This week Just Dance 2021 is released. To celebrate, Massive donated a bunch of copies of the new game to our partner Fryshuset, that works nationwide to support and encourage children and teenagers. Anyone who dared to give the game a try on the dance floor also had a chance to win a copy of the game.
It’s ‘Höstlov’ in Sweden. For a week, students all over the country are off for their annual autumn break. In Malmö, the leaves on the trees have turned fierce orange and the icy winds are making sure we don’t forget winter is coming. At Fryshuset however, the atmosphere is warm, and laughter fills the different rooms. Despite the current pandemic, teenagers and children from all around Malmö have turned up for the activities organized during the break. The schedule offers classes in breakdancing, art workshops, music production, and afro dance, only to name a few.
When the world feels unsafe and scary, we are needed more than ever, as a safe zone for children to reside and engage in various activities in.
“We see an increased social anxiety amongst young people today,“ Jenny Berg Nilson, Managing Director at Fryshuset, says. “When the world feels unsafe and scary, we are needed more than ever, as a safe zone for children to reside and engage in various activities in.”
In the ‘Just Dance room’, the tunes of Ariana Grande are blasting from the speakers, and encouraging applauses are heard from a small audience watching the excited dancers. According to Sebastian Pinero, Operations Manager for Youth Culture at Fryshuset, the Just Dance experience serves as a great confidence booster for many of the teenagers, who overcomes their shyness and later goes on to try out the other dance classes, hosted throughout the week.
But when I tried Just Dance, I realized that no one cared what it looked like and I just wanted to keep on dancing!
‘First, I didn’t want to try it because I don’t think I am very good at dancing,” Fatima, 15, says. “But when I tried Just Dance, I realized that no one cared what it looked like and I just wanted to keep on dancing!
With a big smile, one of the lucky winners of the game tells us they don’t own a console but was thrilled to win a copy since it made the perfect birthday gift for their best friend.
Not only the teenagers are dancing during the event. The staff is challenged to join in and show off their skills. Overall, the week offers a lot of laughter and most likely just as many new dance professionals.
Since 2018, Massive are proud ambassadors for Fryshuset Syd, together working towards a socially sustainable and inclusive region for children and teenagers.
‘‘Our motto at Fryshuset is that young people will change the world through their passions, and today many share a passion to video games,” Sebastian says. “Having a close collaboration with one of the leading developers in the world is extremely exciting and we value our direct link to Massive, as it motivates young people to aspire a career in the games industry.”
Fryshuset is located at Möllevången, the same area as Massive’s new offices. Thanks to the recent move, we are not only closer to each other physically, but also mentally.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming collaborations with Fryshuset.
Just Dance 2021 is released on PS4, PS5, XBOX1, XBOX SERIES X and Nintendo Switch, today, November 12th.
Useful links
- Read more about our commitments and CSR here.
- Our support of two initiatives from Fryshuset, BEM and Värmestugan.
- Press statement about our collaboration with Fryshuset (in Swedish).
