It’s come around quickly, but soon I’ll be saying a bittersweet goodbye to my role as Dance Artist and Communications Assistant at Curious Motion.

I began in my role in 2021, my first job out of University! Over time I’ve got to see Curious Motion grow, with new classes and events, artists, and most importantly the growing community of local people, all with their own stories and artistry, who have helped shape Curious Motion into the company we know and love. 

Here are some memorable moments…

I’ll always have fond memories of the children that took part in my Stories in Motion sessions at Elland Library. Sam and I worked hard to make sure that it was a child led experience, meaning I never quite knew what was going to happen! We travelled to the North Pole, outer space, and explored what compassion means to us, all with a variety of scarves, ribbons, and of course, what is a children’s session without a parachute?

My first project with Curious Motion was Elland’s Happiness Lab, a year long exploration of what happiness means to the people of Elland. We rounded up the project with an evening of celebration, which included my first performance with Curious Motion. I had a wonderful time performing with fellow dance artist Matt in a ‘taster menu’ of dances, which ended with the whole audience joining in with us! It was the first time I properly met the Elland community, and I was truly touched by everybody’s enthusiasm. Harry Style’s ‘Treat People with Kindness’, the song we dance to together, will always remind me of this moment.

I’ve also taken part in not one but two Welland festivals. Each of these, centred around arts for wellbeing, connected a vast array of people, allowing them to express themselves and get creative. In both these events I had the joy of performing in two versions of the co-created piece ‘This Here Land’, a celebration of Elland which explored togetherness, community and celebration. The first iteration, made in 2023, was put together in only five days! 

The second, a reimagining for Welland 2024, was the debut piece of our fantastic Performance Company (pictured above). It was a pleasure to return to the themes of the piece with them, and expand ‘This Here Land’ into a larger piece. Although by that point I had worked in Elland regularly, as a non-resident, it was a wonderful experience to learn more about the community itself. I will keep the fond memories of the jokes, chats, and of course hundreds of brews that these rehearsals processes brought. 

My final event with Curious Motion was our Refugee Week event, the third that Curious Motion has run and the second that I’ve been involved in. At each of these events, it was a delight to share food and art spanning across cultures, coming together in solidarity with refugees. (I shared my thoughts on the 2023 event in our Calder Navigation podcast episode: see here!) At this year’s event, it was so wonderful to have so many eager community members pack themselves into the room, taking part in my dance and movement workshop. Most had never met one another, many didn’t speak the same language, but all expressed themselves with compassion and care for one another. It was joyous and moving, and a fitting end to this wonderful adventure. 

I’m moving on to teach dance in a secondary school, and I feel so grateful to have my last four years of experience at Curious Motion to nourish me moving forwards. Being a part of this fantastic team has shaped me into the facilitator I am today. Thank you so much to you all. I’m sure I’ll be back to visit soon!

Until then, goodbye for now. 

Isla x