3 days ago
Artistic head of Hamburg Ballet let go amid work culture complaints
Demis Volpi, a German-Argentinian choreographer, is to step down as artistic director of the world-renowned Hamburg Ballet Company following massive criticism from the ensemble over a "toxic work environment."
Volpi's contract will be prematurely terminated following mutual agreement and the 39-year-old is set to leave the company at the end of the season, the local cultural authority in the northern German city said on Tuesday.
As part of the agreement, Volpi is set to stop working at the ballet immediately, it said.
Volpi, who succeeded the company's founder John Neumeier, a 86-year-old American, a year ago, has been the subject of widespread criticism, including from the company's dancers.
In a letter to Hamburg's culture minister, 36 dancers - more than half of the company - accused him of creating a "toxic work environment" as well as a lack of competence.
Seventeen former and current dancers at the Dusseldorf-based Ballett am Rhein, where Volpi worked previously, also sent complaints to the Hamburg minister.
In response, management at the Hamburg State Opera, which includes the ballet company, launched a risk assessment to question all ensemble members anonymously about their work situation.
"My vision - both in artistic terms and with regard to a contemporary structure that enables open and responsible collaboration within a ballet company - could no longer be realized under the current conditions at the Hamburg Ballet, despite intensive efforts," Volpi said.
"In the interests of all those involved, we have therefore agreed to end my directorship by mutual consent."
Following Volpi's departure, efforts are under way to find an interim artistic director to lead the company until the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.
