Let’s Dance! celebrations

We’re proud to be celebrating Let’s Dance! today – a nationwide movement bringing together dance organisations, charities, health professionals, community groups, and celebrities, all with one goal: to get more people dancing. And here at Moving Memory, we know just how transformative dance can be, especially for older people.

Our latest show, Golden Slumbers, premieres at Margate’s POW Festival on 8th March and features the amazing Glories – an ensemble made up of participants from our Groovin’ Well and Damn It! Dance It! Workshops across Kent. Rather than creating traditional curtain-raisers, these dancers, guided by Creative Director Sian Stevenson, are woven into the very fabric of the performance.

We spoke with our Glories to hear what they had to say about working on the show and, in the spirit of Let’s Dance!, why we should all give dance a go.

“Older people are sidelined and invisible. That’s why Moving Memory is so important.”

Our first Glory, Isabelle, joined Moving Memory during the Groovin’ Well workshops in Dover. For her, the experience has been about connection. “For only six sessions, there’s so much connection so quickly that you feel confident to go with the group. I’m amazed how quickly they created that ensemble. You feel supported.” Beyond just learning steps, the process of creating together has a real impact. “You’ve seen where the movements come from, you help create the dance. You really understand why you’re doing the movements.”

Miriam, another Glory, stressed the importance of participatory dance: “Older people are sidelined and invisible. That’s why Moving Memory is so important.”

“Other classes I do for exercise, but I don’t enjoy them nearly as much. I do this because I like it.” That feeling of joy and visibility is echoed by fellow Glory Nikki. “This is massively important. When do old people get to have fun like this? We’re very capable of it,” she says. “This is making us [older people] visible. Very much so. If this didn’t exist, where would we be today?”

If you’re based in the Kent area and want to get involved with Moving Memory, visit our events page or email info@movingmemorydance.com for more information.