Impact
Working alongside our communities to co‑create activities that genuinely reflect and support their needs
Research
We work alongside our communities to co‑create activities that genuinely reflect and support their needs. In our spaces, people with shared experiences find a place of safety and belonging—a place where they can move freely, express themselves openly, and discover connection through dance. Our classes are guided by passionate, highly skilled practitioners who bring artistic excellence to every session, opening doors for people of all abilities to explore, create, and thrive.
We champion the voices of our group members, inviting them to shape the direction of our work. Their insight and lived experience ensure that what we create together continues to serve, uplift, and reflect the communities we are part of.
Neuro-Moves
This Lancashire wide programme supports people living with neurological conditions and their friends and family. We have five classes in Preston, Grindleton, Cleveleys, Haslingden and online. Participants report that that class helps them manage their symptoms, boosting mood, improving movement confidence and offering strategies for managing symptoms at home. They also highly value the social aspect of the activity.
Feedback from our Neuro-Moves dancers
I find conventional exercise very unsatisfying and tedious. Fellow Parkinsons people spoke very highly of the classes, so I came to see what it was like. They were not wrong! The classes were a revelation.
They [the classes] are hugely enjoyable, and I meet lovely people there who understand my problems. But they are also very valuable in keeping me physically and mentally more active. They are also extremely well taught.
It has improved my confidence and reduced my anxiety. I enjoy the session and I have made some nice people.
I attended with my partner who lives with Parkinson’s Disease. He finds the classes enjoyable exercise and is motivated to keep attending. He always feels better afterwards . We both benefit from the welcoming supportive community which is Neuro-Moves. I have a very busy life with several different volunteering roles. Attending the classes makes me feel relaxed – stimulated and stretched physically – but mentally rested and ready for the next challenge.
I was never a natural exerciser other than walking. I have found a form of exercise I enjoy and feel physical benefit from
The music definitely helps me to move better. This is partly to do with rhythm and patterns, and also to do with the mood that music can create, and the story that music can generate.
I find conventional exercise very unsatisfying and tedious. Fellow Parkinsons people spoke very highly of the classes, so I came to see what it was like. They were not wrong! The classes were a revelation.
Because it gives me joy and I feel better in mood and physicality after every class
The music helps me to move better as it seems to synchronise my movements and improves my coordination
The imagery takes you away from the situation you are in , allowing you to relax and move more slowly and with control.
It’s good fun, creative, joyful, interesting, and, with the teacher’s help, I can stay within the limits of my physical impairments, but push through boundaries, to achieve more than I expect.
Fleetwood Moves Festival
Fleetwood Moves set out to bring a new dance and live music festival to the Fleetwood community. The festival would be underpinned by inclusivity, showcasing a diverse range of accessible community and professional music and dance from the local area, the NW and beyond. The curation of the festival would be developed with and for the communities of Fleetwood.
Audience:
People of all ages, abilities & backgrounds attended the 1-day Fleetwood Moves festival on August 3rd 2024. The Festival had an audience of 1302 people, 30% higher than predicted. The public engaged as audience members, as workshop participants and as performers in participatory performance work. The festival included 8 workshops, 21 performances and 2 walkabout performances.
Highlights:
Highlights of the festival were many but included Fleetwood Moves showcasing 2 world premieres, 1 international dance company, a first public performance by local group Fleetwood Fusion, a first visit to the North West by the Scottish group Young 1z (Indepen-dance), a showcase of new work by graduate company Morph Movement, a first time working with Mike Taylor, Loz Kaye and County of Song, TramShed and Harmony in Health, and a new collaborative work by two neuro-divergent artists.
Fleetwood Fusion
Fleetwood Fusion is our weekly specialist dance class for adults with disabilities from Fleetwood. The class is the flagship project of our Fleetwood Dance and Health Hub. It was established after lockdown to meet a gap in provision and support the needs of socially isolated people with disabilities.
Sessions provide accessible, high quality and sociable physical activity for adults who may be unable to access other arts provision or physical activity. The demand for the group has remained and the group has now expanded to full capacity.
For more information you can download our recent funding report.
Huge, huge congratulations and a massive thank you for such an amazing and inspiring Fleetwood Moves 2024! It was great to see how confident all the performers were in the outdoor setting; it really brought their work closer to the audience, and generated a contagious enthusiasm. The level of participation was brilliant – heart-warming, invigorating, and great fun! I really felt that dancing together opened up conversations, and a sense of celebration. It’s clear that the openness, rapport, and safe space that you enabled at Fleetwood Moves 2024 comes from years of experience of making dance happen in a warm, caring, and inclusive way. Seeing so many local children drawn in to watch the performances, and then get up and dance was truly magic!”
