Zarathustra

The premiere of "ZARATHUSTRA" by Bonger Voges took place at the opening of the "Internationale Bauausstellung IBA, Emscher Park" as part of the "Duisburger Akzente 1991" in Duisburg-Meiderich. The city of Duisburg had also invited him as co-producer of the festival.

The staging included the design of a large part of the outdoor facilities of the Emscher Park and the design of an 8000 sqm hall.

"Zarathustra" was filmed for the channel SAT1.

Zarathustra was performed the following year at the FESTIVAL OF THE SENSES, produced by Voges, in a former steel warehouse in Munich. Over 3000 spectators attended the production on the three days of the play.

The piece

Zarathustra - Scenes of Consecration and Desecration
A play for megalomaniacs freely adapted from Friedrich Nietzsche by Bonger Voges

"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" is a theme that has not only undergone innumerable interpretations, but has also been ideologically overused and often misunderstood.

In his sensual and humorous dance and image theater, Voges uses the power and poetry of Nietzsche's text and interprets it as a male initiation story. A theme that has also played a leading role in earlier pieces by the choreographer: The story of an initiation or initiation ("Fesselhain," "Männertänze," "Little Pleasant Alice").

For him, central aspects of the piece are Nietzsche's Übermensch and the battle of the sexes. In demarcation from a classificatory interpretation of the term Übermensch, Voges interprets Nietzsche's figure as a description of evolution: The Übermensch as a step on the spiritual evolutionary ladder, as a divine - creative and responsible being, to which the animal transcends itself via the bridge man.... Voges contrasts this superman, in book and play expression of the pure masculine spirit, which is "close to madness - screaming for discharge", with strong feminine elements in order to achieve a reconciliation of principles.

The final vision of the piece is the unification of male and female energies in harmony with body and earth, is the synthesis of contrary poles as the culmination of a raging process of unification and evolution.

"Zarathustra" resists any conclusive interpretation, any classification into "small worlds" and leaves the viewer no peace.

"Zarathustra" is not only called

• Battle of the sexes
• Battle of the religions
• Battle of the systems

"Zarathustra" also means the insight that the earth is as we create it.
And insight into the need to take responsibility and act.

Choreography: Bonger Voges, Angelika Meindl
Music: Richard Strauss, Carl Hänggi
Costumes/Objects: Reiner Wiesemes
Stage design: Christoph Simons
Lighting direction: Werner Köllner
Make up: Monika Bergler
Production: Kunstwelt e.V. Munich and Tanztendenz Munich e.V.
Production: Bonger Voges

With the kind support of:
Stadt Duisburg, Internationale Bauausstellung IBA; Land Nordrhein-Westfalen; Kulturreferat der Stadt München; Fashion Life München/Berlin; Philip Morris Light American; Thyssen AG; Die Macht der Nacht, Rainer Wengenroth