(Germany)

It won’t be like this forever – this is what the sign says that choreographer Moritz Ostruschnjak carries across the stage, while dancer Daniel Conant performs a Schuhplattler.  “Таnzanweisungen” (dance instructions) is full of self-reflective and ironic references that defy any specific definition. Ostruschnjak remains true to the eclectic style of his latest productions and allows his soloist to transition effortlessly from a Schuhplattler to a grand jeté, from boxing footwork to break dance moves and from a référence to the jump rope; the common element is the sound, the pounding, clapping, breathing, jumping, bouncing that fills the space as a consistent rhythm. As if he had been wound up, the protagonist tirelessly works his way through the extremely diverse canon of movement, assuming poses of resistance, combat and victory, stylized masculinity, youth culture, classic ballet, ballroom dancing and sports in rapid succession – an absurd sequence of divergent elements that overdraw, ironize and contradict each other and that, in combination, playfully yet relentlessly lead into an abyss. Accordingly, the piece ends with DAF’s provocative song “Der Mussolini”, a literal dance instruction – “dance the Mussolini, dance the Adolf Hitler, dance the Jesus Christus…”

In his works Moritz Ostruschnjak dwells upon the transformations in physical and social experiences in times of digitization and virtualization. His pieces are spaces made up of hyperlinks which utilize the media-machinery of the 21st century. Following the principle of pick & mix and cut & paste, highly heterogeneous elements and connections form the narrative of a reality in which the boundaries between politics, entertainment and populism become increasingly indistinct. As an active member of the graffiti sprayer scene, Ostruschnjak developed his interest in contemporary dance through breakdancing. He studied at Iwanson International in Munich and completed his training with Maurice Béjart in Lausanne. Since 2013 he has been working as a freelance choreographer and created the solo “Island of Only Oneland” as well as the ensemble pieces “Text Neck”, “BOIDS”, “UNSTERN” and “AUTOPLAY”. His production “YESTER:NOW” (2021) premiered in Munich’s largest concert hall, the Philharmonic Hall in the Gasteig, and in 2022 he realized “TERMINAL BEACH” at Utopia Munich. His works have been performed at many European festivals, the production “UNSTERN” was selected for the TANZPLATTFORM DEUTSCHLAND 2020 and his solo TANZANWEISUNGEN for TANZPLATTFORM DEUTSCHLAND 2022. He was one of the Aerowaves Twenty21 Artists and in 2020 received the Promotion Award Dance of the City of Munich. In 2022 he received the three-year grant from the Department of Arts and Culture of the City of Munich and the three-year conceptual funding of the Fonds Darstellende Künste. Moritz Ostruschnjak is a member of Tanztendenz München e.V. and has been supported by the network Grand Luxe 2019/2020.