BLOG: Dance On in Doncaster!

Charlotte Armitage, Dance Development Artist for Dance On and a Core Artist for darts, shares the joys of dancing in Doncaster and the opportunities to become involved.

Friendships and fun is absolutely the name of the game at our Dance On sessions that take place throughout the week, and across Doncaster.

My name is Charlotte. I am the Dance Development Artist for Dance On and a Core Artist for darts. I have been leading on our Dance On programme for over 50s since 2018 and run groups in community venues, extra care living schemes, care homes and at our very own home at The Point (South Parade). No matter where our sessions take place, it is just the most joyful experience. We dance, sing, laugh, boogie, tell stories, learn new moves, share news, have a cuppa, make friends, exercise our minds as well as our bodies and leave feeling so much better!

I think this is because the one thing all our groups share is an enormous sense of fun. So much fun! Everyone is there to have a lovely time and this enthusiasm is so infectious (in the right way)! We just leave our busy lives, daily issues and worries at the door for the hour we are there and just enjoy dancing in the space together. We have people taking part seated, standing or boogying around the room and, as there is no judgement for how you take part, we just get on with making the most of the time we have together, whether that is upbeat and energetic, fast or slow, calm or quiet. And we can cater for people living with a wide variety of health conditions and abilities by inviting everyone to just take part in any way that suits their body best and to just follow the advice they have been given by their health professional or GP. It is just such a feel-good tonic!

The friendships we have seen blossom and the companionship we all share is just wonderful. There is so much generosity and kindness in everyone. We have people coming on their own, couples taking part, GP referrals, members of the community, old friends, new friends, family friends and neighbours. No one is a stranger for long. It goes way beyond just a simple dance class. I suppose it is a safe space to just be yourself, away from the demands of everyday life, and spend some time moving your body.

And of course, we try all sorts of styles of dancing, to all sorts of music, so there's often much hilarity too! Over the years, we have built up the most amazing team of brilliant dance artists who all bring so much to their work. Along with a wide variety of dance styles, experience and skills, they all also bring an immense sense of joy and friendship. It is just such a winning combination.

"Nobody's looking at you, nobody's judging you, nobody's being unkind or anything, it's just lovely place to be where we can just be together and have a really good time. But also you feel like you're doing a bit of gentle exercise so you feel good at the end of it."

• "It's so vibrant and spirited, it's fantastic."
• "They're such friendly people, they made me feel at home straight away."
• "After a Dance On session, I feel exhausted but brilliant! I'm a lot better now than I've ever been."
• "I feel more confident since I have been coming here. I'm more likely to try other activities now."
• "It's the time we spend together that is the most important for me – being here, having a laugh and sharing."

So if you haven't found out about darts, our variety of Arts & Health or Arts & Education programmes running across Doncaster or our more specifically our Dance On programme, then have a look at our website:

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Dance On