The Dance On Toolkit has been written for dancers, care home staff, public health professionals, health and social care practitioners, and anyone who has an interest in the power of movement to give our ageing population more years better lived.
Over the past seven years, a group of collaborating organisations in Yorkshire have developed a pioneering approach to keeping older people active that is proven to improve mobility, social connection, balance and mood, and reduces fear of falling. Led by darts, One Dance UK, the University of Leeds and Yorkshire Dance, Dance On has proved to be a highly successful model, enhancing the lives of hundreds of older adults – many of whom who were previously deemed 'inactive'.
Funded predominantly by Sport England's national Active Ageing and Local Delivery Pilot Programmes, with partnership funding from a range of partners including City of Doncaster Council, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Leeds City Council and Arts Council England, the programme has enabled people who might not ordinarily access sports or fitness activities to become more physically active through regular fun, social, dance activity.
Participants have reported that taking part in Dance On sessions has improved their physical health as well as how happy and connected they feel to others. Along with feedback from participants, evidence has been backed up by a robust academic study undertaken by the University of Leeds, which found that that Dance On is an effective way of modifying well known factors which can predispose someone to fall and prevent the downward spiral into frailty. The programme encourages regular physical activity for maintaining fitness and activity levels in a more subtle way than traditional physical activity programmes. Evidence showed that many attend for social opportunities and noted improvements to their mental as well as physical health through social interaction.
The Dance On Toolkit is based on over 7 years of academic research, sessions to develop the approach, conversations with participants, and experiences of working with older adults. The free, downloadable resource condenses the key essential ingredients into an easy to read and accessible document and provides bite sized ideas, case studies and templates for anyone looking to develop their own dance programme for older people, or for dancers or care staff to improve their practice.
View and download the Toolkit below.
Dance On Toolkit(flip)
Dance On Toolkit (PDF, 6.9 Mb)
Download a copy of the Dance On Toolkit.
