Escape to…. and Doorway Dances
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit our regular sessions at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool were suspended. We were acutely aware that the children in hospital were experiencing isolation on a greater scale than they had before.
We wanted to act quickly to maintain a connection with the children and young people; and to provide engaging sensory activities for them, despite the difficulties.
With the support of an Arts Council England Emergency grant we responded by producing two films Escape to Nature and Escape to the Ocean. These were realised using basic skills and technology such as our mobile phones to film and record and send sound between the three dancers and two musicians during lockdown. We each worked remotely at home and later as restrictions were lifted slightly we headed to the local beaches between South West France, Wales and North West UK.
Our second project during the pandemic, again supported by Arts Council England was Doorway Dances. In October 2020 we were once again able to access the hospital although we has to maintain social distancing, wear full PPE and perform as a maximum of two artists.
Lisa was still unable to travel to the UK, so her involvement was contributing to the zoom rehearsals, directing the project and creating film to be projected.
The idea was to explore the relationship between nature and wellbeing and we used the elements, Air, Fire, Water and Earth as a starting point to create eight ten minute duets with projection that could be taken into children’s bedrooms in the hospital.
Musicians Georgina Aasgaard and Henry Horrell along with dancers Sam Hickey and Louise Gibbons toured the hospital wards between February and April 2021.
“The performances were received really positively . The children seemed to enjoy being taken away to another place thanks to the films; the element of surprise added to the positive response we got from all patients, families and staff.
The performances in cubicles provided a sense of intimacy, like being in a home cinema. The multi sensory aspect of the performance, hearing improvised music and seeing a dancer responding and interacting with a film showcasing beautiful nature and another dancer was something quite unique and unexpected which took away the boredom and loneliness of being an inpatient in a hospital.” Georgina musician.
16 year old patient “It was fun exhilarating, very lively, everyone enjoyed it! I was honestly beaming! I was supposed to be discharged today and was very disappointed that I wasn’t. I’m now happy because I’m leaving in 4 days and got to do this after 1 ½ months in hospital. Deffo should be a weekly thing!”