Cricket legend and Strictly Come Dancing winner Darren Gough stopped off at The Point during November 2008 to support ‘Get Doncaster Dancing’ a project run by darts designed to encourage local people to take more exercise.
The popular Yorkshireman met with performers at the celebration event to see how the NHS-funded dance and movement project is encouraging a range of local groups to take part in physical activity as a way of encouraging healthier lifestyles.
'Get Doncaster Dancing' ran between May 2008 and March 2009. Groups which took part in the project include:
- dance schools
- primary schools
- secondary schools
- young people and adults with physical and/or learning difficulties
- older active people
- older inactive people in residential or day care
- professional dancers
- mums to be
- the under 4s and their grown-ups
Run by darts, the project was funded by Doncaster Primary Care Trust’s (PCT) Health Turnaround Programme, which this year has committed £800,000 to more than 20 community-based schemes that will help improve health across Doncaster.
PCT Chief Excecutive Christine Boswell said: "We asked Doncaster’s voluntary sector to submit health improvement ideas to us and we were overwhelmed with the response. We scored each project against our key health improvement aims, such as promoting the uptake of physical activity, enabling older and vulnerable people to live independently, and supporting children and young people to lead active and healthy lives. This project meets all those aims and I am delighted to see so many different groups taking part."
darts dancer Hayley Beecher has planned and taken part in many of the workshops. She said: "Anyone can enjoy and should have access to the benefits of dancing regardless of age or ability. Everyone can relate to dance as we all have at some stage in our lives engaged with dance/movement – dance and movement is part of our very being."
By beginning to dance we are choosing to move, to be active and to have awareness of our bodies. 'Get Doncaster Dancing' uses dance as a creative medium for improving health and physical and emotional well being.
Doncaster has high rates of obesity and Doncaster PCT and its partners are trialling ideas like this to show that being active can be a fun as well as healthy.
darts has drawn on its vast experience in the arts to pull together a wide range of dance styles as part of the project including contemporary dance, chair dance, hip hop, capoeira, salsa and African dance.
Working with dancers from different backgrounds and cultures brought a wealth of experience and passion for movement which encouraged participants in the workshops to unleash their creativity.
One of the dance pieces to be showcased at the event by Don Valley School and Performing Arts College was choreographed by Wayne Sables, the Artistic Director of the Wayne Sables Project, a local dance company that tours both nationally and internationally.
Teacher Jayne Spencer said: "As an ex-pupil of Don Valley, Wayne has kindly worked closely with the school to help raise the profile of the subject and offer his fantastic skills."