‘Action, Body, Creativity let your body do the moving’, is a new project starting January 2027, thanks to an Active Ageing Grant from Leeds Older People’s Forum.

Sessions are for people over 40 and will focus on moving the body and responding physically to a variety of stimuli, using playful drama-based approaches and line dancing.

Sessions will be facilitated by highly experienced drama practitioners, Anthony and Emma who have many years’ experience of engaging people of all ages with varying physical support needs. Activities will guide participants to pay attention to and wake up their body, to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and each other. Creative communication, using our bodies enables us to tune into our subconscious more freely and give our brains a much-needed break. Examples of the types of activity our practitioners will employ are hand dancing – sharing leadership to move our arms and hands to music; physical whispers and pass it on – responding to each other’s movements and exaggerating or distorting the physical messages we pass on; creating physical living sculptures based on words, pictures or using props to inspire; rhythm building games where we use our bodies to articulate a shared beat bringing a group together as a collective and creating a sense of musicality and cohesion.

We will also get moving through a short line dancing activity during each session, incorporating this very animated form of expression into our storytelling and seeing how music inspires further development of ideas. Line dancing will be facilitated by one of our wonderful volunteers, Shelley, with the support of the drama practitioners.

For more information or to sign up for Action, Body, Creativity please contact cath@skippko.org.uk 

“I arrived feeling burnt out and exhausted. By the time I left I felt joyful, revived and full of energy. That sums up for me the power of the arts, kindness and good company. Such fun and who knew I would be line dancing!”