Dance With Us!

The “Dance With Us!” project combines music, dance, and movement to improve the well-being of socially disadvantaged people. The focus is primarily on women and families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

The WHO and current international studies recommend more physical activity to achieve better physical well-being. The project uses music to encourage people to move more and live healthier lives. We want people to move, be mindful, and experience culture — everywhere!

At the same time, the project examines how these offerings impact health and quality of life, what barriers exist, and how the concept can be further developed. “Dance With Us!” aims to promote greater social justice in the health sector through creative, connecting, and moving impulses.

The concept was developed as part of the “Move All of Salzburg” project, in which over 500 citizens actively participated in a participatory idea-generation process in 2023 to promote physical activity in the city of Salzburg. In a public vote, “Dance With Us!” was selected as one of the ten most popular concepts, receiving 186 votes (17%).

Key features of the concept include:

• An attractive, everyday-oriented, accessible, and target group-specific dance program for beginners and advanced participants, including seated dancing for people with limitations
• A mobile platform (vehicle) to reach people in their local social environments
• Accompanying childcare to especially support women and families
• A “Healthy Bar”: a space for communication about movement, healthy eating, and cultural participation in everyday life

The pilot phase of “Dance With Us!” is scheduled from July 2025 to October 2025. The offerings will take place three afternoons a week (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) in and around the Lehen district of Salzburg. The goal is to be present in areas where people particularly affected by social disadvantage live. The dance interventions will be led by professional artists who bring their expertise in music, dance, and social participation to inspire creative movement and communal experiences. Their artistic approach creates spaces for connection, expression, and joy — regardless of age, background, or physical condition.

The psychophysiological impact of the “Dance With Us!” offerings will be scientifically monitored and evaluated as part of the research project. Ethnographic methods such as participant observation and interviews will be used to gain deeper insights into the experiences and social dynamics of the participants.

Additionally, health-related questionnaires will be used to measure changes in physical and psychosocial well-being. The evaluation will also include heart rate monitoring during the dance sessions to assess the effects of movement and music on the cardiovascular system.

This multidimensional approach allows for both subjective experiences and objectively measurable changes to be made visible — providing a well-founded exploration of the potential of “Dance With Us!” as an innovative, low-threshold health initiative.

July/August:

City Library, Schumacherstraße:

• Thursday, July 10 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, July 17 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, July 24 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, July 31 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)

Stadtwerk, Inge-Morath-Platz:

• Friday, July 11 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Friday, July 18 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Friday, July 25 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Friday, August 1 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)

Lehener Park:

• Saturday, July 12 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, July 19 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, July 26 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, August 2 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)

September/October:

City Library, Schumacherstraße:

• Thursday, September 18 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, September 25 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, October 2 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, October 9 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)

Stadtwerk, Inge-Morath-Platz:

• Friday, September 19 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Friday, September 26 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Friday, October 3 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Friday, October 10 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)

Lehener Park:

• Saturday, September 20 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, September 27 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, October 4 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, October 11 (3:00–5:30 p.m.)

“Dance With Us!” is a joint project by the University of Salzburg, the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (FHS), the Salzburg Research Institute, and the Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine (SIAM).

Duration: March 2025 – March 2026
Project Lead: Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr. Katarzyna Grebosz-Haring (Senior Scientist, Mozarteum University Salzburg; Principal Investigator, University of Salzburg)

Consortium:

• Dr. Stefan Tino Kulnik (Principal Investigator, Salzburg Research)
• Mag. Melanie Roth, Ph.D., BSc (Senior Researcher in Health Sciences, FHS)
• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Leonhard Thun-Hohenstein (Co-Director, Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine)

Project Staff:

• Helena Beyer, BSc (University of Salzburg)
• Aurelia Heintze (University of Salzburg)
• Bernadette Ellen Lang, BA, MA (University of Salzburg)
• Sybille Salbrechter, BA, MA (FHS)
• Zoe Pichl, BSSc (University of Salzburg)

Additional Project Partners:

• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Arne Bathke (University of Salzburg)
• Assoc. Prof. Mag. Dr. Michael Parzer (University of Vienna)
• ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Martin Weichbold (University of Salzburg)

Funding: Land Salzburg WISS 2030 Impulse Project, GWS Funding Pool of Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, City of Salzburg, SIAM – Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine, Mozarteum University Salzburg, Interuniversity Institution Science & Art (University of Salzburg, Mozarteum University Salzburg)