Entertainment

Johannes B. Kerner was born in 1964 in Bonn. He first became widely known as a sports presenter for Sat.1’s football magazine ran, where he appeared on camera from 1992 to 1997. In 1998, Johannes B. Kerner moved to ZDF and hosted das aktuelle Sportstudio for 11 years, as well as football international matches, European and World Championships, and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. In the same year, he received his own eponymous show on the network, where he interviewed celebrities and non-celebrities four times a week. Until 2008, he also hosted ZDF’s major annual review program Menschen. To this day, Johannes B. Kerner hosts major ZDF television shows such as Quiz-Champion, Ein Herz für Kinder, die große Terra-X Show, and the prestigious Magenta Talk format BestBesetzung. He also presented the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and most recently, the UEFA Euro 2024 for Magenta TV. Johannes B. Kerner has been honored with numerous awards, including the Bambi, the Goldene Kamera, and the German Television Award. For his social commitment, he received the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon in 2006 and the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class in 2022. In 2011, he co-founded the Becker-Kerner Foundation with Britta Becker-Kerner to promote youth, culture, and sports. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of the German Sports Aid Foundation (Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe). He lives in Hamburg.

Thomas Gottschalk was born on May 18, 1950, in Bamberg, Germany. In the late 1970s, he became one of Germany’s first media influencers when teenagers across Bavaria tuned in to his cult radio show Pop nach 8 on Bayern 3. During the 1980s, he also helped launch the broadcasting career of his close friend Günther Jauch, who still maintains that his own success would have been unimaginable without “Thommy,” as Gottschalk soon became affectionately known throughout the country. The two remained close friends and, together with Barbara Schöneberger, co-hosted the RTL Saturday night entertainment show Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert (“They Don’t Know What’s Going to Happen”) until May 2026. Thomas Gottschalk achieved his greatest success as host of the iconic television show Wetten, dass..? (“Bet That..?”), which he took over from Frank Elstner in 1987. Under his leadership, the program became Europe’s most successful entertainment show, earning numerous awards and attracting millions of viewers for decades. In 2025, Gottschalk bid farewell to the legendary format in front of an audience of 12 million viewers, bringing an extraordinary chapter of European television history to a close.

Photocredit: Frank Bauer/Ungefiltert/Heyne Verlag

Today, concert halls and international tango festivals like in Amsterdam, Berlin und Paris and even Buenos Aires and North America can no longer be imagined without these four musicians who have always been able to inspire both concert-goers and tango dancers. They have won several prizes at international music competitions in Klingenthal (Germany), Trani (Italy) and Castelfidardo (Italy). Brought into being in 2004, the ensemble was named after its birthplace in the Netherlands, where, at that time, the three founding members, Michael Dolak, Susanne Cordula Welsch and Judy Ruks, were studying tango at the Rotterdam Academy for World Music. 2007 they moved together to Germany. Nowadays they are living in Berlin, Stuttgart and Paris. 2025 is a special year because they are celebrating their 20th anniversary on stage.

The quartet’s classic structure, consisting of bandoneón, violin, piano and double bass, provides a sound experience ranging between tradition and modernity. With their experience, creativity and imagination, this small orchestra conjures up a world of tango for all kinds of emotions.

Photocredit: Kay Herschelmann

Sinomtha Zake is a soulful vocalist from East London, South Africa, who grew up in the isiXhosa homelands immersed in traditional isiXhosa music and gospel. Having discovered a deep connection to music at a youthful age, she later pursued formal studies in Baroque music. Today, her university training and rich cultural heritage come together to shape her distinctive artistry. Her background enables her to sing in multiple languages and to connect authentically with musical traditions beyond her own. Her voice was further developed in the Stellenbosch University Choir, an award-winning choir where sang for 5 years and toured internationally, often having lead vocal parts. Among that, Sinomtha sang for the Stellenbosch University Jazz Band, performed with various South African Jazz artists such as Hilton Schilder, Blake Hellaby, and Schalk Joubert, she found her own African jazz ensemble called Sinomtha Zake Collective, and she is the lead voice in the gospel group UnQulo. In January 2025, Sinomtha gave her international solo debut by singing in jazz clubs in Germany, such as the Blue Note in Dresden. In January 2026, she was performing on multiple stages in Germany, such as Jazzbar Vogler in Munich, Blue Note in Dresden, and Schlosskeller in Emmendingen. In November 2025 she moved to in Munich, Germany, where she is furthering her studies in Baroque music while also engaging in the city’s Jazz and Pop scene.

Victoria Henze is an award-winning Movement Coach with an impressive career. She completed a comprehensive dance training program and is a World Champion in Show Dance. Her studies in sports science and her training as a sociologist further enhance her expertise in movement and body awareness.

With many years of experience, she works with numerous artists and actors to optimize their physical performance and support their personal development. She created the online program "Barre Me Up" and is also involved in a partnership with the brand On.

As a Movement Coach, Victoria Henze specializes in guiding individuals toward greater strength, flexibility, and inner balance – both physically and mentally.

Thomas Pöllmann creates abstract works in which layered colors form dynamic structures full of movement and depth. Using spatulas, knives, and trowels, he continuously alters the surface, giving each piece its own expressive character. The intensity arises from his choice of colors and the technique of overpainting, which reveals hidden layers. Intuition and chance work together, resulting in compositions defined by their complexity and spontaneous development. These abstract works follow no fixed rules but unfold through the creative process itself. This freedom allows emotional and visual tension to emerge, inviting viewers to form their own interpretations. Color and structure merge into a unified whole that combines both rhythmic and impulsive elements. Each layer introduces a new dynamic and opens up fresh perspectives, creating a vibrant surface that captures the moment of its creation. Through his technique and deliberate choice of materials, Thomas Pöllmann enables endless variation. His works reflect a deep engagement with the possibilities of painterly expression and demonstrate how the interplay of intuition and experimental approach can lead to unique visual worlds.

Discover all cruises on which the atelier is represented on board.

Thomas Pöllmann is an artist and coach. His professional career began in the field of object furnishing, where spatial design became one of his central focuses. This work took him to over 30 countries on six continents, including for the German Foreign Office. Over time, art became an increasingly important part of his life: in addition to sketching and watercolor painting, the self-taught artist became deeply involved in abstract oil painting. Intuition and a playful approach to chance characterize his often large-scale works, which can be found in private homes, well-known companies, and institutions such as Deutsche Bahn, the Joint Federal Committee, and government buildings like the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. His joy in creative creation is also conveyed through his coaching and workshops, where he shares knowledge and inspires others. Furthermore, he is passionately involved in environmental projects: Through his art, he initiated and supported numerous initiatives – both in his own projects and in collaboration with partners like WaldLokal or Mercedes-Benz – contributing to the sustainable planting of over 4,000 trees and making a valuable contribution to nature conservation.