The Snow Queen Intergenerational Project

The Snow Queen Intergenerational Project TIME TO DANCE

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Contents 5

Introduction

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I Carry Your Wisdom

8 Wonderland 18 You Are Extraordinary 26 Take Me Back 28 Fortune Telling 40 Moving Together 42 Flying Down That Road 44 Goodbye For Now 46 SB Health Acknowledgements The residents and staff of Erskine Home, Bishopton The children and staff of Bishopton Primary School

Time to Dance is supported by: Life Changes Trust, Baillie Gifford, The Robertson Trust, Norman and Pam Murray, Ed and Jean Murray and anonymous patrons.

Project Staff Dance Artist: Hayley Earlam Musician: David Farrell Dramaturge/storyteller: Philippa Clark Visual Artist and Photographer: Brian Hartley Support Dance Artists: Amy Cobb, Joanna Daskalou & Hannah McIlveen SB Dance Health Officer: Elaine Convery SB Dance Health Manager: Lisa Sinclair Design: Rachele Dunn

Investment managers

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The Snow Queen Intergenerational Project

TIME TO DANCE In celebration of the world premiere of Christopher Hampson’s The Snow Queen, Scottish Ballet’s engagement team worked creatively with the residents of Erskine Home, Bishopton and primary five pupils from Bishopton Primary School, to explore themes from the production and promote intergenerational dialogue.

Following a series of movement workshops, the group came together as special guests at a matinee performance of The Snow Queen, before continuing to work collaboratively for a block of four, weekly sessions at Erskine Home.

Drawing inspiration from qualities associated with The Snow Queen characters, they shared stories of family, adventure, empowerment and transformation; remembering and celebrating the females who have made an impact on their lives.

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Facilitated by the project team, the group used various mediums to capture and document the experience: movement, music, written word, poetry, photography, and visual art.

This book is a collection of these creative responses, a tangible recognition of a shared journey.

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I Carry Your Wisdom I carry your wisdom around everywhere with me It is unseen like the air we share but fits me perfectly Flowers could grow from it, perhaps a snow drop Blowing in the wind, not bending, just dancing, Standing our ground The world is going on in the background, but we can chat together When we meet we discover that between us we share a lot and we know a lot You are resilient You are extraordinary We made unique things with our hands Heard stories about bravery, mother, daughter, child Had a snowball fight within a wintery scene Floated like snowflakes, momentarily frozen Fiercely gentle

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Wonderland We danced through snow storms, made the shape of a giant snowflake together, told stories of snow ball fights and skating on frozen lakes.

Charcoal and chalk, grey and neutral tones, into colourful collages bringing our imaginations to life in the images we made.

What can you see in our winter wonderlands?

“She is like a warrior, a snow queen, I like it as a snow queen version of me”.

“I used to go ice skating, I went many times when I was younger. Once I skated outdoors on a frozen lake”!

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“We don’t have snow like we used to. One day in my mind I will always remember, it was 1952, and when we went to bed at night, it was a beautiful night, absolutely beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, all stars, we went to bed and when I opened the curtains the following morning there was about four feet of snow. That one always sticks in my mind, always.

I just like it, I like to see the snow. I don’t like to go out in it much these days but I like it”.

“There’s a polar bear there too”.

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“I see a snowman, if I could see right, but I do see the sun coming out and a sledge and trees and snow falling”.

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“We made snow with glittery paper and we set it at night time”.

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“We used a sponge in the big picture, we splodged paint and also we used our hands. We drew something with the music playing and matched what it made us think of, and that was snow and a snowstorm”.

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“Here we have the Snow Queen and she’s angry, she’s making a big storm and the cat is scared...

This is Lexi and she’s just walked in so she’s very surprised, she doesn’t know what’s happening...

I see the Snow Queen with all her powers, making a scene, a colourful storm, she stands on a snowy hill”.

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“It’s a sparkly snowflake, and people having a snowball fight, and a snowstorm. We drew a medal here for Ronnie because he used to do ice skating and he won a medal so that’s for him”.

“This one reminds me of thunder and lightning... like a snowstorm”.

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“The art is first class, the movement of it coming together looks beautiful, the black and white moving towards the coloured one... The children have made a super job of this”.

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You are Extraordinary We are brave and we can be protective, we danced together to show these characteristics, talked about who our female role models are and found inspiration in each other too.

Look at the bold and fun characters we made, can you spot all their strong qualities?

“This is someone who Jim met called Mattie, she came from Greenock.

She has lots of dots and patterns on her dress and bows on her shoes, Maureen chose that on her green dress.

