In the summer of 2000, I took a group of some 30 students from the University of Kansas to the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris to see John Neumeier’s ballet, Illusions: like Swan Lake. This was at the end of a thrilling exchange program filled with visits to the Comédie Française, the Opéra Bastille, the Opéra Garnier, the Sainte Chapelle, and numerous museums, so we had very little money left in our budget.

I was not yet familiar with John Neumeier’s work, and my students were not particularly motivated to get even more cultural input, most of them opting more for a good, last meal in a restaurant. But I insisted and got us last-minute, non-visibility seats, thinking that we could at least enjoy the music.

John Neumeier’s psychologically-charged retelling of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, mixing dream sequences with reality and exploring with such elegance the complexity of human emotion touched us all to the core.  The students spent the evening standing, on their toes, penchés, or bent over the good, balcony seats, so as not to miss one gesture, one image, or one feeling conveyed on stage.

John Neumeier’s National Youth Ballet: the Dance, the Humanity, and the Power of Connection (Interviews with Kevin Haigen, Raymond Hilbert, and the dancers of the Bundesjugendballett) – Language and Culture with Dr. J

In this special, uncensored episode, we step inside the world of the German National Youth Ballet, the BJB, an extraordinary ensemble comprised of nine professional dancers between the ages of 18 and 23, trained in both classical ballet and modern techniques. One of the very special features of the BJB is that they perform not only on professional stages, but everywhere dance can forge a connection – in schools, museums, nursing homes, swimming pools, and even prisons. Their work demonstrates that dance speaks across generations, backgrounds, and life experiences, creating unity through shared artistic encounter. This episode, made possible by the generous support of the Charlotte Uhse Stiftung, offers a candid look into the power of communication and collaboration at the heart of the BJB. It begins with a spirited conversation with Artistic and Pedagogical Director Kevin Haigen, one that starts with a small disagreement and unfolds into a passionate, thought-provoking exchange. It includes  contributions from all nine dancers of the BJB, who answer questions from young amateur dancers from Kansas City. And it concludes with Ballet Master Raymond Hilbert’s reflections on connecting with audiences, the question of how a dance style is understood, and some of the most sensitive issues faced by the dance world. This episode promises to give you intimate insight into the philosophy, purpose, and daily reality of this remarkable ensemble. Thank you Kevin Haigen, Raymond Hilbert, Bronte Barnett, Eleftherios Sarafis, Hannah McCloughan, Miguel Alves Oliveira, Oskar Weissel-Hetzel, Taissa Pache Pimentel, Kohanna Williams, Javier Martinez, and Zofia Jabłońska for the interviews. bundesjugendballett.de cultureum.com

At the time, I was struggling to decide where to root myself and embark on my academic career, and the performance I saw at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris of John Neumeier’s Illusions: like Swan Lake played a role in my decision to move to Hamburg. As part of the package, Hamburg would allow me to regularly immerse myself in John Neumeier’s world.

Think about the implications of my decision for a second. For me, when it boils down to it, ballet affected one of my most important life choices. Isn’t that both marvelous and strange?

For most of us outsiders, when we enter the ballet world, we seek to be entertained and taken on an aesthetic adventure. We might be searching for the thrill of seeing sensational jumps and pirouettes, or want to be dazzled by the costumes and backdrops.

Perhaps it is the music that draws us in, or the sheer “ballet experience” of dressing up nicely and sharing good company with a glass of bubbly, while taking in a show. Perhaps some of us are attracted by the skill, the stamina and precision, as well as the emotional, psychological and artistic engagement and dedication of the dancers.

But few of us go to the ballet with the explicit intent to engage in soul-searching or to confront the deepest, most significant concerns of our times. And yet, this is exactly what happens sometimes. On occasion, we are completely drawn into the emotional, dramatic moment that is unfolding on stage, and in these instances, a performance can be utterly moving and can have a profoundly significant, transformative effect on our life. 

