The Berlin State Ballet still plans to stage a production by a disgraced ballet director, recently fired from another position after smearing dog poo in the face of a newspaper critic.

The Berlin ballet company, on Tuesday said Marco Goecke’s dog-excrement attack on dance critic Wiebke Hüster, was “completely unacceptable in its entirety, and cannot be tolerated.”

“At the same time, the State Ballet appreciates the artistic work of this exceptional artist, and looks back on a fruitful and respectful cooperation in the past,” the Berlin State Ballet said in a statement, announcing that the production would move forward as planned.

Goecke, 50, faced widespread criticism, and was dismissed from his post as director of the Hanover State Ballet, after smearing dog poo in Hüster’s face, during an outburst in February in the foyer of the opera house in Hanover.

Goecke had accused Hüster, a long-time critic for the prominent Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, of writing “bad, personal” reviews of his work.

The Berlin production of “Petruschka” by Goecke, is set to premiere as part of a Stravinsky ballet evening in June 2023. Goecke had not been scheduled to lead rehearsals.

The Berlin State Ballet said he would not be present during the production process, and there are currently no plans to work with him in future seasons.

The Berlin State Ballet said it plans to host a discussion event “to provide a forum for dialogue on the complex relationship between art and criticism.”

Source: Ghana News Agency