Bovary: A dance play by Christian Spuck

Christian Spuck boldly transforms Gustave Flaubert’s scandalous novel into a visually sumptuous, emotionally searing ballet for the Staatsballett Berlin. At its heart is Emma Bovary, a dreamer, rebel, and outsider, trapped in a suffocating marriage and desperate for passion. She pursues love, luxury, and self-indulgence, only to spiral into ruin. Rising star Weronika Frodyma delivers a commanding performance, charting Emma’s descent from hopeful romantic to tragic figure with astonishing intensity. Spuck’s innovative choreography blends classical and contemporary elements, bringing Emma’s inner turmoil to life through evocative movement, striking video projections, and poignant excerpts from Flaubert’s text. From feverish pas de deux to opulent ballroom scenes and a chilling climax, this is an unmissable fusion of literature and dance—a profound exploration of female self-determination and loneliness, where dreams and reality fatally collide.