On the weekend of a new show’s debut, an award-winning German ballet director is accused of smearing dog feces on the face of a popular critic. This act has prompted authorities to launch a formal investigation into the incident.
On Saturday, during an intermission of the ballet Belief — Love — Hope at the Hanover State Opera, Marco Goecke encountered journalist Wiebke Huester in the foyer. His fury was provoked by her review of his previous show, In the Dutch Mountain, according to Huester’s employer.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) said that the ballet chief “pulled a paper bag full of animal excrement out and smeared the contents on the face of our dance critic.”
The critic was threatened with being barred from the Hanover State Opera by Goecke, and even blamed for canceled subscriptions to the theatre.
Huester promptly reported the incident to local police, who assured her they were actively investigating this alleged assault. The FAZ indicated that in addition to the public humiliation Huester endured, it was also an attempt at trying to stifle freedom of expression and a critical view of art.
In a statement made about the incident, the Hanover State Operas said it “very much regrets” what happened.
In the wake of the incident, Laura Berman, the opera’s director, also immediately contacted the journalist to deliver apologies.
The art institution assured all they would analyze what disciplinary actions could be enforced on Goecke, then handle it internally. “We deeply regret that our audience was disturbed by this incident,” she said
In 2022, Goecke was honored with the prestigious German Dance Prize in recognition of his contributions to ballet as director at Hanover Theatre where he’s been since 2019.
According to the opera house’s website, audiences in Hanover can look forward to an upcoming performance of his newest ballet on February 24th.
