Community dance in Sheffield and South Yorkshire
We believe everyone should have the chance to dance. As a not-for-profit, we take dance out into the community, working with groups who might not otherwise get the opportunity, in care homes, schools, community centres and sports halls across South Yorkshire, as well as at our own studios.
Whether it’s a one-off workshop or a regular series, our experienced, DBS-checked dance artists will shape every session around your group and what you’d like to achieve.
Who we work with
Older people and dementia
Sensory, seated or standing sessions for people living with dementia or Parkinson’s, and their carers.
Mental health and wellbeing
Creative workshops exploring mental health, built around our dance film Beautifully Savaged.
Schools and young people
Curriculum enrichment for primary schools, and projects with pupil referral units and young people at risk.
Community groups
Tailored sessions for any group that wants to move, have fun and connect.
Dance for older people and dementia
Our workshops for people living with dementia, and their carers, were developed through our Arts Council England-funded project Mode:Default, working with dance movement therapists, the University of Derby and the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). We also run sessions for people with Parkinson’s.
Each session combines gentle movement with touch, props and textures to create a rich sensory experience. Music plays a big part too, often bringing back memories of a long-forgotten era. Sessions can be seated or standing, and carers are welcome to join in.
Our dance artists have specialist training in working with older people and people with dementia, through our own Arts Council England-funded training programmes.
Why dance? Dancing is good for body and mind: it supports mood, memory, confidence and social connection. A major study in the New England Journal of Medicine (Verghese et al., 2003) found that older adults who danced regularly had a much lower risk of developing dementia than those who didn’t, a bigger effect than any other leisure activity studied.
Dance for Dementia delivered by Hype Dance Company has been, to our dementia service users, no matter what their ability, the most wonderful activity they could have taken part in.
Mental health and wellbeing
Beautifully Savaged is a short dance film exploring the mental health challenges many people face today, especially young women. It was created after extensive research, with support from dance movement psychotherapists and psychologists.
The film is a powerful starting point for groups to talk about the issues it raises, and comes with a resource pack of suggested ways to explore them through movement. You can buy the film and resource pack from us, or we can deliver workshops built around it, from a one-off exploration to a series working towards a goal you set.
Schools and young people
We work with primary schools to bring the curriculum to life through dance, and with pupil referral units and groups supporting young people at risk, using dance to build confidence, focus and teamwork. Looking for training for your teachers? See our CPD for schools and colleges.