CriticalDance Forum

There was a post elsewhere on the internet that Nikolai Hubbe will be the next AD of the RDB....

But there is nothing here! Has an official announcement been made?

ksneds (and others), do tell us!!

m2

Yes!!

The company has made the official announcement. I am absolutely thrilled, as Hübbe was my top choice for new director - he has the experience both within and outside the company. Given that he'd been turned down for the position once before, I was not sure whether he'd apply this time.

That said, it's a sad moment for NYCB, as they will lose yet another male principal in the next year. With Damian Woetzel indicating that next year is probably his last, and now Hübbe, it will be a time for farewells. Given the Hübbe starts with RDB as an instructor this summer, it's not clear when he will give his farewell performance at NYCB. My hunch would be in the 2007-08 winter season, as the rep for this spring has been set and as not to detract from the farewell to Kyra Nichols.

Without getting into matters that are beyond the appropriate range of this forum, I would agree with posters on other forums that Hübbe's directorship will bring positives in terms not only his great respect and experience in the Bournonville tradition and experience outside Denmark, but also in the attitude of the dancers.

The announcement:

Det Kongelige Teaters bestyrelse har torsdag d. 29. marts, efter en enstemmig indstilling fra ansættelsesudvalget, udnævnt Nikolaj Hübbe som ny balletmester for perioden 1. juli 2008 til 30. juni 2012.
Teaterchefen har endvidere ansat Nikolaj Hübbe som 1.instruktør ved Den Kongelige Ballet fra 1.8.2007 til 30.6.2008, samt til at medvirke ved fastlæggelsen af de nærmeste års repertoire.

Nikolaj Hübbe er et oplagt valg som balletmester. Han har i mange år nydt stor international anerkendelse som solodanser i New York City Ballet. Gennem årene har han samtidig bevaret sin tilknytning til Danmark og Den Kongelige Ballet, både som gæsteoptrædende danser og ved instruktionsopgaver, som f.eks. den seneste opsætning af Sylfiden. Nikolaj Hübbe kombinerer således dansk baggrund og international erfaring og vil med denne ballast være yderst velkvalificeret til at lede balletten i de kommende år.
Mads Øvlisen, bestyrelsesformand

Uddrag af Nikolaj Hübbes ansøgning:
”På trods af mange år væk fra den danske ballet anser jeg stadig mig selv for værende dansk danser. Med ordet dansk mener jeg selvfølgelig den opvækst og uddannelse, som jeg har fået på Kongens Nytorv – Bournonville, den dramatiske ballet og den fortællende dansekunst.
Jeg ved, at kimen til Den Kongelige Ballet ligger i netop denne tradition. Jeg finder, at det ville være spændende at tage udgangspunkt dér i kreeringen af nye og moderne, fortællende balletter for derigennem at bringe Den Kongelige Ballets profil i pagt med det 21. århundredes nye publikum.”

The Royal Theatre committee has on Thursday 29 March, after a unanimous recommendation from the 'hiring group', named Nikolaj Hübbe as the new balletmaster for the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2012. The theater chief has furthermore named Nikolaj Hübbe as 1st instructor at the Royal Ballet from August 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 in order to work on deciding the next season's repertory.

Nikolaj Hübbe is an obvious choice as balletmaster. He has for many years enjoyed a considerable international reputation as a solo dancer at the New York City Ballet. Over the years, he has kept his connection to Denmark and the Royal Danish Ballet, both as a guest dancer and as an instructor, for example with the latest staging of "La Sylphide". Nikolaj Hübbe combines, for instance, a danish background and international experience and will with this ballast be extremely well qualified to lead the ballet in the coming years.
- Mads Øvlisen, committee leader

An excerpt from Nikolaj Hübbe's application:

"In spite of many years away from the danish ballet, I consider myself still to be a danish dancer. By the word danish, I of course mean the childhood and learning, which I have gotten at Kongens Nytorv - Bournonville, the dramatic ballet and the narrative danish art.

I know that the seeds to the Royal Danish Ballet lie specifically in this tradition. I think that it will be splendid to take as a starting point there, the creation of new and modern story ballets through which to bring the Royal Ballet's profile into an alliance with the 21st century's new audiences."

