Semperoper Ballett has announced Kinsun Chan will become Artistic Director at the beginning of the 2024/25 season. He succeeds Aaron S. Watkin, who becomes Artistic Director of English National Ballet after 17 years in Dresden.
Also announced for the 2023/24 season include Marcelo Gomes as Artistic Company Manager and Adi Luick as Company Manager who assume joint responsibility for the Semperoper Ballett season 2023/24.
Kinsun Chan, currently director of the dance company at Theater St. Gallen, is a diversely trained artist with an extensive interest in the Arts. His choreographic works have been performed by Basel Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Hanover State Opera Ballet, Gauthier Dance Company, Singapore Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, John Cranko School, Ballet Stuttgart for the Noverre Society and as part of the Heinz-Bosl-Foundation-performances, among others.
Kinsun Chan was engaged for many years as a soloist with the Ballet Zurich under Director Heinz Spoerli and the Basel Ballet under Director, Richard Wherlock. He has danced in the classical repertoire as well as in works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato and Hans van Manen, among others. His artistic work also extends to the creation of costumes and stage sets. In addition, he has held numerous teaching positions and jury activities, such as the Prix de Lausanne. Kinsun Chan is also active as a visual artist and graphic designer.
Kinsun Chan is aware of the challenge and potential of his new task as Dresden is a city so rich and inspiring in history and culture. The Semperoper is a place of living traditions, artistic excellence and great creative opportunities. The Semperoper Ballett is one of the world’s leading companies due to its artistic diversity, its extensive repertoire from classical to modern and its outstanding dancers. To strengthen on the already excellent reputation and further develop the high level that Aaron S. Watkin has established over years of outstanding work, and to continue a unique artistic profile, is a wonderful task that I am very much looking forward to.
Nora Schmid, designated General Director of the Semperoper Dresden from the 2024/25 season, said:
With Kinsun Chan, we have gained an artist with an interdisciplinary interest for the ballet direction who, based on his extensive artistic experience, will further develop the Semperoper Ballett and lead it into an exciting promising future. His conceptual thinking, his reflected, level-headed, comprehensive perspective on the complex artistic processes have convinced me. I am very much looking forward to shaping the artistic profile of the Semperoper together with him as a partner from the 2024/25 season.