FRONTLINEdance create work specially devised for hospital settings.
The work is suitable for children, adults and older people and has previously been performed in Renal Units (Kidney Dialysis), Chemotherapy Departments, Children’s Wards, Elderly Care, Mental Health departments, Orthopaedics, Waiting Areas, Outpatient departments, and other Public areas in and outside hospital buildings.
Performing in hospitals is a very important part of FRONTLINEdance’s work. The outcome of this has a significant impact on hospital wards, the patients, staff and visitors. We create a calm and relaxing environment, make people smile, lift spirits, create a positive distraction, encourage conversations and make people think.
Find out more about our performances Happenchance, Forget Me Knot, The Explorers!
Moving Together sessions for Adults who have had a Parkinson’s, Stroke or Cancer diagnosis.
Our ‘Moving Together’ programme is designed to provide an opportunity for those who have long-term health conditions to move together with others whilst reaping the benefits it has to offer in a relaxed and enjoyable way. It is unique to the local area, and FRONTLINEdance are seen as specialists. We’ll be combining physical, social, and mental health interventions whilst creating a rich, supportive community for each attendee to be part of.
BENEFITS OF TAKING PART: FRONLTINEdance participants and our partners (including NHS staff feedback) echoes that of national and international researchers. This means that we are confident that our MOVING TOGETHER PROGRAMME’S methodology, style and approach supports the health, wellbeing, and independence of those who take part. We know that Moving Together offers an effective means of improving, and maintaining, each individual and the collective group’s wellbeing. It may help establish supportive relationships, and process thoughts and feelings that are often difficult to articulate or move beyond. It leads to more self-management, more peer support.
Find out more about how dance can help with Parkinson’s Disease and other conditions.
@Haywood – a NHS community hospital in Stoke-on-Trent
Rachael Lines, our artistic director visits in and out patients on a weekly basis. Collaborating with nurses, consultants, physiotherapist and occupational therapists, Rachael delivers group and one to one sessions with a wide range of people, wards and clinics, such as Rheumatology , Elderly Care, Stroke, Parkinson’s, and Neurology.
Open sessions for hospital and non-hospital patients take place weekly in the gym: WEDS 2:30pm-3:30pm
The project is part funded by the Haywood Foundation who exists to support local people with arthritis and related conditions. Rachael will be working closely with the Foundation. Please contact us for more information.
Following the success of our online sharing as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, we are excited to announce that ‘What? Me, Worry?’ is touring and now available to book!
‘What? Me, Worry?’ is a full-day dance engagement led by neurodivergent dance artist Kayleigh Price – developed from her screendance film of the same name. Through a combination of dance, film and conversation, the engagement explores lived experiences of anxiety and neurodivergence within a creative and supportive setting.
The engagement offer is tailored to each setting and may include a combination of:
‘What? Me, Worry? Screendance film screening
Artist talk and Q&A
Contemporary dance technique class
Creative choreographic workshop
Dance for camera workshop
Facilitated discussion
The ‘What? Me, Worry?’ short film, created by dancer Kayleigh Price, draws on her lived experience of anxiety and neurodivergence. The work creates a compelling narrative using three art forms – film, dance and music – to take you on a journey through the lens of living with generalised anxiety disorder.
Collaborating with filmmaker Jay Gearing and composer Luke Marley, who are both neurodivergent, it explores feeling alone and paralysed by thoughts but also wanting to make others happy, bringing the audience into Kayleigh’s experience. She hopes the work will help start important conversations about mental health and her reality of living with anxiety.
A trailer of What? Me, Worry? can be accessed here.
The film is available with Audio Description and BSL interpretation.
‘What? Me, Worry?’ will be touring to secondary schools, sixth forms, colleges, vocational dance training settings, conservatoires, universities, film festivals, charities and community groups.
Forget Me Knot has been made for older adults in hospitals, residential, care and community settings, but not exclusively.
