We’re delighted to share a new series of 5 animations presenting personal stories about dancing with people living with dementia. Written by dance artist Kirsty Arnold, Dancing the Small Moments is inspired by Yorkshire Dance’s pioneering In Mature Company research project, which uses dance to alleviate loneliness and isolation and bring joy to care home residents.

Each film focuses on the story of a different resident, offering an insight into what it is like to live with dementia and the variety of different symptoms people experience, from visual hallucinations to mood changes. 

Kirsty explains ‘When we talk about care homes, we might not see the people that are living there, the lives they have lived and the experiences that they’ve had. Maybe there’s a certain image that we have of the care home environment. So with the films we thought it was important to represent the people that we’ve met and what they bring to the dance sessions’.

The films were animated by local studio, Hungry Sandwich Club and the original soundtrack, composed by Ozzy Moysey, takes inspiration from the sounds heard around a care home and the music Ozzy plays in weekly dance sessions.

“Our In Mature Company research project is changing how we think about dance in care homes and what it’s really like for residents living with dementia. Dance can be so much more than a one-off performance or an exercise class. We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the fantastic team of animators at Hungry Sandwich, to bring Kirsty’s reflections on the project to life. Dancing the Small Moments offers a real insight into dementia symptoms and how dance can bridge the communication gap to help people with the condition to feel less alone.” Artistic Director at Yorkshire Dance, Wieke Eringa 

The films can be watched below or on online here and across Yorkshire Dance’s social media channels @yorkshiredance. 

Dancing the Small Moments is funded by The Space and Big Lottery’s National Ageing Better programme in Leeds, Time to Shine.