Dance is a sensual form of art, its instrument is the dancer's body, his physical and mental performance being the transmitters. Creating a dance theatre adaptation of Otello's tragedy is a wonderful opportunity for choreographers and dancers alike. A wide scale of emotions - sometimes at their extremes - are represented in Otello and Desdemona's fatal love story. Irreasonable jealousy can turn the purest feelings of love into deadly passion. Otello's ardent love and faithfulness make him vulnerable. Today we are afraid of these strong emotions. Once Otello finds that all he had been led to believe was lies, he commits suicide, having realized his stupidity and faithlessness in his own wife whom he truly did love. Iago, the intriguer remains alive...

"While the original drama provides a wider space for the plot to unfold, Verdi?s opera concentrates on every emotion, jealousy and devastating fury, making the work more intense. This was how Balázs Vincze, director of the Ballet Pécs and choreographer-director of this new production, saw as his starting point. Vincze conceived of turning an opera of four acts into a ballet performance of two. As he explains: ?The story is tremendously complicated and multi-threaded. It is extremely hard to tell even in the language of prose or opera, not to mention the language of dance. We present the plot through five characters, Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Emilia and Cassio. The performance also has a significant visual aspect. But, of course, beyond this, we also have to tell the story and not leave the audience in limbo?.
Vincze thinks a ballet is comprised of three main elements: visuals and light; music and libretto; and the plot itself. The harmony of these elements is the key for a successful performance. And the beauty of Verdi?s music is already a given.
The director chose "Otello" because the piece has all those typical elements that characterise our lives: treason, love, jealousy, revenge, with a very strong impact on the human experience."– TimeOut Pécs November 2011

- ballet in 2 acts -
Premiére: 25 November 2011 | National Theatre of Pécs, Grand Theatre
Budapest Premiére: 20 January 2012 | Palace of Arts