With Dance On Participation, we open up creative spaces for elderly people in our workshops, where they can explore and develop their personal potential through dance and movement. This programme is primarily aimed at people who are still able to live their lives independently. But what about those who rely on care?
Participating in social life has been proven to promote mental well-being, health and quality of life. However, elderly people in need of care are often excluded from social and cultural experiences. We are committed to reaching this target group more effectively – with tailored programmes that enable their active participation in dance and culture, and that help counteract isolation.
Therefore, Bureau Ritter launched the initiative “Get out of the Care Home, Into the Theatre” in 2022. Our aim is to give elderly people in need of care the opportunity to experience dance and theatre performances on stage. With accessible transportation and support from care staff or volunteers, we bring them directly into the heart of cultural life. But the theatre visit does not stand on it’s own: preparatory and follow-up workshops held in care facilities ensure a lasting engagement with the experiences and create space for exchange, creativity and community.
The success speaks for itself: participants, care facilities and theatres report long-lasting positive effects – especially the noticeable improvement in the well-being of the elderly and the development of an inclusive theatre culture. The initiative fosters a vibrant network of cultural professionals, caregivers and institutions, offering a platform for inspiring collaborations and new impulses for cultural and social participation.
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Get out of the Care Home, Into the Theatre
at STEIN
Our successful format “Get out of the Care Home, Into the Theatre” continues: Together with seniors from the Caritas Senior Center Sankt Johannes in Kreuzberg and the Johannastift Spandau, we will visit the performance STEIN on 27 July 2025 — a production from the Dance On series Encounters.
Choreographer Lucinda Childs and Dance On Ensemble dancer Miki Orihara will perform together, reflecting on a text by Gertrude Stein. To complete the evening, the Dance On Ensemble will present three works by Lucinda Childs from the 1970s: Untitled Trio, Radial Courses, and Interior Drama.
The theater visit will be framed by workshops with Laura Böttinger and Angela Deutsch. Before and after the performance, we will observe, dance, discuss and exchange ideas together. Additional theater experiences are planned for October/November at fabrik Potsdam and in December at Halle Tanzbühne Berlin.
We would like to thank the Radialsystem.
In cooperation with the Performing Arts Programme Berlin.
Previous co-operations
Get out of the Care Home, Into the Theatre
at shall we… together
Together with residents of the Caritas-Seniorenzentrum Sankt Johannes Berlin and the Agaplesion Bethanien Haus Bethesda, we experienced a very special dance performance at the FELD Theatre for Young Audiences on 15 October 2024. At shall we… together by tout petit, children and senior citizens met and discovered the stage, dance and each other. Here too, workshops led by us framed the theatre visit.
We would like to thank the FELD Theatre for Young Audiences.
In cooperation with the Performing Arts Programme Berlin.
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Get out of the Care Home, Into the Theatre
A new format for elderly people in need of care
In order to actively involve elderly people from care homes in cultural life, the team of Dance On Participation tested the new format “Get out of the Care Home, Into the Theatre” last year. Residents from the Johannastift Spandau and the Schönow nursing home saw three selected dance pieces in the Radialsystem, the Sophiensäle and at Tanz im August. In preparation, knowledge about dance was taught in workshops, movement approaches were tried out and ideas were exchanged. This was followed by discussions, dancing and an exchange of impressions. The positive response from all those involved, especially the participating residents, encourages us in our desire to establish long-term engagement programmes and visibility for this target group.
We are delighted to be able to realise this special project with the support of Fahrservice Schulz.
Thanks to Prof Dr Michael Bossle, Andreas Rath and Eva Meyer-Keller.
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