In 2021, chancellor Angela Merkel is stepping down from office. She is being honored, by a grand military ceremony, broadcasted live. Although the so-called »Zapfenstreich« is a 300-year-old German military tradition, the images of German soldiers marching through the night while holding burning torches, disturb both the German and international audience: many associate the show with historical images of the Nazis. Despite the different context, the ceremony sparks a discussion: how should the German military present itself as an institution of a modern democracy – 76 years after the horrors of World War II?
Three years later, the performancegroup BOYS* IN SYNC reenacts the TV broadcast: as performers and dancers from different European countries, they treat the military movements as choreographies that question masculinity, conformity, and power, blending them with moments of disruption, queerness, and intimacy.
Boys* in Sync is a transdisciplinary, international performance group (DE/DK/SA/NO) working and researching on the phenomenon of synchronicity in different social and cultural settings. The group has been working together since 2019. In january 2025, they will present their new work InterEuroVision at Schauspiel Leipzig.
CONTENT NOTE
Retelling of a war film scene
The performance on October 2 will be followed by a karaoke party with Marie Meyer.
Supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Kulturamt Frankfurt and FFUK Norway. ZAPFENSTREICH is part of the BOYS* IN SYNC project »Mother Europe«, supported by States Kunstfonds Denmark, Grenland Friteater, Kultursenter Fossekleiva und TOASTER/Husetsteater Copenhagen.
