German choreographer Moritz Ostruschnjak (born 1979) explores the boundaries between fandom, politics, and protest in NON + ULTRAS, a performance for eight dancers and 500 fan scarves. On stage, a chaotic accumulation of symbols: Juventus, Iran, All Blacks, Swifties, provincial slogans, and global catchphrases. A fragmented landscape echoes social media’s logic, where the cult of icons intertwines with political tensions. Dressed in jeans and T-shirts, the dancers move through stadium chants, match footage, images of riots, mascots, and flares. Their choreography transforms the fervor of the terraces into a collective and identity-driven physical language. The scarves become masks, flags, weapons, and prayer mats, shaping a constantly shifting visual space. Around them, a flood of images and sounds: stadium anthems, North Korean sports propaganda, Iranian electronic music, Beethoven, and Japanese anime. With NON + ULTRAS, Ostruschnjak alternates between isolation and collectivity, silence and sensory overload, creating a physical and visual experience that dissolves the boundaries between sports, pop culture, and society on the verge of combustion and collapse, where the body becomes a space of both celebration and confrontation.
From the breakin’ and graffiti sprayer scene, Moritz Ostruschnjak developed his interest in contemporary dance through breakdancing. From 2001 to 2003, he studied at Iwanson International in Munich and completed his training with Maurice Béjart in Lausanne. He has been working as a freelance choreographer in Munich since 2013 and has created a total of teen productions of his own. Most recently, CRY WHY, a duet for two dancers, two pianos, two inline skates, and a pianist, premiered in September 2024, and NON + ULTRAS, a performance for eight dancers, 500 fan scarves, and a video in January 2025. His production CARDBOARD SESSIONS, a work featuring urban dancers, will celebrate its premiere at Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne in June 2025 as a collaboration with the International Dance Festival. His pieces have been shown at numerous international festivals and have been selected three times for the TANZPLATTFORM DEUTSCHLAND. In addition to his productions, he also creates commissioned works, including TRAILER PARK, for the Tanzmainz ensemble in 2023. Moritz Ostruschnjak is one of the Aerowaves Twenty21 Artists, was awarded the City of Munich’s Förderpreis Tanz, and is a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts and Tanztendenz München e.V
Choreography: Moritz Ostruschnjak
Choreographic collaboration: Daniela Bendini
Dance: Guido Badalamenti, David Cahier, Edoardo Cino, Daniel Conant,Nora Monsecour, Luca Seixa, Miyuki Shimizu, Magdalena Agata Wójcik
Video: Moritz Stumm
Light design: Tanja Rühl
Music mixing & editing: Jonas Friedlich
Stage design: Moritz Stumm, Moritz Ostruschnjak
Costumes: Daniela Bendini, Moritz Ostruschnjak
Dramaturgy: Armin Kerber
Production management: Susanne Ogan
