Triadic Ballet (Triadisches Ballett)
Bauhaus exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum wire ballet figure by Oskar Schlemmer
Date 26 November 1968
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ Created by Oskar Schlemmer, Triadic Ballet premiered in 1922 and became one of the most famous works of the Bauhaus movement.
✦ Unlike traditional ballets, it has no narrative plot and focuses instead on geometry, color, movement, and design.
✦ The ballet's extraordinary costumes transform dancers into living sculptures made of spheres, spirals, discs, and other geometric forms.
✦ Schlemmer explored how the human body could interact with space, architecture, and abstract artistic ideas through dance.
✦ Today, Triadic Ballet is best known through surviving costumes, reconstructions, exhibitions, and the influential 1970 film version.
Reconstruction of Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet, 50 Years of the Bauhaus, Stuttgart, 1968.
S U M M A R Y
Triadic Ballet (Triadisches Ballett) is one of the most unusual and influential works in dance history. Unlike traditional ballets, it does not tell a fairy tale, romance, or mythological story. Instead, the ballet presents a series of abstract characters dressed in extraordinary geometric costumes that transform the dancers into living works of art. Spheres, spirals, circles, and metallic shapes dominate the stage, creating a world that feels playful, futuristic, and unlike anything audiences had seen before.
In 1924, Oskar Schlemmer designed a poster for planned performances of Triadic Ballet in Hanover, but the engagement was never realized.
Reconstruction of Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet (Triadisches Ballett), displayed during the exhibition 50 Years of the Bauhaus, Stuttgart, 1968.
The ballet was created by German artist and designer Oskar Schlemmer, a leading figure of the Bauhaus movement. After years of experimentation, the work premiered in 1922 and explored the relationship between the human body, space, movement, color, and design. Schlemmer believed that dance could become a form of visual art, with performers moving like animated sculptures. The result was a groundbreaking production that blurred the boundaries between ballet, theater, architecture, and modern art.
Although Triadic Ballet is rarely performed in its complete form, it remains a landmark of twentieth-century artistic innovation. Surviving costumes, photographs, and reconstructions have helped preserve Schlemmer's vision for new generations. Today, the ballet is celebrated not for its story, but for its bold imagination and its lasting influence on stage design, costume creation, and experimental performance. More than a century after its creation, Triadic Ballet continues to inspire artists who seek new ways to combine movement, technology, and visual expression.
Performers in the 1970 reconstruction of Triadic Ballet (Triadisches Ballett), showcasing Oskar Schlemmer's geometric Bauhaus costume designs. Photo: Hansgeorg Schöner, commons.
E N C O R E
✦ On Today's Stage — Triadic Ballet is performed only rarely, usually through special reconstructions, museum collaborations, and festivals devoted to modernist or experimental works. Most audiences encounter it through exhibitions, films, and historical revivals rather than regular ballet repertory.
✦ Iconic Interpreters — Because the ballet emphasizes costume, design, and movement over individual characters, its legacy is closely tied to creator Oskar Schlemmer and the dancers who helped premiere and reconstruct the work, rather than to a single star performer.|
✦ Legacy — Triadic Ballet remains one of the most influential works of the Bauhaus movement. Its geometric costumes, abstract choreography, and fusion of dance, art, and design helped redefine what a ballet could be and continue to inspire artists, choreographers, architects, and designers around the world.