On 18 October 2024, the iconic trademark of the Palast celebrates its 100th anniversary. The kickline was performed for the first time in 1924 in a revue by Erik Charell. At the beginning of the 20th century, 15 women still danced on stage. They laid the foundation for a dance tradition that is still the highlight of every Grand Show and the Palast’s trademark a hundred years later – albeit in a progressive and new way. Today, there are 32 dancers who move in a long line in complete synchronisation.
Image above: Collage Kickline (2024 FALLING | IN LOVE und 1957 Palast Revue 57) | Foto: Nady El-Tounsy (links), Walter Weitzer (rechts)
Erik Charell, a former assistant to Max Reinhardt as well as a dancer and choreographer, took over the artistic direction of the Großes Schauspielhaus, the predecessor of the Palast, in 1924. These revues included world-famous crowd-pullers, including the British ‘John Tiller Girls’, one of the most successful dance groups at the beginning of the 20th century. His first revue ‘An Alle!’ premiered on Saturday 18 October 1924 and laid the foundations for a century-long revue and dance tradition.
In the run-up to the Nazi takeover, Erik Charell, who was of Jewish descent and a self-confessed homosexual, emigrated. The Kickline was hardly ever shown under the Nazis. After the end of the war and especially from 1947 onwards, it was shown regularly again in the theatre now officially known as the Friedrichstadt-Palast, and since the opening of the new Palast in 1984 at Friedrichstraße 107, it has been shown in every Grand Show.
Producer and artistic director Dr Berndt Schmidt: ‘The Kickline is an everlasting iconic highlight of our productions. Even today, it still gets guests out of their seats because we perfectly interweave tradition and modernity. Since 2023, all genders have been able to dance in the former girls’ row. Anyone who thinks that our kickline conveys an old-fashioned image of women is misjudging its origins. This type of girl dance would have been unthinkable in the imperial era and was also frowned upon by the militaristic Nazis, as the military saw it as a caricature of their Prussian goose step and uniformity, which also characterises every kickline. And rightly so, because in 1924 this dance formation was a symbol of freedom and modernity. So nothing that Nazis could do anything with.’ The longest kickline in the history of the Palast was staged in 1987 in the co-production ‘Zu zweit’ with the Leningrad Music Hall to mark the 750th anniversary of the city of Berlin. With 64 dancers, the two ballet companies created the longest girl series in the world in the eastern part of Berlin, then the capital of the GDR.
The most frequently danced kickline in the history of the Palast, ‘Lady be good’, was danced in black and white split costumes, designed by Wolf Leder (see picture collage). She performed for the first time in 1957 in ‘Palast Revue 57’ and seven more times since then until 2008. Today, the iconic trademark consists of 32 dancers who move in perfect unison – the longest kickline in the world all year round. They throw their legs at an angle of up to 180 degrees. In dance vocabulary, this movement is called ‘battements’. It forms the basis of the kickline. The fascination of the kickline lies in its regularity. By lining up the dancers accordingly, the perfect optical illusion of uniform size is created.
But it’s not just the level of difficulty, tempo and costumes that have changed over the decades, but also their diversity and inclusivity. Since 2023, the kickline has been open to all genders in line with the scene’s motto ‘WE ARE ONE’ in the current successful production FALLING | IN LOVE. The most important prerequisite: the legs can be thrown high enough. Three male or genderfluid dancers now also dance in the performance. The impressive choreography was created by ballet director Alexandra Georgieva and French choreographer Sadeck Waff.
For Alexandra Georgieva, the Kickline has a very personal meaning: ‘As a former dancer and part of the Kickline, this anniversary is something very special for me. As a dancer, it is an indescribable fulfilment to have danced something so unique. It was a pleasure for the soul. I will never forget my first kickline here at the Palast ‘Ein Vogel Schwerelos’ in 1991. As a choreographer, I am particularly fascinated by the graphic aspects of the kickline. I draw my inspiration from nature and architecture, for example.’
WHERE?
Friedrichstadt-Palast
Friedrichstraße 107
10117 Berlin
