Exploring the tragic tale beneath and above the waves

Returning with their dark and enthralling fairytale ballet for the first time since 2013, Hamberg Ballet currently reigns as one of the leading European ballet companies in the 21st century. Following the original story by Hans Christian Anderson, the lovely mermaid saves and falls in love with a prince after saving him from a shipwreck. Entering into a deal with the sea witch, she exchanges her voice for a chance to walk on dry land with legs to win him back. Unfortunately, the prince is convinced that a neighboring princess saved him and falls in love with her instead. Will the mermaid prevail? Or will she carry out an evil act to gain her heart's desire?

First premiering in 2005 at the Royal Danish Ballet, John Neumeier's haunting and more mature retelling of the classic myth juxtaposes two different worlds using flowing costumes and projections to mimic flowing water and terra firma. With music composed by Lera Auerbach, the narrative takes place as a story within a story, with the mermaid's unrequited love for the prince mirroring that of the tormented narrator poet, who pines away for his friend Edvard. However, hope floats in the final scene as the poet and mermaid find each other, as creator and creation, discovering everlasting peace.