From 28 to 31 October in Cologne, “In Motion” gets the Baroque dancing

From 28 to 31 October 2026, the Cologne Philharmonie launches a new festival, In Motion: four days devoted to the relationship between music and movement. Deliberately wide-ranging, the programme gives the Baroque a prominent place, bringing it into contact with hip-hop, breakdance and acrobatics.

The opening on 28 October promises to be spectacular: Leonardo García-Alarcón, Cappella Mediterranea and the Namur Chamber Choir return to Rameau’s Les Indes galantes in an abridged version entitled De la voix des âmes. Alongside Amandine Sanchez, Ana Quintans, Mathias Vidal and Edwin Crossley-Mercer, choreographer Bintou Dembélé and her company Structure Rualité bring the dance of the 1735 opéra-ballet face to face with krump and hip-hop.

Another highlight for Baroque enthusiasts comes on 31 October at 11 am, when Julien Chauvin and Le Concert de la Loge reunite with choreographer Mourad Merzouki’s Compagnie Käfig for Battle Vivaldi. The Four Seasons, supplemented notably by a sinfonia from L’Olimpiade, become the playground for dancers combining breakdance, hip-hop and acrobatics.

In between, on 30 October, the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic also make a detour into the seventeenth century with a suite by Purcell, as part of a much broader choreographic journey from Dvořák to Piazzolla.

With In Motion, the Cologne Philharmonie aims to bring renewed attention to an essential dimension of the Baroque: the close relationship between music, body, gesture and movement.

Official website: https://www.koelner-philharmonie.de