Photos: The Hamburg Ballet Celebrates 50 Years With Alumni Reunion

Over two hundred Hamburg Ballet alumni dancers from around the world gathered to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of John Neumeier's The Hamburg Ballet on June 9th and 10th, 2023. The two day event included a preview performance of "Romeo and Juliet" on June 9th at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, followed by an after performance party and on June 10th, a reception at the Town Hall (Rathaus) on invitation by the First Mayor of the City Of Hamburg on June 10th.

On Sunday, June 11, the anniversary Ballet Days began with the revival of John Neumeier's Shakespeare ballet "Romeo and Juliet". It has been more than 50 years since John Neumeier presented the world premiere of his first major, evening-length story ballet on February 14, 1971. He was ballet director at the Ballet in Frankfurt am Main when he took up the world-famous tale of  William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", using Sergey Prokofiev's music to create a timeless classic, which has proven highly popular to this day and is an essential element in celebrating John Neumeier's 50-year anniversary as ballet director in Hamburg.

Former notable Hamburg Ballet members from it's first decade include Marina Eglevsky (Harkness Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Broadway), Francois Klaus (Geneva Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and Munich Ballet), Lawrence Leritz (Chicago Ballet, LA Music Center Opera, Paris Opera and Broadway) and Magali Messac (American Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet) to name just a few from the Hamburg Ballet's illustrious 50 year history.