Gas station of joy

Het Danspaleis started as an old-fashioned cozy dance party for the elderly and for everyone who loves to swing. Connected formulas have been developed to build inclusive communities in a city or region. The formulas work complementarily or can be used separately.

The mission of Het Danspaleis is to keep all elderly people in the Netherlands vital and connected through dancing and music. With this gas station of joy of life, the Netherlands gets moving and loneliness is tackled.

Join the fastest growing conga line of love and care for each other. More info

in moves

Danspaleis, old-fashioned cozy dance party.

Het Danspaleis is an old-fashioned cozy dance party for the elderly and everyone who loves to swing. The Record Spinner (PD) pulls old hits from the suitcase of stars of yesteryear, such as Johnny Hoes, Louis Prima, Lieve Hugo, and Doris Day. From sing-alongs to tearjerkers, from merengue to English waltz, and from polonaise to belly dance: with Het Danspaleis, it's always a ball.

Not only do the elderly recharge, but also caregivers, healthcare and welfare staff, and employees from the business sector get a boost. This way, it becomes a party for everyone. Het Danspaleis can be deployed in a series of, for example, four editions to give a location a boost or can be used once for, for example, an anniversary, kick-off, or themed party.

Dance palace, started in 2012

Het Danspaleis started as an organization in November 2012.

  • About 125,000 elderly people have found our dance floor by now.
  • Since 2024, we host about 600 editions per year. These are the larger Danspaleizen and the smaller Living Room Danspaleizen together.
  • We are building inclusive dance communities in five focus cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, and Almere.
  • We work with a volunteer pool of about 325 contact makers who dance with the elderly.
  • Het Danspaleis has a core team of 10 members behind the scenes and a flex pool of about 30 bouda’s (builders/dancers) and record spinners.

Dancing and music break through cultural backgrounds

Dancing and music break through cultural backgrounds, beliefs, ranks and statuses, and sexual and political preferences. The perfect icebreaker needed for connection and truly seeing each other. Het Danspaleis is an inclusive movement of sprightly and vulnerable elderly, family members and caregivers, and volunteers and partners. You can find us in care and community centers, theaters and libraries, but also at theater festivals and dance events where old and young meet on the dance floor. Het Danspaleis offers an alternative for how we deal with aging and caring for each other in an aging Netherlands.