Ballet Society gives the gift of dance to care home residents this winter
By: Communications
From left to right: UEA Ballet Society students Alice Pritchard, Sofia Paloma, Caitlin Parry, Saskia Kinsley-Holmes.
Members of the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Ballet Society have given up their time to share some inter-generational Christmas cheer by putting on a dance performance at a local care home.
The Ballet Society, which is run by UEA’s Student Union, uea(su), performed a choreographed dance at Heathcote Care Home on Unthank Road in Norwich, and stayed afterwards to chat to residents.
The society’s new UEA Ballet Care Team delivers the positive influences of dance directly to a community who may otherwise have struggled to engage, and are arranging more performances at local care homes over the coming months.
UEA Ballet Society, which has around 100 members, is a friendly and active part of UEA’s 200+ clubs and societies, welcoming everyone with a passion for dance, from beginners to experts.
Caitlin Parry, Vice President of UEA’s Ballet Society was a key driver in the creation of the UEA Ballet Care Team.
She said: “UEA’s Ballet Society has wanted to do a lot more outreach for a few years, and as Vice-President this year, this was something that really excited me and was something I wanted to do.”
During the visit, the students put on a mini-class for the residents, demonstrating some of their routine exercises, before carrying out a choreographed performance.
Jo Haywood, Activities Coordinator for Heathcote Care Home, who helped to facilitate the event, said: “We had a full house in the living room, with some residents following along with a few of the warmup moves. We have some dancers in the home, so it was great for them to be able to reminisce, provoke memories, and see some dance.
We had a great response from the residents, who were able to recall the visit, and said they all loved it. The girls clearly explained each position and movement, and the residents really enjoyed hearing about it all, as well as watching and listening to the music. We all had a chat afterwards, and there was lots of spontaneous clapping from the residents”
Keeping active and engaged with others is a beneficial behaviour for a person at any stage of life, but especially so for older people who may be particularly susceptible to feelings of loneliness and isolation, even within a considerate care setting.
Caitlin has already witnessed first-hand the positive effect this has had on the residents they have performed to so far.
She said: “As you get older you can get lonelier and more isolated, and I think it's been nice to mix the generations a bit. People might be a bit nervous about going into a care home and speaking to older people, but it's always been so lovely.
“A lot of the residents there danced when they were younger and could remember doing certain steps, so it was nostalgic for a lot of them. It's just a really nice way to be a bit more connected to Norwich as well and be more involved in the community.
Once the group have finished their performance, they give up their time speak to the members of the care home, which Caitlin sees as an important part of their outreach.
Caitlin said: “We don't just dance and leave; we always make sure there’s time afterwards for questions and to have a chat and a cup of tea. We always tell the residents not to worry if they don't want to say anything, but that we’re happy and want to talk to them all.”
Jo Haywood said: “From a personal viewpoint, a performance where the performers interact and laugh with the residents is a real gift, and we all look forward to welcoming them back on a regular basis.”
In light of the success with the initiative so far, Caitlin and the UEA Ballet Care Team are planning to visit more care homes within the community over the coming months.
Although Caitlin’s tenure as Vice-President comes to an end next year, she’s hopeful this is the beginning of a long-term project.
Caitlin said: “Fingers crossed it will continue. I'm hoping to establish a core of care homes we’ve worked with, so we have a list of those who want us to come back. I wasn't sure whether it was going to go down well and be successful, but we've had such positive responses that I would love for it to be something that carries on into the future.”
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