People Dancing

Join Diane Amans, one of the leading practitioners in community dance in the UK, for this introductory workshop in the studio to explore creative approaches to working inclusively in dance with older people.

By attending this workshop you will gain:

• Understanding of the ageing process and how it impacts on safe practice in dance
• New skills and knowledge about working inclusively with older people
• A working understanding of appropriate leadership styles
• Practical ideas for dance with a range of older people.

This workshop is linked with People Dancing’s online course – Introduction to Leading Dance with Older People – co-devised with Diane Amans. This online course offers core foundational knowledge about the safe, effective and creative delivery of dance sessions for older people and which will help your learning at the in-person workshop. To gain the most from the workshop, you need to have either completed or started the online course. Successful completion of an assessment will enable you to gain a Level 4 Qualification in Approaches to Dance with Older People. This can be purchased as a ‘bundle’ ticket on the booking page.

This workshop is ideal for dancers, teaching artists and community practitioners wanting to learn more about leading dance with older people - from early career artists wishing to explore new ideas to more experienced artists interested in developing or expanding a specialism.

Some feedback from previous attendees of Diane’s workshop:

"I found the workshop incredibly well thought out and jam packed with useful ideas … I feel so much more confident now about my own sessions and have taken a lot from this workshop."

"As well as thought-provoking stuff there was just so much useful, practical information and so many ideas - health considerations, props, music, exercises, etc. For someone just starting out doing this sort of thing, I found this all incredibly useful."

About Diane Amans

Diane is a dance artist, choreographer, author and training consultant based in the North West of England with over thirty five years experience of leading dance activities with diverse community groups both in the UK and Europe.

For 15 years prior to 2006, she was artistic director of Freedom in Dance – a company she founded to offer accessible opportunities for people of all ages to participate in dance activities. She currently works as a freelance dance artist, lecturer and consultant offering professional development, evaluation, mentoring and project management work. She is an Associate Artist of People Dancing and has tutored on several summer intensives.

She also deliver lectures and seminars for a range of universities and CPD organisations.

Recent work includes making an intergenerational dance video challenging stereotypes of youth and ageing; developing and delivering accredited training programmes for dancers wishing to work in participatory arts with intergenerational groups and older people; performing dance projects with Bisakha Sarker (dancer) and John Killick (poet); working with health and social care staff to make dance accessible to people living with dementia. She has written two textbooks: An Introduction to Community Dance Practice and Age and Dancing: Older People and Community Dance - both published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Image credit: People Dancing Summer Intensive. Photographer: Rachel Cherry.