- A ballet director in Germany is accused of smearing dog poop in the face of a dance critic.
- Choreographer Marco Goecke has been upset by Wiebke Hüster’s negative criticism of his work, according to German media.
- The Hannover Opera suspended Goecke and said his actions damaged his reputation.
A ballet director in Germany is accused of smearing dog feces in the face of a dance critic who wrote a scathing review of his work.
THE The Hannover State Opera said in a statement on Monday that he suspended ballet director Marco Goecke after a confrontation between him and critic Wiebke Hüster on Saturday night.
Goecke had approached Hüster in the opera hall, threatening to ban him from the premises and saying that members of the public had canceled their ticket subscriptions because of his negative review, reported German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, for which Hüster writes.
Hüster previously lambasted Goecke’s new show “In the Dutch Mountains”, comparing it to being “driven mad and killed by boredom”.
As Goecke confronted Hüster on Saturday, he grew increasingly furious until he pulled out a paper bag with animal feces and “punched our dance critic’s face with the contents,” wrote FAZ.
“After that, he was able to continue his way through the crowded hall without incident,” the outlet added.
“Police investigations into this outrageous incident are ongoing and criminal charges have been filed immediately,” he wrote.
A spokesperson for the state opera confirmed to German media that the poop bag contained dog feces.
It’s not immediately clear how Goecke came into possession of dog poop while at a state opera house, but the director is known to own a pet dachshund named Gustav.
The Hanover State Opera said it had apologized to Hüster, who has been a dance critic for 25 years, and added that his “personal integrity had been indescribably violated”.
“With his impulsive reaction to the journalist, Marco Goecke violated all rules of conduct of the Hanover State Opera,” the state theater wrote in its statement.
He said Goecke had caused “massive damage” to the opera and its ballet program, and was banned from his grounds until further notice.
Goecke, who has held the position of ballet director since 2019is famous in Europe as an award-winning ballet director and choreographer.
Representatives of the Hannover State Opera, Goecke and Hüster did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.