She gets everyone to sing along and it’s important for her to include people so she gets them to join in, no one is left out.

Her everyday super power is bringing joy to the world,and we based her head around Meredith from Brave ”.

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“She is called Super Sophie, who is strong bold and flexible too.

She would be the one to look after us.

She is dark and pale too.

She is bending backwards that’s why she is upside down.

She has very scary teeth!

She helps people do gymnastics and is also very kind.

She has one leg that is the Bishopton primary school logo and one that is Erskine.

The dog is called Woofles and he barks a deep bark”.

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“This is Mia and she lives in Gourock.

She loves to sing, she is brave, kind, funny and loves to laugh and draw, and she did a front hand spring into a pool.

She is very colourful and loves paint splats,and loves to draw.

Wait! She loves high heels.

We based it on me!!

I’m brave too”.

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“She’s called Gran Jemima and she’s a warrior, she’s transgender, very confident, she has huge wings, and she can fly away.

Her dress is a rainbow.

She is very strong, she’s an angel, she likes to run cause she’s a warrior.

She is responsible, but can be scary.

She’s doing a handstand and she’s kind.

She is based on people in the world who are kind, and also Caitlyn Jenner”.

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“She is called Marcie and she is a disabled carer so she cares for people.

She’s also a receptionist.

She is super strong as you can see from her legs and body. She bends back to lift people’s weight, she has big muscles.

It’s based on Lacey’s mum and my nana, because my nana is Margaret and Lacey’s mum is Stacy, so it’s Marcie...

If anyone is mean, she comes and lifts them away, with one arm, and puts them in jail”.

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“This is Miss Potatoes!

She loves potatoes she is full of happiness and she loves to do ballet.

She does lots of stuff for people, she is very strong, even though she has tiny legs.

She can run on water!

She protects people, she is very amazing”!

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“My daughters have seen the world.

My daughter has climbed Kilimanjaro, she was a school teacher and she trained to work with special needs children. When my other girl went to university she took engineering, and at that time girls didn’t do that, there was just no girls. She worked for the electricity board and on the day the course started she was told it had been cancelled. So she went to see one of the other boys on the course to see if his course was cancelled and it wasn’t. So they went to see the boss who said, ‘We clearly forgot that you were a girl, so we have to build a bedroom and a dormitory for a girl, because all we have is one that sleeps six boys and I’m sure that is not what you want!’

So they accommodated her!

They’ve both done well.

I know I raised strong women”.

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“I have adopted children, and they are taking up the dancing now, in fact I had a wonderful visit from one this morning! The boys said, I think we should call her mummy, as that’s the only mum we’ve ever had. I said at the time, all those years ago, I’ll take over with these children, so I cared for them, and brought them up, and it was marvellous. I never heard them quarrelling. We were a great family, we never argued.

I never knew what was in front of me as life unfolded, it’s better that way. I like to say to myself that I’ve had a good life, really. My sons, they said to me, we’ll look after you, now that dad’s away”.

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Take Me Back “The first time I went to the dancing was a Saturday, and the teacher said I would like you to come back. There’s this beautiful way you move like a ship rolling in. I said, well, I am on a boat, and I can roll in! Nine months later, the war ended, and I’m not sure I ever did make it back. I never did roll back in...

Sometime later, I was going for a walk along the front and this woman came towards me and said, where are you going and I said well I don’t know, just strolling and she said how would you like to come with me and I’ll learn you dancing? So I said ok.

The first lesson was about how to put our feet and how to hold your partner. The next one on Saturday, we did some dancing about how you held each other so you weren’t kicking their toes, you know. The fourth time I went, she said I can’t teach you anything more, you can do it!

She said, will you come back again? But that didn’t happen. She just liked the way I moved. I was in the Navy then, and I went to Orkney, oh I’m not sure I saw her again. She said I was the best one, I could hold right and I knew where to put my feet”.

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“He was a terrific man my husband. He did all the sewing for my ball gowns. I had a red one and a blue one and a mauve one, all my favourite colours. I did shows and demonstrations. With the ballroom dancing it involves two lots of couples going across and down the ballroom. It was marvellous. I miss those days.

My husband is dead now but I loved dancing with him; he made my dresses, my ballroom dresses for me.

Oh he was a wonderful man Robert. He did all the sewing for my gowns. I had a red one and a blue one and a mauve one, all my favourite colours.

My dress was pale blue with silver trimming down it and I had a tiara, oh I loved that tiara, it made me feel like The Queen”.

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Fortune Telling From our hand choreographies we spent time paying attention to the details in each other’s palms and the stories hiding within.

