Six Bernese rockers accompany a classical ballet piece.

Picture gallery

Izumi Shuto and Martina Langmann, two dancers in the Bern Ballet, try their hand at choreography for the first time. Their project includes asking two members of the Swiss band “Kummerbuben” (roughly “nasty boys”) from Bern to write the music to their new ballet. The pressure turns out to be enormous on both sides, as the dancers practice after their usual full day and the musicians have to adapt their music to the dancers' movements - and not, as they at first believe, the other way around. Will the performance in Bern's main theater be ready in time?

This documentary by the talented filmmaker and promoter Steve Walker is magnificent in its approach, by focusing on the creative processes of the musicians and the dancers. Under the eyes of the enchanted audience, the work takes shape, first in its two parts which are then fused together. The numerous obstacles accumulate, demanding discipline and sheer willpower. The choreographers' aim is to express the efforts of a man who fails to integrate, while the rock group present songs that include “a splash of poison or melancholy”. Both side inspire each other and the result surpasses expectations: in June 2010, the ballet opened to sold-out shows.