The German-born artist’s latest production premieres on October 31 at the Ibiza Conference Centre in Santa Eulària, bringing back much of the original cast and some of the most memorable scenes from his previous show.
At 84, Armin Heinemann’s (Mönchengladbach, Germany, 1942) creative drive and deep connection with Ibiza remain as strong as ever. Both his conversation with Diario de Ibiza and his latest project, Sueños-2, bear witness to this. The new production premieres on October 31 at 6.30 pm at the Ibiza Conference Centre in Santa Eulària.
Following the warm reception of his previous show, Sueños, the German-born artist has created another dance-theatre production for the island he has called home since the 1970s, once again bringing together tango and butoh, the Japanese avant-garde dance form.
He recalls that it was in 2019 that he decided to merge the two disciplines, something he stresses “nobody had done before”. That same year, Regreso al amor (Return to Love) was born. Since then, his productions have continued to explore the same formula, “making variations on the same theme”: “the coexistence of opposites”.
“It is a subject that particularly interests me because I understood a long time ago that this is what life is based on: stillness and noise; movement and rest; day and night; light and darkness; pain and joy; the natural and the artificial,” he explains.
Supported by Santa Eulària Town Hall and the Ibiza Island Council, Sueños-2 retains this central idea while bringing back some of the most distinctive scenes from its predecessor. Several numbers have been changed, however, along with the costumes and projections.
The cast, which brings to life “three tango dancers and three fauns”, has remained largely unchanged. Returning performers include Verónica Palacios and Omar Quiroga, who lead the Tango Amado company, alongside dancers Nahuel Giacone and Florencia Hermida, and butoh performer Matilde Javier Ciria. They are joined by Juan Manuel Quiles.
Although Heinemann insists that the aim is “not to analyse, but to experience” what unfolds on stage, the German designer, architect and stage designer offers a glimpse into the story behind Sueños-2.
The plot revolves around a couple and a tango dancer, caught up in their hopes, jealousy and personal dramas. Their lives are disrupted by a faun, a figure representing the divine force of nature who tries to help them — sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
From the Mind to the Body
The creator of the Paula’s Ibiza brand, which he founded with Stuart Rudnick, and the now-defunct Ibiza Opera Festival reflects on how his artistic work has evolved over the years.
“I have worked in spoken theatre, where the mind is the foundation; then I moved into opera, where emotion takes centre stage; and in recent years, through the combination of tango and butoh, I have focused on the body,” he explains.
Through these two dance forms, Heinemann has come to understand that “the body’s movement is the foundation for experiencing emotions and thought, although people often forget this”.
A Lifelong Bond with Ibiza
While his artistic work has continued to evolve, some things have never changed — above all, his love for the Pityusic Islands, Ibiza and Formentera.
Born and raised in Germany during the Second World War, Heinemann says that “first Ibiza, and then the spirituality of India” saved his life. He spends almost half the year on the island, dividing the rest of his time between Barcelona and Germany.
“Ibiza and the spirituality of India have saved my life.”
On the island, he lives in “an old house without electricity or running water”. It is a way of life he would not trade for anything, even after Storm Adam recently flooded the kitchen floor and inner courtyard of his home.
“No five-star hotel shower could give me the joy I feel when I pour a bucket of water over myself while bathing in the Ibiza countryside,” he says.
Feeling the rain, wind and sunshine on his skin makes him feel “alive” and gives him an “energy” that continues to fuel his creativity.
For now, Heinemann says he has no new projects in the pipeline beyond the production opening on October 31. His full attention is on training and making a complete recovery from meniscus injuries that have prevented him from dancing tango over the past few months.
His goal is to do what he did last year: bring the performance to a close by sharing a few dance steps with the cast of Sueños-2.