Cultures Unite Through Dance at Summer Festival
The Raum der Begegnung became a vibrant dance floor on July 5, 2025, as people from diverse cultural backgrounds came together to celebrate through movement and music. The Summer Dance Festival showcased the rich multicultural fabric of Freising's community in an afternoon of cross-cultural connection.
Undeterred by soaring temperatures, participants filled the converted restaurant space with energy and enthusiasm. Two regular user groups of the Raum der Begegnung contributed to the program: the local Volkstanzkreis Freising folk dance group and the Chinese Cultural Association. Each group demonstrated traditional dances from their heritage before inviting everyone to join in.
Breaking barriers through movement
"Watching people from completely different cultural backgrounds connect through dance was truly moving," said Andreas Malecki, Chairman of the support association. The diverse crowd included participants with Ukrainian, Afghan, and Chinese heritage, alongside current and former board members of the support organization.
The Volkstanzkreis Freising brought traditional Bavarian and Alpine folk dances to life, teaching guests everything from basic steps to intricate choreography. Meanwhile, the Chinese Cultural Association captivated audiences with elegant movements and rhythms from their homeland.
Between performances, animated conversations flourished as guests shared stories about their experiences and cultures. These spontaneous exchanges created the festival's warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Community feast
Food played a central role in the celebration. While organizers provided beverages, participants contributed a potluck of homemade specialties that reflected the group's cultural diversity, sparking further conversation and connection.
Spreading the word
The festival gained additional visibility through the City of Freising's "Zehntelsekunde" action weeks program guide, which drew several first-time visitors to the Raum der Begegnung.
Mission accomplished
Event organizer Waschma Şahin, Vice-Chairwoman of the support association, declared the festival a resounding success. "This event perfectly demonstrated what happens when people approach each other with openness and curiosity," she said. "Dancing together proved to be an incredibly effective way to break down barriers and build new friendships."
The Raum der Begegnung has served as a beacon for tolerance and democracy since 2011, and this afternoon once again fulfilled its core mission: providing a welcoming space where people of all backgrounds can meet and connect.
Announcement: Summer Party on 5th of July 2025
Raum der Begegnung Freising is throwing a summer party – and you're invited!
It's all about celebrating diversity and coming together. Expect a colorful afternoon with music, dancing, and plenty of chances to chat and connect in a laid-back atmosphere.
Under the motto “Celebrate Diversity – Break Down Prejudice,” Raum der Begegnung brings people together to build a vibrant community.
Come enjoy the music, taste some delicious food, and meet the many amazing groups that make our community so special.
We gladly take contributions to the common buffet.
Where: Freisinger Raum der Begegnung, Major-Braun-Weg 12, E02
When: 05. Juli 2025, 02:00 p.m. - 07:00 p.m.
Programme:
approx. 3:00 p.m.: Folk dance performance & practice
approx. 4:00 p.m.: Chinese dancing group
approx. 5:00 p.m.: Attan - Afghan dance
Feel free to bring your own dances to show and practice! Just drop us a line: info@raumderbegegnung-freising.de
Learning to Argue Constructively
Arguing? That doesn't sound appealing at first. Most of us prefer to avoid conflicts. But that's exactly what can become a problem, as the participants in our workshop quickly discovered.
Eva Feldmann-Wojtachnia from LMU Munich showed the interested attendees – mostly women, by the way – that avoiding conflict often has the opposite effect: In the end, the conflict only becomes bigger and more hostile.
When good qualities become too much
The presenter brought a fascinating insight: Every positive trait can turn negative when taken to extremes. Frugality becomes stinginess, generosity becomes wasteful spending. Everyone knows this from daily life.
It gets interesting with social issues: Those who trust everyone become naive. Those who don't let anyone get close become control freaks. Finding the golden mean is the art – and this is exactly where constructive arguing comes into play.
Being open while still taking a position
How do these go together? You can certainly have your opinion and still listen to others. The trick is to do both in the right measure. Not everyone feels this "right measure" the same way – and that's completely normal.
Those who know what moves other people and where their sensitive spots are can discuss much more relaxedly. You don't slip into extremes as easily: neither into indifference ("I don't care") nor into know-it-all attitudes ("only I am right").
Why it's worth it
In our society, many topics need to be discussed. Only this way do different opinions and needs come to light. Only this way do good solutions emerge.
The participants agreed in the end: Arguing constructively isn't easy, but it's worth it. Because in the end, we understand each other better – even when we don't always agree.
Save the Date: 2nd User Meeting 2025
We will have our second user meeting 2025 on 30th of September at 7 p.m. .New Board and Association Committee
At the general meeting on February 18, we held our scheduled election for a new board and association committee. The previous first and second chairpersons of the association, Dr. Bernd Grosche and Marina Decker, did not run for re-election. We sincerely thank both of them for their outstanding service to the association over the past years.
The newly elected board members are Waschma Sahin (Second Chairperson) and Dr. Andreas Malecki (First Chairperson). Johanna Sticksel was re-elected as Treasurer.
The other previous members of the association committee were also re-elected: Ronny Homann as Secretary and Michael Emmer as a committee member with a focus on IT. Meral Meindl and Gabriel Weindauer will continue to support us as auditors.
We look forward to working together for the association and to the many opportunities we will create for the citizens of Freising in the coming years.