Raging ballet choreographer smears dog faeces in critic's face after comparing show to being 'driven mad and killed by boredom'
13 February 2023, 22:55
A furious German ballet choreographer has smeared dog faeces across the face of a critic after she compared his show to being "alternately driven mad and killed by boredom".
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Choreographer Marco Goecke, 50, wiped the faecal matter across dance critic Wiebke Hüster's face after her less-than-positive review was published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
The incident took place after the journalist was spotted by Goecke in the foyer during a rendition of the Hanover State Opera's Glaube - Liebe -Hoffnung' (Faith - Love - Hope) - a show Goecke had co-choreographed.
The choreographer's outrage, however, pertained to another review of Hüster's, following her critique of his previous show "In The Dutch Mountains".
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The show, which recently opened at Nederlands Dans Theater in The Netherlands, was compared to being "alternately driven mad and killed by boredom".
After first threatening to ban the reviewer during the interval, Goecke, who is known to carry his miniature dachshund in his bag, then removed a bag filled with faeces before proceeding to smear it across the critic's face.
The shocking moment, which took place on Saturday, was witnessed by countless onlookers according to reports in the FAZ.
The critic contacted police following the incident.
In response, the opera house has now suspended its chief choreographer, Goecke, indefinitely and with immediate effect.
Noting Goecke's actions and "impulsive behaviour" went against the opera's code of conduct, the opera house said the incident had tarnished its reputation and left witnesses and staff "extremely unsettled".
"We contacted the journalist immediately after the incident and apologised to her personally and also publicly," said Laura Berman, artistic director of the Hanover State Opera.
"We very much regret that our audience has been disturbed by this incident."
It's reported samples of the 'dog faeces' are yet to be secured by authorities for comparison, with evidence of the assault instead hinging on eyewitness testimony.
