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Wow! Much food for thought. What a well-planned and smoothly run day where professional and non-professional dancers grappled with topics around the visibility and value of dance in society whilst concentrating on the older dancer’s role and needs. An opportunity to meet so many fellow older dancers and watch performances both live and on film; listen to the ‘Let’s Create’ panel conversations and responses from the audience; attend workshops – I could go on.
Myriad ideas are colliding atom-like in my brain. One of the many is from brief words I had with Katie (Suffolk College dance student), assisting with arrangements on Wednesday. She had spoken eloquently about the effect the ‘Let’s Create’ conversations had on her thinking as a young dancer.
I posed the question that different generations appear to stay within their own age ranges, more so than in the past, which is making dialogue and mutual understanding increasingly complex as time goes by. She commented that, though in her early twenties, she has difficulty understanding the language used by children and younger people.
How can we all understand each other better? I wonder whether more actively encouraging multi-generational dance classes leading to performances might help. Would this, in however small a way, assist us to better understand our different issues & pre-occupations via the liberating non-verbal language of dance?
I look forward to a time when, through dance, the young can see and appreciate the old moving and having fun whilst the old can bask appreciatively in the vibrant, sometimes overwhelming, energy of the young. May we all build stronger emotional ties for the benefit and nourishment of our society, whilst communicating through beautiful dances.
Sue Sinclair
You can see some of the amazing films from HOST: https://encoreeastdance.co.uk/host-on-film/