UBUNTU: OPEN SPACE @UBUNTU

© Julian Petrich

Sun 13.07. – Sat 19.07.25

Pina Bausch Zentrum under construction, Bundesallee 260, Wuppertal
Participation is free of charge!
10–16:30 h

Please register here

Living Performance: The Story Inside Us – A dance and theatre workshop for children

This workshop invites children into a space where imagination, movement, and emotion come alive... not as skills to perfect, but as languages to explore.

No dance experience needed, just curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to play. Through storytelling, movement, and creative games, we support each child’s body, mind, heart, and voice. It’s a space where self-expression feels safe, and where play becomes something truly special.

In a world that often moves too fast, we slow down, so children can reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the joy of being exactly who they are, under the caring and professional guidance of choreographer Francesco Vecchione, Anna Wehsarg and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch dancer Julie Anne Stanzak.

No pressure to perform
Just presence, play, and connection Because every child carries a story inside. We’re simply here to make space for it.
The workshops will culminate in an informal showing on the 19th of July (time to be confirmed), where the children will present what they have learned and discovered through a relaxed, informal performance.

Who is it for?

  • Curious minds. No dance experience needed. Children’s unique perspective is what enriches this experience.
  • All physical abilities are welcome. Tasks will be adapted to each participant, with options to engage through movement, observation, or verbal reflection.

What can you expect?

  • A shared creative journey through movement, improvisation, and dialogue in a supportive environment.
  • A safe space where children’s boundaries are respected and their participation, in whatever form it takes, is valued.

Above all: You will be part of a process that values presence, exchange, and the joy of creating something together.

The workshop takes place as part of the Summer Lab UBUNTU, which is being realized together with the COLOUR collective.

UBUNTU – an African philosophy of life that can be translated as “I am because we are” - symbolizes the spirit of the festival: community, mutual solidarity and respectful cooperation. UBUNTU aims to show how art and culture can help to overcome divides and turn the “I” into a “we” - in a city where diversity can and should be lived.

Who is who?

The Pina Bausch Zentrum under construction is preparing the future - a new art and cultural institution for the 21st century. Until the opening, various events and projects are already taking place, networked with the people and actors of the city. The Pina Bausch Centre is coordinating the overall project.

The BOB CAMPUS – urban neighborhood in Wuppertal Oberbarmen is a new location on the site of a former textile factory. Last year, we had the opportunity to get to know, dance and play on the neighborhood floor of the BOB CAMPUS.

Dunua e.V. is a non-profit migrant self-organization that campaigns for cosmopolitanism, justice, solidarity, cultural education and environmental awareness. Dunua is involved in OPEN SPACE and involves as many different young people as possible and make them feel at home at BOB CAMPUS.

Support
The "OPEN SPACE" project is funded by "Zur Bühne", the funding program of the German Stage Association as part of "Kultur macht stark. Bündnisse für Bildung", funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.