Statement incident Marco Goecke

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

NDT announces that we are suspending Marco Goecke’s position as associate choreographer. This means that he will not create any new work in the coming season. We will continue to perform Marco Goecke’s existing repertoire, created in collaboration with the dancers and the team of NDT.

NDT would like to contribute to a constructive dialogue around the relationship between journalists and artists. We see this as a broader discussion between the art sector and its reviewers.

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) deeply regrets the incident between Marco Goecke and a reviewer from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)  that took place in Staatstheater Hannover last weekend, in which Marco violated the personal integrity of the individual concerned. This action is contrary to our values that we hold as guiding principles in all our collaborations. NDT also values the journalistic freedom of reviewers.

We have since spoken with Marco in depth. He let NDT know the following:

“I regret the way I expressed my displeasure with Ms. Hüster’s very negative review last Saturday. I went way too far. I was shocked by my own impulsive behavior. Therefor I apologize. It was an expression of deep and prolonged frustration. That doesn’t make it justifiable. I now realize that with my act I have caused problems for the whole team of the company. I regret that I may have possibly damaged the reputation of NDT, a valued collaborator for years. I apologize for that.”

For more than ten years we worked very pleasantly together. That was also evident in our recent process. This incident, therefore, came as a shock to the members of the company. A difficult companywide conversation and the fact that Marco is accountable for his action and has apologized, have supported our decision to continue touring In the Dutch Mountains.