With the project TANZformen, the Initiative LUNA PARK – in cooperation with Gesundbrunnen Primary School and Kita Weltkinder – expands its longstanding commitment to cultural education in the Berlin-Wedding district. The goal is to support and empower children – many with migration and refugee backgrounds – in their transition from preschool to primary school through artistic means.
In weekly dance classes, monthly intensive workshops and open rehearsals, children from kindergarten and school come together, meet through dance, and build trust in their own expressive abilities. These encounters, guided by professional dancers, create valuable interactive moments that are artistically further developed.
A key aspect of the project is the creation and development of professional dance performances based on the children’s experiences, movements, and ideas. The children contribute not only through dance, but also dramaturgically: they become sources of inspiration for the artistic process.
As part of TANZformen, the piece “Get on the mat!” is currently being created – a dance performance for people aged 4 and up: Five bodies, one giant mat – and a world full of possibilities. Sometimes it’s a soft cloud, then a dangerous slope. It becomes a surfboard, a wall, a raft, a roof, a bridge, a playing field. The five performers climb, slide, build, hide, argue, help one another, lose their balance – and discover new paths.
What at first seems like joyful play, reveals deeper themes upon closer look: struggle, boundaries, courage, and solidarity. Who’s allowed on? Who stays out? Who holds on when things tip over? With humor, physical strength, and imagination, the performance explores how to deal with obstacles, how to negotiate space, and how to dream together of arriving. A piece for children and adults alike – moving, playful, and profound.
LUNA PARK invites you to an open rehearsal on June 23, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., in the auditorium of the Gesundbrunnen Primary School (not wheelchair accessible, Prinzenallee 8, 13357 Berlin; duration approx. 45 minutes). The open rehearsal provides insight into the artistic creation process and is open to all – children, parents, neighbors, and professionals.
Registration via: performance@lunapark.works
The project TANZformen runs from July 2024 to July 2025 and is funded by the Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung. Close collaboration with preschool, school, artists, and local community is a key foundation for long-term cultural anchoring in the neighborhood. The developed model is intended to be adapted to other educational institutions in the future.
