You are here:> Home > OUR WORK

What we do

People Dancing’s creative work is focused on a clear, dynamic approach to innovation and creative learning. Setting out different approaches to different areas of participatory dance, presents People Dancing’s work and priorities to audiences and stakeholders in distinct and relevant ways.


People Dancing’s Networks: what we do

People Dancing’s practice networks are a centre of knowledge where ideas, intelligence, research, and new approaches are shared and exchanged, in newsletters and dialogue through online and occasional in-person gatherings. They connect dance artists, practitioners, teachers, performers and researchers, to energise national and international activities, training opportunities, events, talks and learning. People dancing’s networks facilitate people in staying informed, inspired, and connected to developments across the sector, in their specific fields of practice. In summary they work to do the following:

  • Share – exchanging knowledge, practice, dialogue and opportunities
  • Connect – creating opportunities for people to meet and build relationships
  • Grow – supporting professional development, collaboration and innovation across the sector.

People Dancing’s networks are designed to provide regular opportunities to stay connected and informed throughout a year. Each network will engage with three online network meetings per year. Following each network meeting we will produce a network newsletter that captures some key themes, shares useful resources, blogs/writing highlights training/CPD opportunities, and signposts to relevant news from across the sector.

Online gatherings and newsletters will create an ongoing cycle of collaboration, shared practice and professional development that responds to the needs and interests of each specific network.

Our networks can be curated by the people who take part. There is always an opportunity for network attendees to contribute thoughts, questions and comments via online platforms (such as Padlet https://padlet.com/) so that the themes, and discussions of network meetings and newsletter content can reflect some of the ideas, questions and experiences shared.

Current Networks

  • Early Years Dance
  • Dance, Health & Wellbeing
  • Inclusion in Dance
  • Dancing with Parkinson’s
  • Global Majority Heritage Activity.
Let Them Disrupt: Children as Co-Creators
Rosie Heafford, Co-Director of Second Hand Dance reflects on the emergence of the co-creative practice she will share on our Summer Workshop Programme - an iterative, disability-affirming methodology that values embodiment and makes performance more accessible and inclusive.
Dance and health practice
For 10 years Move Dance Feel has been supporting women affected by cancer through dance. Founded by Emily Jenkins, it is a unique, female-led community, helping women feel more at home in their bodies, less alone in their experiences and better equipped to navigate the challenges that cancer brings…
Best of Both Worlds: Facilitator To Artist and Back Again
Lildonia Lawrence, a movement practitioner, wellbeing coach and diversity specialist based in Bristol, reflects on inner transformation, co-creation and decolonisation over the course of Movema’s Wildfire Rising development programme for artists of the Global Majority.
Become a Friend of People Dancing
A gift returned
After a long career as a writer and broadcaster, Frances Byrnes re-kindled her love of dancing after 40-year break and embarked on an unexpected journey of new adventures in practice and performance across the North of England. Here she lets us in on some complex and deeply personal feelings involved in coming back to dance.
Look How Far We've Come
Ashley Jordan, Company Director of Ascension Dance in Coventry offers a very personal reflection on the transformative power of youth dance experiences and celebrates Pinnacle Dance Platform 2025, an event created by Ascension to give young people a space to grow, connect, and express themselves through movement.
Latest digital edition!
Animated Spring/Summer 2026 cover
Animated Spring/Summer 2026

It is a pleasure and honour to introduce this edition of Animated, in our 40th Anniversary year. We are thrilled to bring you an incredible line up of writers, spanning all kinds of contexts and practices.
Professional Qualifications
People Dancing's International Conference 2017, Glasgow. Photo: Rac
People Dancing has developed qualifications which enable dancers, teaching artists and community practitioners working in participatory settings to evidence their skills and knowledge.
Approaches to Dance for Early Years Qualification
‘Vitolda Klein’ – Vitolda Klein (Unsplash)
The Level 4 Certificate Approaches to Dance for Early Years is a single unit qualification that introduces dance artists to key issues that may affect the delivery of dance sessions for children aged 4 years and under.
Approaches to Dance with Older People Qualification
People Dancing Summer School. Photo: Rachel Cherry.
The Level 4 Certificate Approaches to Dance with Older People is a single unit qualification that introduces dance artists to key issues that may affect older people who participate in dance.
Celebrating World Parkinson’s Day in the North East
Image credit: Eve Walker.
Dancer Eve Walker reflects upon her placement with the Live Well & Dance with Parkinson's performance group and how it solidified her work priorities and showed her the real power dance can hold and the impact it can have on individuals’ lives.
A choreography of parenting
Anita Clark.
Anita Clark, Director of The Work Room in Glasgow, Scotland, frames the voices of parent-artists contemplating or navigating the complexities of resuming their practice alongside the care and raising of children.