Tanzschule und Ballhaus Walzerlinksgestrickt Berlin

A 19th-century brew house, four halls, six-meter ceilings

Ulrike Albrecht-Balzer and Jojakim Balzer won an award in the first Berlin Business Plan Competition in 1996 and opened their ballhouse a year later. The building is the former brew house of the Habelsch Malzbierbrauerei on Tempelhofer Berg, a listed industrial building from the 19th century, which previously served as a horse stable, ammunition and margarine factory, air-raid shelter, and storage for the Senate’s oil and fat reserves, and then stood empty for decades. Today, the building occupies the entire ground floor and first floor: four halls with brick walls, herringbone oak parquet, and Prussian cap ceilings, measuring 6.60 meters at their highest point. The large hall adheres to the style of the twenties and thirties, with dark parquet and heavy velvet curtains, while the lounge with a bar offers plenty of glass and direct views of the dance floor. You can sit there even without a course, simply watch, drink a coffee, and see if the idea of joining in appeals to you. Teaching follows the system of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

Dancing without subscription, without dress code, and without a fixed role

Standard and Latin, Discofox, Salsa, Swing including West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango, and Solodance are taught, both in ongoing courses and in open classes, for which no registration is required. A single open class lasts 75 minutes and costs 14 Euros; a 10-class pass costs 120 Euros and can be used by two people. The curriculum runs in an endless loop, so each lesson can be repeated as often as desired. The rest of the venue’s concept is similarly relaxed: no subscription, no contractual obligation, no dress code, no compulsion to wear dance shoes, missed appointments can be made up free of charge, and if you wish, you can learn both roles, leading and following. Registration is possible alone or in pairs, and dancing is done with everyone. The venue is explicitly open to queer couples and hosts its own queer ballroom format. At the open practice evening for 15 Euros, a female or male trainer is always available for questions, and it starts with a small drink at the bar. Stress almost melts away on its own.