17. Dez. 2023
In the new DanceAbility series at Gasteig HP8, everyone can dance along, regardless of age, physical fitness or dance experience - and once a month on Sunday mornings, free of charge.
Tedious step counting, fixed music styles or insecure squinting at what the other person is doing are superfluous here. DanceAbility is a dance method from the USA that has been practiced for over 30 years and in 45 countries worldwide: Everyone can develop their own dance style and move the way they like. A small choreography is then developed together from these individual movements - many differences thus become something common. On Sunday, October 29, the new series starts at 11 a.m. in the Gasteig HP8 rehearsal hall.
"DanceAbility is a perfect fit for us," says Gasteig Managing Director Stephanie Jenke. "Gasteig HP8 is a meeting place where people can experience or try something together. This offer is open to everyone. In this way, we're doing something to combat loneliness in the city: if you dance with others, you're definitely not alone."
Three Sundays in October, November and December are planned for this year. Ralf Otto, cultural mediator, EX-IN recovery facilitator, cultural project manager and himself an enthusiastic tango dancer, leads the events. The commonality is the focus for him. And he deliberately does not speak of "inclusion" when he explains the idea behind it: "DanceAbility is not a method in which commonly used dance routines are adapted to the needs of people with physical disabilities. This format is designed from the beginning for all people. That's a difference."
Ralf Otto always adapts the exercises and the language he uses to the current needs of the group dancing together that day. And the music is also a surprise every time, because it is based on the wishes of the participants.
Still, the dancing itself can be challenging, even exhausting - and for everyone, with or without physical limitations. "That's exactly why people love this format," says Ralf Otto, "it challenges everyone and is therefore fun for everyone."
At the same time, moving together breaks down fears of contact - of people with and without disabilities, of young and older people, or even of people with different backgrounds. "You negotiate a different togetherness through dancing, get to know each other on a completely different level or meet people you would never have met otherwise," says Ralf Otto. "And because the composition of the group is always new, every single dance meeting is a unique adventure."
DanceAbility
Sunday, Oct. 29, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Rehearsal Hall, House C,
Gasteig HP8
Hans-Preißinger-Strasse
81379 Munich
Admission free, registration is not necessary
A project of the Gasteig München GmbH in cooperation with the Kulturator - Gute Dinge Stiftung, Munich
Further information can be found here