John Neumeier’s artistic signature has had a powerful international influence. It has delved into human psychology with such sensitivity, tenderness, and beauty. It has taken movement beyond the dramatic, beyond the abstract, and beyond the purely physical. It has reached to the core of artistic communication and has produced performances that have over and over made a genuine and fundamental impact on our life.

John Neumeier shaped the work of the Hamburg Ballet for nearly fifty years, 24 of which I was fortunate to experience firsthand!

At the beginning of the 2011/2012 season, long before his tenure with the Hamburg Ballet ended, John Neumeier founded Germany’s first National Youth Ballet, the Bundesjugendballett and has held on to this ensemble even after his, so-to-speak, official retirement.

The BJB is comprised of 8 professional dancers between the ages of 18 and 23 who have already completed both their education in classical ballet and in modern dance techniques. From the beginning, one of the special features of the BJB has been that they dance not only on professional stages, but also in “new spaces” such as schools, museums, nursing homes, swimming pools, and even prisons.

The BJB focuses on the social relevance of dance and aims to bring ballet in dialogue with all echelons of society and people from all walks of life, while fostering humanity, community, and a sense of unity through shared experience. The BJB focuses precisely on creating those special moments where artists and spectators discover stirring aesthetics and deep truths together. 

From April to December 2025, I had the great honor of being allowed to shadow the BJB intensively. I was invited to rehearsals, classes, performances, and receptions with the dancers and had the privilege of getting to know their artistry up-close. While I had wonderful conversations and exchanges with all of the dancers, it was with Ballet Master Raymond Hilbert and Artistic and Pedagogical Director Kevin Haigen that I had most contact.   

Our exchanges were not always easy. I sometimes had the impression that my questions of an outsider were misunderstood, received with skepticism, or perceived as intrusive. But I was determined to figure out how the BJB reflects John Neumeier’s artistic spirit and ideology, and I am truly grateful to everyone for sticking with me until the end.

I am thankful for this opportunity to have experienced up-close and unfiltered the work ethic, the artistic process, and the teachings and principles that have shaped the ballet creations which partly led to my choice to settle down and make my home in Hamburg, and which have consequently accompanied my life for a quarter of a century.

In Kevin Haigen and Raymond Hilbert, I came to know true teachers and mentors. Their authority over the group is not positional, but stems from genuine respect. They lead by creating an atmosphere in which all are eager to learn from one another. There is no fear, or reprimand. There is only tender guidance that values the dancer as a person and encourages turning flaws into strengths, working together as a group, and supporting individual uniqueness. 

Discipline and attention to detail are a given. I marveled at how the dancers spent hours on learning to soften a landing, or on perfecting the slight angle of the hand. The stage in its various forms at whatever venue or occasion is seen as a sacred platform, where all aim to offer only their best. When performing, the dancers’ bodies belong to their art and to the emotions and thoughts and waves they are aiming to evoke.  

In a world that tends to want to define us as black or white, they seem to reject the concrete and the rigid, and choose to live in nuance and fluidity. They encourage greatness, but not at the price of losing yourself, or having to become an individualist who engages in a lonely fight for personal glory.

They dance for the sake of dance. They dance in order to communicate with themselves and the world.

John Neumeier no longer defines the Hamburg ballet, which has moved on to a new chapter, the next generation of brilliant dancers who have delighted audiences with incredible performances in the past seasons.

John Neumeier now travels the world, holding workshops, staging his choreographies, participating in festivals, and contributing internationally. But his school, the Ballettzentrum Hamburg John Neumeier and the National Youth Ballet, the Bundesjugendbalett, that he created in 2011 continue to carry his influence and spirit, which I think will forever stay embedded in the heart of the Hansestadt Hamburg, my Wahlheimat, my hometown of choice.

You can listen to my interviews with Kevin Haigen, Raymond Hilbert and the dancers of the BJB on the podcast: “Language and Culture with Dr. J” available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and on my website cultureum.com.
The episode is entitled: “John Neumeier’s National Youth Ballet: the Dance, the Humanity, and the Power of Connection (Interviews with Kevin Haigen, Raymond Hilbert, and the dancers of the Bundesjugendballett)”

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