With «Devil’s Kitchen» Marco Goecke creates a deeply personal and multilayered ballet that unfolds without a set narrative, emerging entirely from the creative process shared with the young dancers of the Bayerisches Junior Ballett München. Inspired by real conversations in a communal kitchen, memories of his own youth, the rehearsal space became a symbolic “devil’s kitchen” for Marco Goecke - a place of emotional intensity, vulnerability, and artistic discovery. The title reflects the risk and self-confrontation inherent in every act of creation. The result is a work about connection, transformation, and shared experience - raw, honest, and full of life.

“No matter how many pieces I’ve done, starting a new one never gets easier. Transforming our suffering, not as therapy, but to touch something larger amongst us is what I hope for each time I enter the studio… and the love for that suffering never tires.” One of the most infamous choreographers of our times, Marco Goecke describes an intrinsic need to say something of value all the while underpinning the immense vulnerability and courage in which it takes to say it. “Once a new piece is out, it’s done, it’s no longer mine… but somehow the ghosts of the past remain… and not without their way of coming back to haunt you - nevertheless, I prefer to just keep moving forward. Perhaps it’s the price for saying something.”

Uncompromising rigor and the pursuit of artistic authenticity form the very core of Goecke’s choreographic vision. Nurturing these qualities together with the dancers he works with may be seen as one of the greatest love stories of all. For the dancers of the Bayerisches Junior Ballett München, the direct encounter with such a visionary creative voice was an invaluable experience on their journey toward becoming professional artists.

For «Devil’s Kitchen» Goecke turned to the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd as his musical foundation, selecting “Shine on Your Crazy Diamond” (1975), “Wish You Were Here” (1975) and “Dogs” (1977). Pink Floyd, recognized as one of the first British psychedelic bands, became a cultural phenomenon through the scope of their sonic experimentation, the expansive length of their compositions, and their philosophical lyrics—texts that hover just within the bounds of our comprehension.

ABOUT MARCO GOECKE
As the longtime resident choreographer of Stuttgart Ballet and Scapino Ballet, Associate Choreographer at Nederlands Dans Theater, Resident Artist with Gauthier Dance, and Director of Staatsballett Hannover (2019–2023), Marco Goecke has created nearly one hundred works over the course of twenty years, including commissions for numerous international companies. He has received many prestigious awards, among them the Prix Dom Pérignon (2003), the Baden-Württemberg State Arts Prize (2005), the Nijinsky Award (2005), and the Dutch Dance Prize Zwaan (2017). In 2022 he was honored with both the Kylián Ring and the German Dance Prize. Beginning with the 2025/26 season, Marco Goecke has taken on the position of Ballet Director at Theater Basel.

World premiere on 11 June 2025 as part of the ‘BJBM in Prinzregententheater’ performance series at the Prinzregententheater Munich