Dance for AdultsA Jolly Jubilee
We have had an absolutely joyful time celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee over the past few weeks. The TRS Teachers were so imaginative with their ideas, dance moves and props. Some of the Active Armchairs Facilitators have shared what they’ve been up to below.
Written by TRS Teacher, Jenny
I have had a great time during delivering some Jubilee sessions for my care homes on Wednesdays – Woodstock Care Home, Hazelwood Care home and Fairby Grange.
Although I have gone along with the same props and playlist, each session has been different and special. The participants have used the props in different ways through their creative elements and we have played a range of games with them too. There has also been some song and band requests which again have been different every time!
Our Jubilee sessions have celebrated different songs and British artists through the decades of the Queen’s reign, iconic dance moves from each era and we have also added in some patriotic songs too. For example, Rule Britania, Good Save the Queen and Land of Hope and Glory.
We have used red, white and blue scarfs, shakers, pom poms and flags and the participants have loved using each one in lots of different ways.
“Thank you so much for coming – I feel like I have relived moments of my younger years” – Participant
“It was a lovely sessions, they always enjoy the sessions, they love the props too” – Carer
At Woodstock we threw each prop in at the end to create a Patriotic mound of colour, at Fairby Grange we decorated ourselves with the scarfs and flags and at Hazelwood we decorated the floor with our scarfs making a union jack flag. We played a game of target practice throwing and rolling our shakers in, picking a colour to aim on – they did really well reaching their target colours.
Marie, a trainee facilitator, also came along to join us for her training visits and she joined in with full swing. We had a good chat with the participants, and heard stories of their past which was lovely. The Carers were also enthusiastic to join in!
Written by Rebecca Ashton
I’ve been working with residents at Fort Horsted Care Home recently. I like going there because the residents really benefit from even the smallest movements and the conversations we have. To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee I gathered together a lot of props because props always go down very well there! We had crowns and union jack hats to wear, my giant red piece of lycra, flags, red, white and blue balls and, possibly best of all, union jack plates. When it came to the plates we pretended it was time for the jubilee street party. I played Dancing in The Streets and we had a boogie. After the dance we played frisbee! There were plates flying everywhere and we did have a giggle. By the end of the session we’d made such a patriotic mess on the floor. It was great!
Written by Erica
I had the absolute pleasure of going to Victory House Care Home in Medway and we got in a very patriotic mood with a Jubilee themed session. I entered the lounge to find the participants in high spirits and was greeted with lots of big warm smiles. I started by going round to say hello to everyone and it was clear that everyone was enthused and excited to start dancing.
I started the Active Armchair session by introducing the Jubilee theme and discussing some of the songs we would be dancing to and there were lots of cheers in response to Vera Lynn and Shirley Bassey!
We started with our warm up to the Beatles classic ‘All You Need is Love’ which instantly got participants finding their voices and singing along. From here we spoke about going to London and visiting the Tower of London to see the crown jewels. I was amazed to learn from one participant that as a young girl, she used to run and play in the gardens of Buckingham Palace as her mother used to help dress the Queen Mother!
The hand warm up saw some very articulated finger movements as we reached out for diamonds and we even made heart shapes using our hands too. The room was now full of energy and it was time to introduce some Union Jack flags.
We waved our flags high in the air, made circles with them and did some rowing movements as well. Vera Lynn’s words ” there’ll always be an England” were ringing loudly in our ears and one participant Violet made us giggle by replacing the word England with Glasgow (her home town!).
Next we went off to the Royal Albert Hall for the last night of the proms and the Radetzky March was an instant hit. One resident rose straight to her feet and started dancing telling me that “it’s a wonderful experience and very patriotic”.
It was time to play a game and we turned our Union Jack plates into frisbies to enhance their movements. We threw them onto my big flags and this created a fun atmosphere. One lady loved it so much she came over and started to dance with the props and acted like the conductor of the orchestra for us. Her words, “tell Peter that we are having a right old boogie” were magical to hear. Her delight and joy was clear to see.
Of course, we couldn’t have a Jubilee themed session without singing the national anthem. What a spine tingling moment this was! Everyone sang so passionately that my eyes teared up a little. What an amazing group of residents they are at Victory House.
“Thank you so much for coming today. I’ve had the best time!” – Participant
Written by Rachel
At Strengthening Minds in Ashford we hada fab time using Jubilee colours and dancing to some classics such as Congratulations and Celebrations and Sweet Caroline. Some participants had dressed up as they had a Jubilee party afterwards. Active Armchairs was a lovely start to their Jubilee Festivities!
At Byron Lodge in Gillingham everyone thoroughly enjoyed dancing with the flags to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. The nurses joined in and danced around the room that was filled with vibrant Jubilee colours. It was a fantastic atmosphere oozing joy and laughter. The room was beautifully decorated with artwork the residents had made. Our dancing put everyone in the mood to celebrate and the residents were looking forward to their Jubilee party at the weekend!
Written by Steph
At Valley View Nursing Home in Rochester, they had incredible decorations from a brilliant party so we carried on the celebrations with pom poms and flags! We had fun playing games with the bean bags and a gentle cool down massage fit for a Queen to finish off!
And this isn’t even everything! We’re all really buzzing from such an exciting time. It’s been wonderful to share ideas in the TRS Teacher’s WhatsApp group and to talk about all the fun things we’ve been up to. We’d like to thank the staff at all the care homes, not just those talked about here, for letting us join in with their celebrations. Although we visit regularly, this really has been an extra special time.