Sophie, our Producer for Creative Health and Communities is mum to two young boys and wrote this blog to let families know what they can get up to at DanceEast!
As a working mum of two young boys, it brings me great joy to work in a place that understands and values families and children. I feel just as proud to work on our programme as I do excited to get involved with my own kids!
There’s so much to do with your children at DanceEast, so here’s my summary of the great stuff that I think every family in Suffolk should know about.
First up, we have Mummy Movers. A class for parents and caregivers with babies in slings, it’s the perfect excuse to get out of the house and have a little boogie, and what baby doesn’t love being in the sling? They’ll either have the best nap ever whilst you dance the morning away, or they’ll be loving the music, the rhythms, and their own reflection in the mirror! What’s even better is the class was created by a mum after she had her own baby and felt that the type of class she was looking for was missing. Now she’s on maternity leave with baby no.2 and we’re very lucky to be joined by the lovely Shannon who teaches with her very own little one in a sling! The bit I love the most though is seeing the parents gather in the DanceEast café after class for a drink and a natter, reminding me that the social aspect of a baby class is just as important as the class itself.
The real highlight of our family offer is our popular family disco, Baby Loves to Boogie, and the newly introduced, Kids Love to Boogie! Think all the fun of a kids disco with tons of space to move about, breakout spaces for arts and crafts, toys, books, and dressing up, and dedicated disco queens to lead games and activities for everyone to get involved in! We’ve been running Baby Loves to Boogie for many years and we’re always open to listening to feedback and trying something new. So, when our families told us they wanted a dedicated disco for the slightly older ones, we introduced Kids Love to Boogie. Both discos run back-to-back on Sundays twice a year and also feature in our programme at First Light Festival.
That brings me nicely onto First Light Festival! If you haven’t been before, it’s a free festival down on the beach in Lowestoft in June and it’s brilliant for families, with loads to do. I have the fun job of being in charge of the ‘MoonDance Tent’ which features performances and workshops suitable for all ages and abilities. This year, we’ve got our first ever silent disco for families too! You can view the full programme here: firstlightlowestoft.com/zones/moondance
Back at the DanceHouse, there are plenty of classes for children once they’ve outgrown the sling! Dance for Tots is for 1–4-year-olds and is a great way to bond with your little one and encourage their natural love of movement whilst letting their creativity and imaginations run wild with props, storybooks and music. When I attended with my boys, I found it was also brilliant for their language development and recognition of colours, shapes and patterns. Then from 4 and up there are lots of classes to choose from if you’ve got a child who just loves to move and be creative, and activities during the school holidays too. We even have a bursary scheme for families in receipt of Universal Credit or income-related free school meals. You can find out more about all of this on our website.
The final bit of the puzzle is our theatre programme. Dance is a great way to introduce children to the theatre. Ours is a fairly small and intimate space, so it’s not too overwhelming and they get to sit really close to the action wherever they are! Or, in many cases, they can sit right in with the action as we often programme shows that are immersive and interactive. And with every family show at DanceEast you can expect lots of free wraparound activity like arts and crafts, character meet and greets, and workshops, and if you or your child are feeling a bit nervous about their first visit, you’ll be able to book onto a ‘familiarisation tour’ and arrive early to check-out the space, see where you’ll be sitting, and even meet the performers. There’s always a relaxed attitude to noise and movement throughout the shows too.
Tying all of this up in a neat, family-friendly package is our building, our home, the Jerwood DanceHouse. It’s a clean, open plan, public space (a bit like a library) where you can relax, feed your little ones (we won’t force you to buy something!) and do whatever it is you need to do. There’s plenty of space for buggies, there’s baby changing facilities, and if you do need to grab some refreshments, there’s the café where you’ll also find our kiddies corner, with a selection of toys, books, dressing up, and even a chalkboard wall for them to scribble on.
As I said at the beginning, I feel so proud as a mum to be working for such a family-friendly organisation, and I love nothing more than introducing new families to our work and our world! It’s a joyful place to be and I encourage everyone to check it out, or bring someone new with you next time you come and spread the joy!
