The original monument has been dancing its "frozen" dance for almost 30 years. The sculpture, created by the female sculptor Doris Schmauder, was installed in 1985 in one of the most picturesque parks of Frankfurt am Main, between Opera Square and Junghofstraße.
The green area is called "Taunusanlage"; it resembles Moscow's Boulevard Ring, and one of the sections where trees and lawns stand next to skyscrapers brings to mind New York's Central Park. Just like in American films, on weekdays the lawns are occupied by people relaxing, reading books, or playing frisbee and badminton. In the mornings the park becomes a place for sports activities, and the fresh air attracts many runners. Squirrels and rabbits live in the wooded strip and are not at all afraid of people.
People from Russia, as a rule, call the dancer Petrushka — there really is a certain resemblance. Even the pose in which Harlequin is frozen involuntarily invites comparison: the arms are stretched forward, and the legs are bent in anticipation of movement, as if it were an invitation to dance. The figure of Harlequin-Petrushka is placed in a carved gazebo crowned with a roof in the shape of a pike.
