the house and in consultation with the Ministry of Science and Art. A detailed official report from the company doctor dated 30.3.2020 also states that the members of the ensemble were not exposed to any particular risk of infection due to compliance with the prescribed safety measures. Due to the provisional closure of the Bavarian State Opera on 1.4.2020, the Bavarian State Ballet is now suspending the voluntary training programme for the dancers until further notice.

The fact is: there was no “raid” on our house, as the control was wrongly described.  It is also a fact that the police did not order or even request the theatre to be closed. The temporary closure has been a decision of the General Manager in consultation with the Ministry of Science and Art.

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