In his first collaboration with tanzmainz, choregrapher Moritz Ostruschnjak explores the question of how the increasing digitalization of life affects our experiences, both physically and socially. In »Trailer Park«, found objects from social media are copied and reassembled to create a cosmos of their own. On an empty stage, ten dancers in bright sports jerseys celebrate a choreography of rapid changes and high density. They swipe through movement styles, quote short videos and adopt viral gestures and group choreographies. In this way, virtual content is captivatingly and virtuosically retranslated into the physical space.
Sasha Waltz & Guests meets tanzmainz
In 2025, the two companies Sasha Waltz & Guests and tanzmainz will work together for the first time in a multi-part collaboration: the project kicked off in March with guest performances by the Berlin-based company in Mainz. Dancers from both companies opened the tanzmainz festival #5 by together performing Sasha Waltz's choreography »In C« to music by Terry Riley. Sasha Waltz & Guests also showed their much-toured production »Beethoven 7« as part of the festival; all performances were accompanied live by the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz. In July, the mixed cast of dancers from both ensembles will perform »In C« together at Radialsystem. The guest performance of tanzmainz with the successful piece »Trailer Park« by Moritz Ostruschnjak as part of Tanz im August marks the conclusion of this extraordinary collaboration.
Moritz Ostruschnjak was part of the sprayer scene for a long time, which is how he came into contact with breakdance and discovered his interest in contemporary dance. He first studied at the Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance in Munich, later he deepened his dance training with Maurice Béjart in Lausanne. After that, he worked as a dancer for several years in Germany and abroad. Since 2013 he has worked as a freelance choreographer in Munich and has created, among other things, the ensemble pieces »Boids«, »Unstern«, »Autoplay«, »Yester:now«, »Terminal Beach« and most recently »Rabbit Hole« in 2023. His pieces have already been shown at numerous European festivals, and three of his productions have been invited to the Tanzplattform Deutschland: »Unstern« in 2020, the solo »Tanzanweisungen« in 2022 and »Terminal Beach« in 2024. The pieces »Tanzanweisungen« and »Autoplay« were shown in Mainz at the tanzmainz festival #4. Moritz Ostruschnjak is one of the Aerowaves Twenty21 Artists and was awarded the City of Munich Dance Promotion Prize in 2020. He is a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts and Tanztendenz München e.V. »Trailer Park« is his first production with the tanzmainz ensemble.
tanzmainz is the contemporary dance company of the Staatstheater Mainz, Germany, and has been directed by Honne Dohrmann since 2014. tanzmainz sees itself as a place of creation: the team of 25 dancers work closely with a diverse production crew to create up to five premieres per season in collaboration with renowned or aspiring guest choreographers. The members of the tanzmainz ensemble are fully trained artists who are interested in developing a close working relationship with the guest choreographers. tanzmainz endorses a professional ethos shaped by openness, mutual respect and motivation. As a bridge between the state theatres of Germany and the independent scene tanzmainz strives to constantly expand its repertoire with innovative forms of dance and production.
Tanz im August, presented by HAU Hebbel am Ufer, is a festival of contemporary dance in Berlin. Founded in 1989, it showcases contemporary dance performances, recognised companies, innovative choreographers and new aesthetics and formats from around the world. Tanz im August events are shown at locations throughout Berlin in collaboration with various venues. Along with international companies, the
festival features recent work by Berlin artists, together with numerous German and world premieres.