Originally created with local contemporary dancer Clare Reynolds, post-modern pioneer and ex-Olympic gymnast Mary Prestidge and composer, multi-instrumentalist Greg Hall, choreographer and director Rachael Lines created two new live dance and music performance experiences that explored the precious things in life that we hope we can keep hold on to forever; an experience, a taste, a sound or a memory…
Forget Me Knot has people at the heart of it and the hospital / care environment was considered in the making of it. FRONTLINEdance experienced a great deal of enjoyment working closely with the medical staff and patients at Queens Hospital in Burton and very much appreciates both their contribution and support.
Adjusted to the age of the children viewing THE BOX! – Numerous objects are found that our performers use to: dance, create music and interact with the audience.
It’s fun and light hearted with a message of friendship and integration. The level of interaction and the length of the work differs dependent on the setting and who our audience is. Guaranteed to make you smile.
Holding On is a live and digital performance programme co-created and performed by people with lived experience of cancer, grief, loss and bereavement. Described by audiences as “opening up difficult conversations in a softer way”, the choreography emerges directly from their stories, blending crafted movement, improvisation scores, spoken text and relational tasks to create a work that is both artistically rigorous and emotionally resonant
Booking Options
Holding On offers a flexible programme made up of several strands which can be booked individually, though we recommend combining them to create a bespoke engagement package. The programme includes two co‑devised short films, a recording of the live performance and the live work itself – which can be presented as the full piece or adapted into shorter experiences such as solos, duets or trios.
Booking options consists of:
Live performance
Screening of the live performance film
Pop-up solos, duos and trios
Screenings of two short films
Q&A with the creators, devisors and performers
Facilitated discussions
Creative workshops
Rachael Lines, FRONTLINEdance Artistic Director and CEO, can present the work or appear as a guest speaker, tailoring it to you. For example, presenting why/how it was made and/or our approaches to working around sensitive subjects.
A residency recreating the show with your own cast (community, intergenerational and professional artists)
The piece supports participants and audiences to encounter creation and performance shaped by lived experience within a safe, held and supportive space.
We’ve designed Holding On so it can tour easily and be adapted to each venue. This means we can perform in a wide range of indoor settings, though the work is not suitable for outdoor environments.
Live Shows: Available bookings from September 2026 – December 2028
Residency: Limited bookings available from October 2026 – December 2028
Short films Holding on (1): Available from August 2026 – December 2028
Holding On (2) Screendance: Available bookings from August 2026 – December 2028
Workshops: Available bookings from September 2026 – December 2028
Pop Up Solos and Duets: Available bookings from September 2026 – December 2028
Accessibility
FRONTLINEdance is committed to accessible practice for d/DEAF, disabled and neurodivergent people. Our offer includes BSL interpretation, relaxed performances, touch tours, opportunities to meet the performers in advance, and an easy-read visual story. We work with each venue to ensure accessible practice is embedded at every stage – pre‑visit, delivery, communication, marketing and evaluation. We can provide access training to support your team and build confidence in inclusive practice. In most cases, this training can be offered free of charge when booking Holding On.
Book a Conversation with Us
We’d be very happy to discuss programming options or explore how Holding On could sit within your programme. To set up an informal conversation or to book, please email Melanie at: touring@frontlinedance.co.ukFor further information:Tour Pack
HAPPENCHANCE is a promenade integrated dance, performance project for hospitals and hospices (but not exclusively – we have created our work so it can be engaging and enjoyable in a wide range of settings).
Initially devised for the University Hospitals of North Midlands, Artistic Director Rachael Lines created five new contemporary dance works, especially for the hospital environment and all who attend; in and outpatients, visitors and staff.
Performers travel between public spaces and corridors to wards, and specialist units – we can even venture outside on the hospital grounds. We have work suitable for Children’s wards, Renal Units (Kidney Dialysis), Chemotherapy, Stroke, General Wards and Outpatient waiting areas – in fact our work can be performed anywhere!
We have different work available for both indoor and outdoor settings. We tailor what we perform for the right environment, situation, hospital and patient need. It can include storytelling and live music.
We can also facilitate one-to-one and group activities for staff, visitors and patients.