What fortunes would we wish for each other?

“I did once see a fortune teller, and she said that she saw me living my life overseas. I always wanted to live overseas but that never happened, I always wanted home”.

“Jim said, his wish would be, well he can’t see out of one of his eyes”.

“I’ll never be blind, one eye is damaged, so I bang into things sometimes”.

“To see more clearly Jim? I wish that for you, so you don’t bang into things”.

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“I’m ambidextrous but I chose to do things with my right hand. I use my right hand because I’m neater.

I can do a lot of things with my left too, like helping people, that takes both hands”.

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“My fortune I see for Winnie is that she would get a cup of tea and it came true. Then my other wish is that we could meet again some day”.

“I think she is a very fortunate little girl. I hope you have, what you call a fortunate life, and that what you want to be, you will be it”.

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“Oh I think Winnie’s hands are so soft”.

“My hands! It will all come true”.

“I hope that she is happy and that she enjoys all the minutes of her life”.

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“There’s lots of fingers and nails and our hands together and watches. They are different colours and each part of the hand has nature in it, like birds and flowers and water”.

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“She would have a happy life, I see that in her life line, look at it here.

When I look at the picture of our hands I forget which one is mine and which is Maureen’s”.

“Our hands are really the same size.

I see yours as neater”.

“We got lots of different colours and pastels and traced around our hands, me and Margaret did it together. We coloured some fingers and overlapped our hands to make it look a bit different”.

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“I’d like some things for Elena, my wish for her would be for some of my qualities, like happy, because that’s how I like to be, a happy person, some days I feel she will be happier”.

“To have the best company, I wish that for Margaret”.

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“I think the future of the world is in safe hands. You girls, do you hear me, that means you. I think you’re more educated than we were. I think the world is a better place. There will always be wars, someone jealous of someone, it’s the way of the world. I wish everyone could have a war free life. That’s what I wish for the girls, a peaceful life. Some folks have luxury and some folks have poverty and they tell us the wartime diet was the best diet we ever had, we had no sweets, you hear that girls”!

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Moving Together Hands for holding, Guiding, dancing, Gliding, squeezing, Freeze!

Lift and grip, Now gently does it, Hold me tight Fall and catch, Connecting Clap a rhythm, Click, clap, click Palm to palm, Read for the future, My wish for you…

Love line Heart Line Health and happiness

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You guide and I will follow, Now let’s swap and sway Reaching, searching, Hands that hold steady Hands that calm, Stretch, point, play Webs of little lines to tell a story, Reminding us of where we’ve been

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Flying Down That Road “I was taking the back road at Erskine and it was a 30 miles speed limit. I was always in a hurry in the mornings and I was doing 58. The police car pulled me over and he said I’ll let you off this time!

Well a week later, I’m flying down that road at the same speed and he says “haven’t we met before”? I said “yes, and I’m sorry”, he said “I’ll let you off one more time but if you do it again”... so I just gave it up then before I was in trouble! I loved driving and going so fast, I could see my husband’s feet going up and down in the passenger seat trying to make me slow down!!! Oh I enjoyed life, there’s things I can’t do now that I did before but it doesn’t bother me.

I could write a wee book. But sometimes I can’t spell properly”!

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Goodbye For Now

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SB Health SB Health includes programmes that support the lifecycle, including three programmes for people living with neurological conditions; Dance for Parkinson’s Scotland, dementia-friendly Time to Dance and Elevate©, for people living with multiple sclerosis. As well as two wellbeing programmes for young people, Safe to Be Me© and The Close. We have also created professional development programmes for health care professionals, carers and dance artists.

Unique to Scottish Ballet, SB Health takes inspiration from our main stage productions. What you see and hear at the theatre or on screen is what moves us in the studio. If our professional dancers are moving like swans to live music, so will we. Classes incorporate social time with refreshments. Dancers are invited to dress rehearsals and company productions, with the aim being to feel a part of the greater Scottish Ballet community.

In 2017, Scottish Ballet launched a three-year programme of dementia-friendly dance activities called Time to Dance. The project has been developed for and with people living with dementia; including caregivers, family members, friends, dance education and health professionals. Now, in its third year of delivery, our Time to Dance programme has 43 participants

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on a weekly class register and has engaged a further 838 participations from people living in care homes across Scotland.

Through working with Erskine care homes on a regular basis we have been able to establish more options and adaptations for people with reduced mobility to participate.

To learn more about SB Health please visit www.scottishballet.co.uk/join-in/dancehealth-wellbeing

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