From Hübbe's CV:

Born in Copenhagen - 30 October 1967
Started at the Royal Theatre Ballet School - 1978
Promoted to solo dancer at the RDB - 1988
Hired as principal dancer at the NYCB - 1992

Guest dancer with: San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Los Angeles Ballet, NBoC, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aired, Ballet National d'Espana, Verona Opera, Rome Opera, Hamburg Ballet, Deutsche Opera Ballet, Bayerische Staatsoper, Norwegian National Ballet, Kirov Ballet, POB

Stagins:

Bournonville Divertissement - NYCB 1999
Bournonville Divertissement - Ballet Arizona 2000
Bournonville Divertissement - NBoC 2001
La Sylphide - RDB 2003
La Sylphide - Ballet Arizone 2004
La Sylphide - NBoC 2005

Teaching and coaching:
Hired as a teacher at SAb in 1997. Staged for SAB Workshop - Konservatoriet, Flower Festival in Genzano (pdd), Balabile from Napoli act 1, pas de six and Tarantella from Napoli Act 3 and pdd from Kermessen in Bruge, Act 1.

Artistic leadership: Hübbe and Friends - Tivoli 2002

Awards:
The Theatre Cup - 1992
Bikubens Ærespris - 2002

http://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/artikel:aid=879914

The Berlinske Tidende comments on the appointment of Hübbe to artistic director. Apparently he was informed on Thursday afternoon, and the dancers on Friday morning. It also indicates that he will take time away from Copenhagen in January-February 2008 to dance with NYCB, which suggests that Winter 2007-08 is likely to be his last as a dancer with NYCB>

And from Politiken: http://politiken.dk/kultur/article274981.ece

Henrik Lyding at Jyllands-Posten comments:

http://www.jp.dk/kultur/artikel:aid=4328822/

Edited to note that there is also a short video clip of an interview with Nikolaj Hübbe. My spoken Danish is not very strong, so I didn't get all of the interview, but it sounds like the interview is asking him the basics - how feels about coming back to Copenhagen after 15 years in New York, what he plans to do etc. He's happy to be coming back, knows the house and the company, and plans to do new things etc.

Kate

The official English press release:

Pressrelease from The Royal Danish Ballet

New Artistic Director: Nikolaj Hübbe

The Royal Danish Theatre Board of Directors has on 29 March appointed Nikolaj Hübbe as new Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet for the tenure of 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2012. The decision embraces the unanimous nomination by the recruitment committee. The managing director of the Royal Danish Theatre has furthermore appointed Nikolaj Hübbe as principal stage director of the Royal Danish Ballet for the period of 1 August 2007 to 30 June 2008 with responsibility for co-managing the repertoire for the upcoming seasons.

Nikolaj Hübbe is an obvious choice as artistic director. He has for many years enjoyed international acclaim as principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. He has over the years nurtured close ties with Denmark and the Royal Danish Ballet both as visiting performer and as director, such as his recent staging of La Sylphide. With his Danish background and international experience Nikolaj Hübbe is well prepared to lead the ballet in the years to come. Mads Øvlisen, Chairman of the Board

Excerpt from Nikolaj Hübbe’s application:

"Despite my many years of absence from Danish ballet, I still consider myself to be a Danish dancer. Naturally, with the term ‘Danish’ I mean my upbringing and the training I received at Kongens Nytorv – Bournonville and dramatised ballet, the art of storytelling through dance. I know that the Royal Danish Ballet is born of this tradition. I would find this an exciting point of departure in creating new and modern storytelling ballets to thus bring the Royal Danish Ballet profile in tune with the new audience of the 21st century."

Gia Kourlas has an extensive piece on Nikolaj Hubbe and his relationship with RDB in the New York Times:

NY Times

http://jp.dk/kultur/article1261356.ece

An article in the Jyllands-Posten on Hubbe, which appears to be a rehash of the recent NY Times article.


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http://www.berlingske.dk/article/200802 ... 702110020/

And a review of Hubbe's final NYCB performance from Vibeke Wern in the Berlingske


Kate

I've just received a press release from the RDB saying that Hübbe has had his contract extended by another five years.

Daniel Wakin confirms the report on Hubbe's RDB contract extension in the New York Times.

NY Times