On 18 October, Yorkshire Dance welcomes families into their studios in Leeds city centre for a 1-day festival of dance for children and their grown-ups. The festival hosts a mix of imaginative family performances and playful movement workshops all themed around falling in love with the planet. 

Specialising in seriously silly dance theatre for young families, aKa Dance perform their latest show shed-ache, which sees two friends (three if you count the shed!) face downpours, lava floors and socks falling out of the sky. shed-ache is an inactive performance aimed at ages 2+. aKa promise you’ll be blown away with 100% chance of laughter. 

For older children Plastic Drastic Fantastic asks the question ‘Plastic. Is it friend or foe? Remarkable or rubbish?’ Created by Akademi, the company worked with material scientists at UCL to create the show which draws on Indian classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam and Kathak, to explore plastics and the dangers of their misuse. 

The festival also showcases work by local artist Izzy Brittain. The Smalls invites us to explore the magical microworld of soil animals. Many are tinier than termites and weeny-er than worms, yet the future of our food depends on them. Izzy calls all soil supporters, creature campaigners and dirt defenders to join her for a playful celebration of The Smalls!  

All events are pay-what-you-can and as well as family friendly performances Yorkshire Dance invite families to come together for playful workshops including Through the Season with the Mountain Witch with Speedwell Dance, Plastic Drastic Fantastic Workshop with Akademi and Plants & Pots: Parent and Tots. Drop in activities throughout the festival include a play area, pop up performances and Azizi Cole provides a DJ set of ambient chill out music for plants. 

Creative Director of Yorkshire Dance, Hannah Robertshaw explains: 

‘This is our fourth festival for children and their grown-ups. This year we’re inviting families across Leeds to fall in love with the planet. We aim to programme performances which are entertaining for people of all ages. This year’s line up is perfect for energetic little explorers covering everything from growing flowers, embracing the seasons to discovering soil animals and exploring plastics. The real joy of this festival is seeing parents and grandparents having fun moving and playing with their kids. We invite families of all ages to come along, play and move together.’ 

 Children & Their Grown Ups is a pay-what-you-can festival and tickets can be booked here. https://yorkshiredance.com/project/children-their-grown-ups-2025/  

Children & Their Grown Ups Festival Programme

Image: shed-ache by aka Dance Theatre © Jake Grant Photography