World premiere of the ballet 'Sit Back' before the tennis finale in the Porsche Arena

Not only the tennis fans are looking forward to this particular premiere: to get the audience in the mood for the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on April 29, the Stuttgart Ballet will perform the piece 'Sit Back' by Louis Stiens on Centre Court in the Porsche Arena. The
20-year-old up-and-coming Choreographer from the ranks of the Porsche-supported company has choreographed the piece especially for the occasion for four dancers to songs sung by the soul diva Aretha Franklin and the American pop artist Beck.

“It always has been our ambition to present our visitors with not only the world’s best tennis players but also to surprise them with something new every year,” said Tournament Director Markus Gunthardt. “With the Stuttgart Ballet appearing on the Centre Court in the Porsche Arena, we’ll surely do just that.”

Louis Stiens completed his vocational training at the John Cranko School last year and received his first engagement in the current season as Eleve at the Stuttgart Ballet. He has appeared in corps de ballet roles in classics like 'The Taming of the Shrew', 'The Lady of the Camellias' and 'Swan Lake'. The choreography for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which Reid Anderson, the Artistic Director of the Stuttgart Ballet, entrusted him, was a quite special challenge. “Alone the prospect of doing something in such a big arena for almost 5,000 people was overcoming,” said the Munich-born Choreographer who has already created four of his own choreographies. As a child he was often on the tennis court because his mother played a lot and he has incorporated many of his memories of the time into 'Sit Back'.

“It’s basically about couples, about the rivalry between two people facing each other across the net. My piece however isn’t a narrative ballet, if anything it’s something abstract,”  said Louis Stiens.

The support for the Stuttgart Ballet is an integral part of Porsche’s sponsoring concept which covers every part of society. Thus the company is also the partner of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under the banner 'Premium meets Premium'. It additionally also supports junior activities in sport clubs in Baden Wurttemberg and Saxony as well as a variety of scientific and charity projects. By sponsoring a broad spectrum of activities, Porsche wants to further embrace its social responsibility within society.

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