In February 2023, Katja Leclerc and Serge Honegger conceived the ‘Stelldichein’ format for the Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian State Ballet in the Dôjô of Yoshinkan Aikido at Lothstraße 62 in Munich. Inspired by Toshio Hosokawa's ‘Into the Depths of Time’ for cello and accordion, Norbert Graf created a choreography that fuses ballet, aikido martial arts and music. Mariia Malinina, Florian Sollfrank, Eline Larrory and Noah Hak presented a neoclassical-looking duo, which ultimately merged into an aikido movement sequence. The dancers were framed by a group of aikidokas, who simultaneously performed various martial arts movement sequences to Hosokawa's composition.

Choreography: Norbert Graf
Music: Toshio Hosokawa 
Concept and dramaturgy: Katja Leclerc, Serge Honegger

A project of the Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian State Ballet in cooperation with the Yoshinkan Aikido, Lothstraße 62, Munich

Performances: 18 February 2023 in the Dôjô of the Yoshinkan Aikido

Photos and text: © Serge Honegger