Background and current activities
Performances
A participatory project in 2010 led to the formation of Moving Memory and the presentation of a performance double bill, Moving On Moving / More Please! in Canterbury and Margate in 2013. The core company developed as an ensemble of seven women over 50 who have stayed together (with one or two changes) ever since.
- Cracking The Crinoline was devised in 2014 going on to be presented in festivals, public spaces and venues ranging from Sadlers Wells’ Elixir Festival to the streets of Paris.
- Beyond the Marigolds – a full-length theatre piece which incorporates the company’s trademark combination of movement, digital projection, music and spoken word – premiered in 2016, was awarded the 2017 Kent Creative Award for Performing Arts and remains in the repertoire.
- Start Stomping, which featured an intergenerational company of 25 – and a 16ft inflatable man – premiered at b0ing! festival 2018 at Gulbenkian, Canterbury.
- Tipping the Balance was the core company’s own special take on Start Stomping and was performed in Sittingbourne, Canterbury, Hatfield and Chatham during Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019.
- Love Grows continued and expanded the work of our intergenerational company and brought a period of participatory work to a grand finale at b0ing! 2019.
- Beside Me was the first part of a longer project exploring intimacy. Presented at POW Thanet on 13th March 2020, the piece involved soup, spaghetti and strawberry instant whip…
- During 2020 and early 2021, the company worked online and, when possible, in person, to devise Busting Trifles – a new, short pop-up piece which encapsulates the resilience of older people during and after Lockdown.
- In 2022, we secured Arts Council England project funding to R&D a new theatre show about the ageing female body and how society views older women and in 2023 we produced and toured The Devil’s Doorbell around Kent.
Participatory work
Alongside performances, the company run a range of participatory projects, using our unique Moving Well practice, which enables to participants to explore their own creativity. We always try to offer participants the option of performance or public showing of material created in the sessions (sometimes in the form of projection / installation).
Working with younger people has always been an important part of our ethos and practice. In 2019, for the Love Grows project, an intergenerational team worked with four primary schools and four care settings for older people. This participatory stage of Love Grows used movement and other activities to explore the the theme of love between the generations.
In 2020, like so many other organisations, we jumped online with both feet. We were astonished and delighted at the success of our experimental Moving Online sessions. Participants said it was:
“a burst of sanity”… “hard”… “lots of new things”… “massive learning curve”… “team things were amazing”… “a positive outcome of Covid”… “opened up new possibilities, especially geographical connections”… “will miss it”
Training
There are only so many Moving Well workshops that we ourselves can deliver – but we don’t want anyone to miss out! So, we have devised a training programme for people who would like to run their own Moving Well-style workshops. An annual subscription of £50 will give you access to our Moving Well Online Learning Resource which features over 50 films and worksheets and gives you access to our online community.
“A fabulous resource! … I highly recommend this for new and experienced artists/facilitators alike and for those who simply want to bring creative movement into their lives!” Louise White, Director, Dacorum Community Dance
Please contact us if you would like to know more about any aspect of our work or view our most recent Promoters Pack here.
Moving Memory is a company limited by guarantee, number 08567293 and a registered charity, number 1176493.
The company is grateful for:
- regular support from Arts Council England, Kent County Council and the University of Kent
- funding through The Baring Foundation (2017-20) – which was absolutely vital in enabling us to flourish
- support from our other commissioners and all our many individual supporters
Thank you!