About Life Circles
We believe that dance can make a massive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, no matter what age you might have arrived at. You’re never too old to put on your dancing shoes!
Life Circles was a two-year collaborative project between Core Dance and Take Art, aimed at supporting the life-long creativity of older people living in care settings, through innovative, imaginative and inspiring community dance practice. Through sessional activity, training and mentoring, Life Circles has enabled over 200 individuals in care settings in the South West to discover their creativity via physical participation in dance.
Life Circles wasn't a project on how to teach older people to dance, but an exploration of how dance can effectively engage with the individual as a whole person and improve the quality of later life
“This work is very important for the health and wellbeing of people losing their independence. It is an essential activity to help maintain a person’s autonomy.” Vicky Jenson, Care Assistant
Eight Short Teaching Films
Working with Dance and the Frail Elderly
SECTION ONE
SECTION TWO
SECTION THREE
SECTION FOUR
SECTION FIVE
SECTION SIX
SECTION SEVEN
SECTION EIGHT
The Life Circles Film
The below Life Circles film sections and the full film at the top of the page document the journey of three community dance artists honing their practice with the frail elderly. If you are an artist, dancer, poet, musician, teacher, care worker or anyone looking to develop sessions with the elderly, it is our hope that this film will offer a valuable resource, inspire you with new ideas and give you an opportunity to reflect on your current practice.
The Life Circles film illustrates the benefits of working through dance, giving a beauty and integrity to people at the end of life that is truly inspiring.
Life Circles Partners
Partners in kind for Life Circles: Pavilion Dance South West, Activate Performing Arts, Dance in Devon, The Foundation of Community Dance, Age UK, NHS Somerset, The Alzheimers Society and Arts & Health South West.
Spring Forward is an annual dance festival offering unrivalled opportunities for Somerset and South West dancers to perform on a professional stage, participate in workshops and watch world-class dance performances. February 2005 – Present
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An ambitious two-year dance and health project for Somerset that touched the lives and lifestyles of over 1,900 people living in rural communities, residential homes, schools, special needs centres and the work place. 2008-2010
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Speak your TRUTH, play with words, tease your IMAGINATION. Say whatever YOU want to SAY good or bad... Fully embrace the WONDERful person YOU ARE and the INCREDIBLE world you live in.
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