”The ingenious idea (...): They relate in movement Eugene Ionesco’s parable-like play Rhinoceros (...) SETanztheater brings the theme up to date in the light of ever-growing populist sentiment.(…) Powerful and worth seeing.“
C. Schuller on „Free and Wild“, Nürnberger Nachrichten
”(...) Roblotion is such a graceful, powerful dance piece, the first of three which Sebastian Eilers created for the Congress of Futurology with his company SETanztheater (...).“
A. Witzke, J. Greiner, J. Schulze-Reimpell on „Robolotion“, Donaukurier
”(…) this production is surely not one of those which one immediately forgets.“
A. Brock on „Death and the Maiden“, kulturaspekte.de
Sebastian Eilers
Sebastian Eilers* is a freelance choreographer, director and dancer.
In 2004 he founded SETanztheater and since then has produced full-length, interdisciplinary works, in the genreof choroegraphic theatre, under this lable. He collaborates with regional and international dancers and further artists from various disciplines.
Research into current socially critical themes inform and create the basis for his extensive body of work. Eilers creates characters, tells stories and employs canonic material, using experimental forms. He makes use of both classical and contemporary techniques, both analogue and digital means, and remains committed to integrating potential new audience groups. Since 2011 Sebastioan Eilers has developed his concept to bring professional dancers and amateurs together on stage, and to create coherent equal artistic encounters which spark the creative process.
* After finishing his professional studies in dance at the Music Conservatory Mannheim, Sebastian Eilers danced at the Hessian State Theatre in Wiesbaden, under the direction of Ben van Cauwenburgh. Subsequently he danced at the South Thuringa Theatre Meiningen, Opera House Halle/Saale and for Pavel Mikulastic‘ choregraphic theatre at the Opera Bonn, before joining the Theatre Ulm under Andris Plucis.
Sebastian Eilers also performed in numerous freelance productions and was already choreographing his own pieces in 2003, before he decided to make the permanent move to Nuremberg. He has received several awards and in 2013 he developed a complete comic-strip presentation of one of his stage pieces, together with the photographer, Marcel Kohnen, which was subsequently accepted for the Dance Archive in Cologne.
CURRENT PRODUCTIONs
SETanztheater & rotohrara: principle.SWAN~SHAKE
Open-air dance performance for everyone
Premiere: December 2023 I Nuremberg region
Invited to the Bavarian Theatre Days 2024 in Ingolstadt
principle.SWAN~SHAKE is based on what is probably the most famous ballet work, Swan Lake by Peter I. Tchaikovsky. In this 11.5-minute adaptation, the artistic team rethinks the romantic original from today's perspective. Together with choreographer Sebastian Eilers, the quartet of dancers choreographically developed the roles of Red Beard, the enchanted swan princess Odette, Prince Siegfried and the four little swans. And each of the characters is allowed to tell the story from their own perspective.
The musical composition created by Leipzig composer Friederike Bernhardt for principle.SWAN~SHAKE is also inspired by the original. Costume designer Karin Schneider ensures that the swan will unfold mystically in contrast to the harsh urban environment.
principle.SWAN~SHAKE is the latest instalment of our principle.X on Tiny Stages series, which we have been developing since 2021. The aim of the series is to go beyond the fortress walls of a theatre building - without evening dress, tie and collar and without an orchestra pit that creates distance - to create a maximum barrier-free opportunity for everyone to come into contact with contemporary stage dance art. With our Tiny Stages, we can create small safe spaces for the dance art of our dancers almost anywhere in public urban space.
This project is made possible by the Bavarian State Association for Contemporary Dance (BLZT) with funds from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. Funded by grants from the City of Nuremberg and the Hehl Foundation and supported by Tanzzentrale der Region Nürnberg e. V.
ArchivE
SETanztheater & Orchester Ventuno:
Der Process (The process)
Based on F. Kafka
Premiere: March 2023 I Tafelhalle Nuremberg
Someone must have slandered Josef K., because without him having done anything wrong, he was arrested one morning." And who is "someone"? We are "someone" who, without being asked, process an individual who happens to be picked out of the digital network in a layman's judgement. But the distribution of roles is not quite so fixed - any of us could become Josef K. at any time at the speed of a fibre optic cable.
Choreographer Sebastian had already taken on a Kafka work once before. While there were still two performers on the stage for "The Metamorphosis", a total of 26 artists have gathered on stage for "The Process". The Ventuno Orchestra, students from the vocational school for dance Mind And Dance and the soloists from SETanztheater have made The Process about Josef K. accessible to the public through visual language, choreography and music. The music was specially composed by Friederike Bernhardt.
".[..] The première was a highly committed performance, both musically and in terms of dance, which tackled the narrative pitfalls of Kafka's novel, which was written between 1911 and 1915, with a thoroughly honest ambition. The 18-member SETanztheater's focus on its own physical and energetic powers was extremely pleasing. ..." Roland H. Dippel, freelance theatre critic, Leipzig/Munich
A co-production of the Tafelhalle in the KunstKulturQuartier with the kind support of the Tanzzentrale der Region Nürnberg e. V. This event was made possible and supported by the Tonkünstlerverband Bayern with funds from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts as part of the TONKÜNSTLER LIVE SPECIAL project and by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the NEUSTART KULTUR initiative, with grants from the City of Nuremberg and the Kulturstiftung Sparkasse Nürnberg.
SETanztheater & Trio Miosko: traffic
Analogue-digital choreographic concert
Premiere: December 2021 I Tafelhalle Nuremberg
Collaboration between international artists is particularly valuable in dance. But can this essential exchange be made more sustainable? The SETanztheater/Trio Miosko collective dares to experiment: in traffic, a solo dancer and musicians interact on site with a live, international dance ensemble (NL, GB, F). In struggle and harmony with the technology, a visual language is created that is characterised by unconventional perspectives and delicate rhythms.
Original works by Trio Miosko, as well as electronic musician Paul Biessmann, and music by J. S. Bach and others merge with the choreographies of Sebastian Eilers and the SETanzensemble in many scenic interactions.
This project is made possible by the NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK - STEPPING OUT, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the NEUSTART KULTUR initiative, the Tanzzentrale der Region Nürnberg e.V. and the Tafelhalle in the KunstKulturQuartier Nürnberg.
ROBOLUTION
Premiere: June 2018 I Stadttheater Ingolstadt
as part of the Congress of Futurology
Humanity finds itself in deep water. But there is no real need to worry: scientists are very busy inventing a new species – artificial intelligence. ROBOLOTION gives the audience not only the opportunity to experience the spontaneous evolution of the humanoid machine at close hand, but also to be personally involved in unleashing a salutory technology. Igor Strawinksy anticipated the scenario of the independently thinking and emotion-experiencing machine over 100 years ago in his ballet Petruschka. His musical composition is the musical impulse for ROBOLOTION.
A co-production between SETanztheater, Stadttheater Ingolstadt and the Technical University Ingolstadt, supported by the Fonds Doppelpass oft he Federal Cultural Foundation.
