Back in October, Dance Engagement Officer Emily Davies ran the ‘Older People’s Workshop Day’, inviting Newcastle-based company ‘Boundless’ alongside local community group ‘Mature Movers’ for a day of Contemporary and Creative Dance.
The two groups met up at Brewery Arts for a day of dance workshops led by Emily, where the idea of “Introductions” was used as a theme to inspire movement. A short piece was created and shared informally with Brewery Arts staff.
To finish off the session, afternoon tea was provided for all participants from both Boundless and Mature Movers, where members of the groups commented: “Thank you for a wonderful day, it’s been brilliant!”
One of the key aims of the event is to show that there is no age limit when it comes to moving, crating and performing, as we can sometimes minimise our capabilities as we get older.
Emily said: “For me the day was a huge success in bringing like-minded people from different parts of the country together, to socialise, to move, and to share in the empowering nature of Dance.”
“Our Youth Dance groups at Brewery Arts are often involved in events and trips where they get to meet and view other young dancers’ work, so it was brilliant to facilitate an opportunity for our older dancers in Mature Movers to have such an experience and connect with Boundless creatively and socially.”
“I’m really looking forward to building on this work!”
Mature Movers is a dance group hosted by the Brewery and led by Emily, that is open to all abilities, but specifically aimed at those ages 60 and above.
The group is open to anyone in the community who is looking to engage with new music, movement, and people in a fun and supportive environment.
When asked about what had made the workshop such a success, a participant from the group said: “Meeting such a wonderful group of like-minded ladies, it was as if we already knew each other!”
Another participant said: “Meeting another group of super friendly people and working closely with them right from the start, the programme of work encouraged coming together verbally and physically from beginning to end, it was such a fun experience.”
Boundless is the 55+ company of Dance City, a dance development company based in the North East.
The goal of Boundless is to create an opportunity space for mature dancers, where they can work to develop their Contemporary Dance, performance skills and technical abilities alongside talented local guest choreographers.
Following the success of the workshop day, Boundless has invited Brewery Arts Mature Movers to perform in Dance City’s Inspire Platform, which will be held in Newcastle on 28 January.
