It was great to welcome many families through our doors at this year’s Children & Their Grown Ups Festival. The building was buzzing with little laughs and happy faces for this day full of dance and activity. 

This one-day event focused on falling in love with the planet. It included lots of activity including family friendly dance workshops, performances and activities. The welcome area transformed into The Green Room, where children could adopt a plant or bop to the chilled beats of DJ, Azizi Cole. This space set the green-fingered vibes for the rest of the event.    

To start the day Plants & Pots: Parents and Tots encouraged children to build confidence in first stages of movement. This session, led by our Yorkshire Dance Saturday Superstars team, took inspiration from growth in our natural world. So, little ones wriggled like worms through tunnels & sprouted like branches of a tree.  

Through the Seasons with The Mountain Witch, led by Speedwell Dance explored changes that happen in nature throughout the year. In the session, young participants took the lead suggesting movements inspired by each season from bursting fireworks in autumn, hibernating with the animals in winter and, naturally, dancing through the summer! 

Throughout the day, scrap play was also available. Children were able to balance and build & knock down colourful recycled materials. From tyres & guttering to tin foil and toilet roll, this space was a big hit! 

For those a little older, there were a variety of exciting and engaging performances on offer. aKa Dance Theatre (returning to the Children & Their Grown Ups Festival) performed shed-ache. This hour-long dance show was seriously silly, as two friends and their cheeky, autonomous shed landed in all kinds of trouble. Navigating tropical storms and lava floors, the dancers had young audiences belly laughing. 

 The Smalls by Izzy Brittain was another interactive dance experience. In this performance with live music, families were invited to explore the magical microworld of soil animals. They came together to learn how to be ‘dirt defenders’, exploring the environmental threats on these unseen soil animals.  

Akademi’s , Plastic Drastic Fantastic explored humans’ complex relationship with all thing’s plastic.  An accompanying workshop offered a chance to try South Asian dance styles and play with props. Some of our smallest audience members even stayed behind at the end to help clear up all the plastic bottles.   

One parent, when asked what they thought of the day, expressed:   

“How lucky we are to live in a city that has these opportunities for our children” –  

Between sessions, audiences were also treated to performances by Saturday Superstars classes, Street 8-11 & TEMPO, who impressed the crowds with energetic performances. The dancers were met with loud cheers and round of applause from staff, parents and visitors…a testament to what our encounters festivals are all about celebration, community & a love for dance. 

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All images by David Lindsay.