Dansens Hus - A house for the children and families

This season’s program for children and families includes four distinct projects, spanning a wide age range and showcasing a broad variety of artistic expressions. In addition to several wonderful performances at our venue, we also bring dance to Gamle Oslo and invite audiences to experience performances from a boat on the Akerselva river.

An interactive performance/installation for children 6+

Swinging between the drama of the real world and a fairy tale, the audience enters a magical world where strange, oily flowers grow. In this world, oil functions as a portal between the past and the present; a ghostly legacy to you, standing here, from those who have already passed through.

Each performance takes place around an interactive installation where the audience is invited to create a collage of magnetic shapes. This landscape becomes the backdrop for the performance, where the imaginative figures become the protagonists of this narrative.

The Oil-Dino-Du installation is made from recycled elements from the exhibitionSofies Room, created by Roza and Ronak Moshtaghi in 2024 at the MUNCH museum.

For children 10+ years

A new encounter with Asia – in an exuberant explosion of colours. 

If you have not seen Eun-Me Ahn’s productions before, then an absolutely unique, colourful and mesmerising experience is awaiting you. If you have seen her productions before, you are bound to want more.

With roots in shamanistic rituals and her training in modern dance, in both Korea and the USA, Eun-Me Ahn has created a distinctive artistic language that builds bridges between East and West. In her latest production, Post-Orientalist Express, Ahn takes a close look at Asia’s rich dance traditions, with the emphasis on challenging and recreating their portrayals of Asia. These tend to be romanticised by the West, and sometimes exploited or even distorted in Asia. In Post-Orientalist Express, Ahn is looking for a new cultural identity which crosses the boundary between the traditional and the modern. Balancing between the West’s post-colonial sense of guilt and the East’s ideology that can at times be dominated by revenge, she looks for a space in this intersection.  

For Ahn, legends, costumes, music, movements and pop culture become various excuses for meeting the clichés head-on – and then twisting and exaggerating them to the point of absurdity, thereby highlighting their differences.

Please note - this is not an exclusive childrens performance, but can fit for children from 10+ who are used to watch performances in different genres. 

For children 10+ years

– a performance art festival with its roots in street and club dance.

From 2–8 March 2026, it’s time for the Soul Sessions Encounters festival! 
For the sixth year, the festival presents Norwegian and international guest artists and three self-produced works – all from choreographers with deep roots in street and club dance. For the first time, the festival will take place at Dansens Hus and the Opera House – with performances, battles, jams, panel discussions and workshops at both venues.

Soul Sessions Encounters is organised by Soul Sessions Oslo, a leading player in Norwegian street and club dance culture. Through festivals, events and projects, they create inclusive arenas for anyone interested in dance.

For children 0-6 years
 
Rip, fold and scrumple! 

Shall we see what we can make with a single square of paper? 
As you scrunch the paper, see how your imagination begins to dance… 

Dive into the magical world of Club Origami, an immersive and interactive dance show inviting family audiences to create, imagine and explore whole new ways of thinking, playing, and moving. 

Dance, fashion, and live music meet the magic of origami to sweep us up on a spirited and inspiring adventure in a land made purely of paper and play.  

The artists Makiko Aoyama, Robert Howat and Takeshi Matsumoto – all based in the United Kingdom – invite children up to six years old and their caregivers into Club Origami: a tactile, enchanting space where dance, live music and Japan-inspired design create a unique atmosphere and a place that feels welcoming for both children and adults.

A sign landguage interpreter will be present before, under and after the performance April 11th.

A world of mythic proportions, where earthly forms commune with the gods of the machine world.

U>N>I>T>E>D is the latest work in the canon of Chunky Move Artistic Director Antony Hamilton’s speculative future’ performances, following recent innovative dance experiences created by the company such as Token Armies (2019) and Yung Lung (2022). Exploring ‘machine mysticism’ and the persistence of spirituality in a post-industrial digital age, the work is a major international collaboration with prodigal sons of Javanese experimental techno, Gabber Modus Operandi, Bali-based streetwear label Future Loundry, Australian global leaders in animatronic design, Creature Technology Co., and a stellar line up of six dancers.

Choreography by Antony and the dancers (whose practices traverse contemporary and street dance styles) is performed to Gabber Modus Operandi’s gamelan-infused, Javanese trance-inspired techno beats. Creature Technology Co.’s mechanical exoskeleton suits, embellished by upcycled Indonesian motorcycle-culture inspired costuming by Future Loundry, transform the dancers into insect- and machine-like creatures.
 
There will be a sign language interpreter present before the performance on April 16, and the post-show talk on the same day will also be interpreted into sign language.

Please note - this is not an exclusive childrens performance, but can fit for children from 10+ who are used to watch performances in different genres. 

Unpredictable and astounding energy bomb!

School bench, park bench, cloakroom bench – a bench can be so many things. They are somewhere you sit down to relax, but they are also the place where footballers sit and wait to be called up to play. Benched is a fresh and urban dance production based around the bench. Five male dancers and three black benches make up a production about belonging and finding your place – literally.

Using spectacular choreography that blends breakdance, Brazilian capoeira and contemporary dance, the dancers turn the benches into an arena for cooperation and conflict. They challenge each other – they fit in and make room, but there isn’t always enough for everyone. Where and how is it okay to sit? Don’t we know that we will end up on the floor?

Contrary to its name, Benched is a production that refuses to sit still. With light limbs and impressive body control, the dancers move from playful to serious and back again – with many hidden surprises.

Suitable for children over the age of about 10, and adults. Ideal for families.

Krets is an imaginative and relaxed performance for children aged 5–8.

Krets is all about exactly that: your circle. The group you feel at home with – or the one you’re trying to sneak into. It’s the warmth of belonging and the lingering question of being left out: “Where is everyone else?”

A circle can be a group of friends, a team, a flock – or a ring, a loop, an electric circuit. It’s about moving in circles, orbiting each other and – when the stars align – suddenly being perfectly in sync. Magic!

For children aged 5–8.
Read more and get your tickets HERE.

Unique dance against the scenic backdrop of the Oslofjord. 

Oslofjorden Danser is a series of roving performances alongside and around the Oslofjord, giving the audience the chance to experience contemporary dance in new and unexpected settings. The project is a collaboration between Panta Rei Danseteater and Dansens Hus. The production has been a huge hit with audiences every year since 2021.

By giving a new setting to familiar places, the ambition is to make more people interested in dance art, and promote the amazing natural environment of the Oslofjord. The backbone of Oslofjorden Danser are the solo works performed by dancers in the TILT Grow talent programme – combined with projects for local performers and professionals. Together, this gives us the opportunity to create unique and evocative experiences, far beyond the edge of the stage. The dancers develop their solos in collaboration with selected, influential choreographers. You can experience dance art from a boat, or on foot with a guide.

Please note - this is not an exclusive childrens event, but can fit for children from 10+ who are used to watch performances in different genres.