Der Einzelgänger

The people who met John Cranko and who knew him personally, 
will probably agree with me that his charisma was overwhelming 
and that his bright blue eyes were able to penetrate deep inside you. 
One day he said something quite strange to me: "Maybe you will find 
a partner, maybe you will get married and have children, but basically 
you will always be alone". The title of my ballet "Einzelgänger" means 
"The Loner" in English. Maybe it was inspired by Cranko's statement, 
but it certainly stuck with me for many years. I met Cranko in August 
1968 as a refugee fleeing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. 
He received me in his home playing the card game called "Solitaire". 
Later he lived in a beautiful "Cavalier house" which was a part of the 
castle "Solitude" in Stuttgart. He was a celebrated and greatly admired 
man the world over, but his loneliness always resonated with me. 

                    Jiří Kylián - May 23, 2020