Swimming Upstream

Although this project isn’t necessarily recent, and I can’t quite believe that it was in 2021 that it was created, I have been meaning to share more about it for a long time! So I wanted to shine a light on what was a fantastic project and collaboration it was.

Created in 2021 by dancers from About Being, a North Cumbria dance group for stroke survivors and their families, with a University of Cumbria dance student and dance graduate, in partnership with Dance Art Foundation and dance artist Susie Tate.

Susie Tate perfectly says “This film captures the beauty of each participants movement and their own dance, the fragility of being human and the importance of connection and creativity as we change through life.”

I spent 3 days in Carlisle with Susie Tate and her wonderful group of movers from About Being. I spent time getting to know everyone, capturing their class led by Susie, filming and photographing individual and group pieces based on their own movement and creativity, and then we spent time hearing their stories, their thoughts about life, past and present. These words have been woven into the film to create the narrative, along with poetry which was co-created with project participants and written by About Being participant, Rachel Beadle. 

Susie’s work, bringing movement, dance, music and creativity into the lives of people who have suffered strokes, and inviting them and their families to come together, move, connect and grow from her classes is enriching to witness and I am extremely grateful to have been asked to collaborate on this - meeting wonderful people and crafting a film which showcases the importance of dance within health and wellbeing.