At The Limelight Collective we want to create a place where people find a home.

We are artists and art enthusiasts whose vision is to build community in an anonymous city like Berlin. We bring together high-quality art with Christian spirituality and so enrich the lives of the individual and the community.

The Limelight Collective was founded in 2016 by Shaw and Katharina Coleman as a Salvation Army project in Berlin's trendy Prenzlauer Berg district. Our premises in Kastanienallee have had an eventful history: The 19th century industrial building was converted into a Salvation Army homeless shelter in the 1920s. In Socialist East Germany the building was forcibly taken by the government and after German reunification squatters lived here. Kastanienallee has now become one of Berlin's main artistic hubs and we feel like we are at the right place at the right time.

We express ourselves through dance, theater, film, live music, installations and numerous other art forms. We regularly perform on the streets of our neighborhood or in nearby Mauerpark and we can also be seen on stages all across Berlin. During our regular Community Days we strengthen our already existing community but every newcomer is also very welcome. The best introduction to The Limelight Collective are our weekly artistic mediation Soul Space and our Celtic prayer rhythm Matins.

We look forward to having you as part of our community!

The people who work for The Limelight Collective:

SHAW

Artistic director

Shaw graduated from the Australian National Theater Ballet School in 2006 before performing as a soloist with various ballet companies across Europe. After getting married in 2011 he danced at the Singapore Dance Theater where he had the honor of performing for the King and Queen of Malaysia. After settling in Germany in 2013 Shaw worked as a freelance dancer, choreographer and music theater actor, amongst other things in a European production of Dirty Dancing. For most of his life Shaw has volunteered for the Salvation Army and in 2016 he founded The Limelight Collective. Since then he has been creating his own works, for example for the Performing Arts Festival Berlin, and he has been passing on his experience to young artists. Outside of The Limelight Collective his expertise is requested as well; he was an advisor for cultural matters at the Ökumenischer Kirchentag 2021 and is a regular guest trainer at the ballet of the renowned Friedrichstadtpalast Berlin.

KATHARINA

Project advisor

Katharina has a Bachelor's degree in International Business from the University of Alberta in Canada and an MBA from INSEAD in Singapore. With her passion for entrepreneurship and her international experience spanning across three continents her core competencies are business development and strategy. Katharina founded The Limelight Collective with Shaw and supports the arts collective as a freelance consultant while she also continues her management career. 

ALMUT

Artist and architect

After working as an architect in the Stuttgart area for several years Almut decided to use her expertise in Africa and the Middle East. There she learned to appreciate the value of intercultural encounters. She moved to Berlin in 2017 to broaden her professional and personal horizons. She completed a master's degree in Media Design in 2019 while focussing for her thesis specifically on the subject of the creation of (social) space according to Henri Levebvre. The title of her thesis was "The Significance of Icons in the Production of Space". Why and how artists influence developments in society is a fascinating subject for her. Almut contributes to the team on a freelance basis.

Ronja

Dancer, dance educator and social worker

After her dance training in Munich and her studies in Music and Movement-oriented Social Work (B.A.) in Regensburg, Ronja moved to Berlin and currently works as a freelance contemporary dancer, dance educator and social worker. She has also been studying Critical Dance Studies at the FU Berlin since 2022 and is researching questions of (non-)violence. In addition to IWANSON technique, classical ballet and jazz dance, her dance style is also shaped by movement experiences in contemporary circus and self-defense techniques. The creation of an aesthetic space for reflection is the focus of her own artistic practice and teaching of contemporary dance for children and adults. Empowering people to find their own answers and questions through art is an important concern for her – also in spaces where faith and religion are shared, negotiated and lived out. Ronja has been contributing to The Limelight Collective team on a freelance basis since 2021 and has performed as a dancer in the dance productions RITUAL, The Second Reel and CO:INCIDENT. 

DIANA

Dance teacher and dancer

As a teenager Diana discovered dance by performing in various musicals. After studying Political Science and French she worked in International Development for a few years. Diana came back to her first love in 2018 and moved to Berlin to study Contemporary Dance. She has been teaching dance for adults and children since 2014. She is competent in jazz, modern, contemporary and urban dance as well as improvisation. Dance is a way for her to express herself as a Christian and to bring hope to others. 

BEATRIX

Dancer, choreographer and dance educator

Beatrix Kroschewski is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology and performed at Stadttheater Bielefeld before moving to Berlin. She has collaborated with artists and companies such as Gianni Cuccaro, Nora Amin, the Oxymoron Dance Company, and the physical theatre ensemble Das KOLLAKTIV. Since 2025, she has been working with the interdisciplinary The Limelight Collective and contributed to the production CO:INCIDENT as both dancer and choreographer. Her ongoing artistic training focuses on contemporary floor work and composition, including studies with Dor Mamalia, Marion Sparber, the Akram Khan Company, and The Progressive Wave. With years of teaching experience, Beatrix leads classes and projects across all age groups – from creative children's dance to adults and intergenerational community dance initiatives. Her movement repertoire spans contemporary dance, jazz, ballet, improvisation, and urban styles such as FBD and house. 
"My artistic vision is to create dance works that bring the light and love of Jesus Christ to life – locally and globally. Art and community that touch hearts."

Ephraim

Musician, Visual Designer, Public Relations Officer

Following the end of his tenure as a Programme Director at a STEM education company due to the pandemic, Ephraim relocated from Hong Kong to Berlin, where he resumed his freelance career in design, web development and communications. Since graduating with a degree in Creative Communication from Hong Kong Baptist University, he has partnered with both start-ups and established brands, distilling decades of brand heritage into cohesive identities. During his three years in Berlin, he also served as Creative Director for an Asian food import–export company affiliated with Vinh-Loi Asia Supermarket, where he oversaw campaign strategy, content production and brand consolidation. A lifelong drummer and visual artist, Ephraim grew up in the marching band tradition and frequently serves his church as a member of the worship team and music director. In his role as Public Relations Officer at The Limelight Collective, he manages booking systems and nurtures community relations online and will soon be expanding the Collective’s downstairs hall. Ephraim looks forward to bringing people together through art and faith.