Three arrested after serious injuries: including assault with a knife
An 18-year-old youth suffered serious injuries after being stabbed during a fight at Dreirosenanlage in the early hours of Sunday morning. Two male suspects were arrested immediately after the incident.
According to the latest investigations of the criminal police of the prosecution, the 18-year-old was staying with two colleagues when two men suddenly appeared. For unknown reasons the teenager was assaulted with a sharp object. Both alleged attackers then fled and the police were called. Officers were able to trace the suspects in the surrounding area and arrest them.
The victim was rushed by ambulance to the emergency department of the Basel hospital where he is recovering. His condition is described as no longer life-threatening. The alleged suspects are aged 22 and 26 years and are both from Somalia.
50-year-old allegedly harassed a young women and was assaulted
A short time later at Greifengasse, a 50-year-old man was injured by a stranger after he had allegedly harassed a companion. Passers-by called the police at 2am on Sunday morning to report a fight on the Mittlere Brücke. According to latest investigations by the criminal police of the prosecution, the 50-year-old man had harassed a woman who was walking with a group of people. When a 33-year-old in the group realised what had happened, he allegedly punched the man.
The punch left the 50-year-old lying on the ground. The 33-year-old man then left the scene along with his partner and his colleagues.
The 50-year-old suffered a number of different injuries to his head and upper body and was rushed by ambulance to the emergency department of the Basel hospital for treatment. A short time later the police arrested the 33-year-old man in the nearby area, who is accused of knocking the man to the ground.
Police seeks witnesses
The exact circumstances of the incident are central to the investigation. Anyone with useful information should contact the criminal police of the prosecution Basel-Stadt via the phone number 061 267 71 11 or go to the nearest police station.
Basel: apartment uninhabitable following fire in kitchen
A fire at an apartment block in Leimenstrasse in Basel on Saturday night destroyed a home and left it uninhabitable. Nobody was injured.
The fire brigade were called at around 11pm and were able to quickly extinguish the blaze; however the apartment was severely damaged by the flames and smoke. The other apartments in the building did not have to be evacuated, the Basel prosecution stated on Monday.
According to initial findings, the fire broke out in the kitchen. The cause of the fire is as of yet unknown. According to other information, the tenant of the property had forgotten to turn off their oven before they left the house.
Dance to the limits: Alvin Ailey Theater comes to Basel
Perfect body tension is a must when the dancers of Alvin Ailey whirl across the stage. They have studied the choreography to the very last detail before they went on tour, which includes performances in Basel from 25th to 30th July. A dream career such as this can also mean working oneself to the bone.
Matthew Rushing is however not yet entirely happy with the whole production. The director of rehearsals stands in front of a dozen dancers from the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and focuses on the details. “When it happens, it’s brilliant. If not, it’s mediocre,” Mr Rushing said.
On even ground in front of a long row of mirrors, the dancers try to bring the choreography to perfection, to the last minute detail. This is because when the curtain rises during this tour of Paris and Basel, as well as five German cities, every body movement must be perfect.
Splash, smear, scan, pull – a layperson can only assume if these terms mean a bowed back, a stretched leg on tiptoes, or circling shoulders. Terms from the classic ballet such as piqué and plié are mentioned as well, however mixed into the English terminology of modern dance.
Masterpiece “Revelations”
It’s been almost sixty years since a group of young Afro-American dancers directed by Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) performed in a community hall in 92nd street in Manhattan. The fight for civil rights was ongoing and black dancers (and spectators) often were hindered in participating in or attending performances due to racist motives. Ailey offered them a stage and went on a first tour outside of the US in 1962.
In Ailey’s choreographical masterpiece “Revelations”, this power comes alive once again. He combined elements of the gospel, spirituals, and songs from the times of slavery. A group of dancers comes together to announce resistance with their fist raised. Oppressed and humiliated, they seem to fall apart and slide to the ground, but they pull each other up time after time. “Revelations” tells the story of human solidarity, said Rachel McLaren, who is on tour with the company.
“One has to strip to the bone to do some of the things we dancers do,” said the 31-year-old dancer. She keeps in shape by swimming and fitness training. She also meditates, does yoga, and keeps to a strict diet before going on tour. She is responsible for her personal physical fitness regime but during 40 hours of rehearsal per week there is no time for that. “We are professionals now,” said Ms McLaren, who comes from the Canadian city of Winnipeg and was a classical ballet dancer before joining the Ailey Company.
Hardly any time to eat
Especially before and during performances the dancers reach their limit: Sometimes they rehearse two to five hours before the curtain rises. There is hardly any time for eating. “It can be really tough,” said McLaren.
“When I only have one hour between rehearsals, on the way to the stage I must put my make-up on, do my hair, calm myself down, and remember the dance steps. It is then that I must find time to eat. I must find time to breathe.”
Knowing this tension, the more impressive is the piece of art on stage, like the gala performance in the Lincoln Center in New York showed in mid June: To the music by Ella Fitzgerald, the dancers whirl around playfully in shirts and ties, and translate the improvised scat-singing by Fitzgerald into body art. During the spiritual “wade in the water”, which has also been sung in secret escape-networks of slaves, dancers weigh themselves in the waves and let themselves float.
“Let the magic happen”
“We give so much of ourselves to transform the choreography into something which is real and tangible,” said Ms McLaren. It is clear to her that she has arrived at the peak of her career with her 31 years. “My body is my instrument, and it ages every day.” Some dancers aged 18 or 19 “wake up doing the splits,” she said, while she is sometimes in pain when waking up. But competition is healthy: “We challenge each other and I think that is fine.”
Ailey himself, who had moved “like a cat” according to art-director Robert Battle, might have demanded just as much from his dancers. Battle is proud to replace Ailey’s position today. It was wonderful to give a platform to dancers and to see how the audience enthusiastically gave a standing ovation after a performance. “Sometimes it is the best I can do to get out of the way and just let the magic happen.”