Dance South West

Dance and Health

Between September 2009 and March 2011, The Dance and Health Regional Lead has been in post to investigate, advise and advocate on the role that dance can play in improving people’s health through encouraging physical activity.  Based at Government office South West, and working directly with the Department of Health, Healthy Weight Healthy Lives Team, the post holder, Louise Portlock has engaged in two main strategies; Be Active Be Healthy and Change4Life.  Below are a range of key achievements and links to further documents that have been created as part of this work.

Key Achievements have included:

• Approximately £80,000 invested into dance activity and dance development programmes during the 18 months of the post

• 4 Mass participation projects in Swindon, Exmouth, Plymouth and Bridgwater, attracting over 10,000 people as participants, and spectators

• Generating a legacy from these events of increased activity, new projects and continued partnership working

• 3 smaller scale ongoing activity programmes in Exmouth, Bristol and Cornwall, working in partnership with the PCT’s

• 2 Health and Well Being through Dance Seminars in Swindon and Plymouth, attracting approximately 80 delegates from sport, health, education, voluntary, and dance sectors

• Engagement in the Youth Dance England, “Youth Dance and Health” film created by Hampshire Dance

• Poster display about the dance and health work in the South West at the UK Public Health annual conference

• Group facilitator in partnership with a regional Obesity Lead from the south west, at the Youth Dance England Conference

• Increased awareness and advocacy to health professionals on the impact of dance

• Increased awareness and advocacy to dance professionals about engaging with health outcomes successfully.

As well as the above a selection of documents have been created that will generate further interest and stimulate more activity.  These documents will be disseminated via the Healthy Weight 4 Children website, part of the South West Public Health Observatory. http://www.healthyweight4children.org.uk/resource/view.aspx?RID=92787 

Some particular documents that have been worked on recently are featured via this link include:

• Change4Life South West Summery Report

• An evaluation of Lets Dance with Change4Life, by Dr Kitrina Douglas

• Dance and Health Case Studies

• An evaluation of the Dance and health Regional Lead Post

• Youth Dance and Health Film

• Dancing to Health – A review of the evidence

News

Healthy Communities, Sustainable Places

A one day conference to inspire, inform and engage - more

A Healthy Success!

Report on our Dance and Health Seminars - more

Health and Well-Being Through Dance Seminar

Be inspired by the possibilities of dance and help shape the future to tackle health improvement and inequalities - more

Memory :A national conference on Dance and Dementia.

This national conference will be held in the beautiful and historic Bluecoat Arts Centre in the heart of Liverpool  on 10 and 11 December 2010. - more

REACH Final Learning & Dissemination Event

The REACH projects in Bristol, Devon, Dorset and Somerset have involved 18 health, arts and community organisations in partnership working to deliver on key public health priorities. To find out more about this event click here

Lets Dance with Change4Life in the South West

Let's Dance with Change4Life projects are happening all over the South West. Four mass participation events are scheduled over the coming months in Plymouth, Exmouth, Bridgwater and Swindon. In addition to this there is also three local programmes of activity with Dance Agencies and PCT’s in Devon, Cornwall and Bristol.

Let's Dance with Diversity

Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity, are joining forces with the Department of Health to launch a Government campaign to get kids boogying for a healthier future across the country.

The ‘Let’s Dance with Change4Life’ campaign will see the whole nation getting down with free taster dance classes across the country. To read the full story click here.

National conference celebrating older people dancing - 9th and 10th July, Taunton

Time to Move 09 was two-day conference bringing together artists, participants, agencies, politicians and decision makers to inspire and inform the future of dance with older people.

Related Downloads:

Plenary Notes and Photo's from the conference 2009

A Charter for the Older Dancer

Dance Champions Group Launched

The Dance Champions group is an exciting new venture which has been developed to support and encourage more people to be more active. The group is supported by the Physical Activity Alliance in partnership with the Department of Health and is Chaired by Rod Aldridge OBE of The Aldridge Foundation.

The Dance Champion’s Campaign is part of Dance4Life, a branch of Change4Life, the Government campaign to get people ‘eating well and moving more, to live longer’. For more information about the Dance Champions click here.