A Summer Without Dancing

- By David Ainsworth

It’s Wednesday 10^th July 2024. The summer sun of the afternoon has relaxed into a balmy evening. It’s been a tiring day; a tiring few weeks, with everything seemingly gearing itself towards this final moment. Will we manage it? Our tiring limbs tighten for one final effort. Then it happens – in the final minute of the match Ollie Watkins fires home the winner from a tight angle. That’s it; with England 2 The Netherlands1. Ecstasy.

Earlier that evening there is another moment of ecstasy as Fuse Dance Collective soak up the applause at the end of ‘Signature Moves’, our latest performance piece. The group had been invited to perform at Northern Ballet’s Expressions; a two-day dance festival held in The Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre. The work featured 14 dancers, with and without Parkinson’s, and explored the feelings of someone dealing with an illness, from denial to rationalisation to acceptance.

We’ve worked very hard on this piece over the previous few months, improving it for this evening’s performance. Fortunately, the hard work paid off and, whilst not quite perfect, it is as good if not better than it’s ever been, continuing to pack an emotional punch to the supportive and enthusiastic audience. I left the stage wondering if we’d ever get a chance to perform it again. It would be a shame to set it aside just after getting to grips with it.

After that there are three more sessions before a break for the summer. I work out some moves to ‘Shakin’ All Over’ by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and share it with the group. Everyone seems to enjoy it and we finish the year with an al fresco performance in the grounds of St. Chads.

Looking back over the year we’ve danced and achieved so much. For me it all started the previous summer with an away day in Meanwood Valley Urban Farm where I was allowed to put some choreographic ideas into practice. That led to a further development session where the ideas for a dance based on my experience of Parkinson’s began to take shape. This ultimately became ‘Signature Moves’ the dance that would ultimately steal the limelight from Ollie Watkins on that night in July.

As the break began this time I faced a summer without dancing. Except, of course I didn’t. Two away days at Temple Newsome brought the news that Fuse had been accepted to perform ‘Signature Moves’ at Resolution, an annual dance festival at The Place in London. We would need to double the length of the piece which would involve new moves and a rethink. So exciting times with plenty of dancing to do in the autumn. The performance takes place on Saturday 11^th January, and I’ve checked, England aren’t playing that day.