German Ballet Chief Marco Goecke Smeared Canine Poop On Critic’s Face For Dangerous Evaluation

Marco Goecke allegedly threatened to bar the critic from the Hanover State Opera

Berlin:

An award-winning German ballet director allegedly smeared canine faeces on the face of a outstanding critic on the weekend premiere of a brand new present, prompting a police investigation.

Marco Goecke confronted journalist Wiebke Huester within the lobby on the Hanover State Opera throughout an intermission of a efficiency on Saturday, Huester’s employer mentioned, including he was livid at her evaluate of a earlier present.

The ballet chief “pulled a paper bag stuffed with animal excrement out and smeared the contents on the face of our dance critic”, in line with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

Throughout a break in Saturday’s efficiency of “Perception — Love — Hope,” Goecke was incensed by Huester’s adverse evaluate of his present “Within the Dutch Mountains”, carried out in The Hague earlier.

Goecke allegedly threatened to bar the critic from the Hanover State Opera and blamed her for cancelled subscriptions on the theatre.

Huester reported the incident to the police, who mentioned they have been investigating the alleged assault.

The general public humiliation was additionally “an try to intimidate our free, essential view of artwork”, the FAZ mentioned.

The Hanover State Opera mentioned in a press release it “very a lot regrets” the incident on Saturday evening.

“We contacted the journalist instantly after the incident and apologised to her personally,” the opera director Laura Berman mentioned.

The humanities establishment would study the disciplinary steps it may take towards Goecke “after which act on this inside personnel matter”, Berman mentioned.

“We deeply remorse that our viewers was disturbed by this incident,” she added.

Goecke, ballet director on the Hanover theatre since 2019, was the 2022 recipient of the German Dance Prize.

The following efficiency of his new ballet in Hanover is scheduled for February 24, in line with the opera home’s web site.

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