Cheers to year 1 and many more to come!- Blog By Lynn Shaw

The bustling energy of our day-to-day studio classes, our participants, staff, volunteers, interns, studio assistants and freelance artists, make it a lively and positive place to work. There is always a “can-do” attitude within Citymoves, which means we make things happen as a team. Citymoves is lucky to have strong partnerships within Aberdeen, collaborating with other cultural organisations that are equally passionate about providing creative opportunities for Aberdeen and the North East. 

ne of the most interesting parts of my year has been collaborating with Emily Gutierrez Trejos, our Intern with Impact over the summer, on research in Dance for Health, which has revealed the true value of dance interventions in supporting people living with complex health concerns. We are so grateful for the generous support from grants and foundations, which allows Citymoves’ Dance for Health work to flourish. The research really showed us how vital our Dance for Health work truly is, and we couldn’t do it without them.

The first pilot project I developed as DDM was our Dance for Dementia Project last winter. It has moved from strength to strength, and now we run classes in 5 care homes each week. Dance for Dementia is such a highlight of my week, because it exemplifies the powerful exchange that occurs in participation-based dance sessions, and allows individuals to find their physical voice. For participants who are nonverbal, dance offers a different way to communicate through the body. I love seeing the joy in the residents, support workers, and family members who join in and connect with one another.

Our team are now working in Sue Ryder’s only residential neurological centre in Scotland, which allows us to engage with individuals who have experienced strokes, and are living with Parkinson’s and Huntington's disease. This expansion into Dance for Neurological Care is still new, but the recreation supervisor at Sue Ryder has just sent us some early feedback saying that they ‘could see the true joy and engagement in the faces of our residents and found the experience truly beautiful’. I cannot wait to see how this programme develops in the months to come!

One of the highlights this year has been engaging in training across the board for all of our Citymoves projects and strands. In September, we received training with Julie Symmonds in Stirling and met up with other Dance for Parkinson's artists for a full day of sharing and upskilling. Julie then visited Citymoves to work with our generous volunteers who support our weekly Dance for Parkinson's Classes.

Our ASN sessions are thriving. We had the pleasure of receiving recent training from Indepen-dance (Scotland), which has given us extra tools to engage more creatively and inclusively with those we work with. In January 2026, we will launch our new class “Wee Horizons”, which is a younger inclusive performance group aimed at young children ages 5+.

(Sidebar- we are currently running a #GivingTuesday Campaign to support Wee Horizons, so we can keep it free or charge and remove financial barriers for our tiny dancers. Check out the campaign here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/wee-horizons) 

Strive, one of the long-running projects I inherited when I joined the team,  has been a real joy to foster as well. In May, Strive received 3 years of funding from the The National Lottery Community Fund Young Start, which not only allowed us to continue providing free creative dance classes in 5 Aberdeen Community Hubs each week, but has also allowed us to expand the offering, giving the young people the chance to programme and perform in professional productions. In addition to performing, they also learn skills in promoting and working front of house at their events. All these new skills create opportunities to learn life-transferable skills. It was lovely watching the young people take ownership of their events in October, when they programmed a family show in their community hall, served teas and coffees, took tickets at the door, and performed for their families and the local community.

Right now, I am working with Dance United Yorkshire in a partnership that allows Citymoves to engage with local youth partners, charities working with young people, children's homes and those less engaged with education. The partnership began when DUY’s artistic director, Helen Linsell, came to Aberdeen in October to deliver participatory, engaged training to work with young people with no dance experience and who may have experienced challenges in their lives. The training was highly informative and enabled our tutors to develop the skills needed to deliver trauma-informed dance sessions confidently. Next year, from February to March, we will collaborate with Dance United Yorkshire to deliver a 4-week intervention for young people aged 16-25, culminating in a performance at The Lemon Tree.

It has been a truly enjoyable journey this year, and I look forward to lots more adventures within the wonderful world of dance. Working with a team that is passionate, creative and adaptable allows everyone to shine. Here’s to many more dance sessions that reach those who may never have danced before, or those who have caught the bug… and just can’t stop dancing!!