SEASONED - an evening of new work by older dancers, announced for The Place

Roswitha Chesher

The Place is proud to once again support Let’s Dance, the national campaign founded by Angela Rippon CBE, championing dance as a powerful force for connection, wellbeing and joy at every stage of life.

As part of this year’s campaign, The Place presents Seasoned, an uplifting mixed bill of brand-new works performed by older dancers whose creativity has been shaped by a lifelong relationship with movement. Bursting with warmth, humour and vitality, Seasoned celebrates what it means to keep dancing, growing and connecting.

On Saturday 7 March 2026 at 7.30pm, more than 100 performers from leading community groups and companies for older dancers across the UK come together on stage at The Place. The programme includes dancers from The Place’s Over 60s community, Royal Academy of Dance’s Silver Swans, Trinity Laban's Over 60s Dance, EncoreEast, Damn Fine Dance, Quercum and Akademi & Third Age Project, creating a rare and powerful moment of shared performance.

Closely aligned with The Place’s belief in the transformative power of dance, the Let’s Dance campaign is on a mission to convince policy makers – and indeed the nation - that dance is an underused but powerful tool to tackle chronic physical and mental health challenges and combat loneliness within society through movement and community. The Place has proudly supported the campaign since its launch in 2025.

Angela Rippon CBE says: “The Place has been an incredible supporter of Let’s Dance from the very beginning. Their commitment to the campaign and their vision for dance as a transformative power, is inspiring. The ambition, professionalism and sheer joy of The Place’s Over 60s Company perfectly captures what the campaign is all about, and the showcase at The Place is certain to be a highlight of Let's Dance again this year.”

Pol (Pauline) Marson, The Place Over 60s community: “I have found a community through dance.”

The Programme for Seasoned includes:

The Place’s over-60s contemporary dance community take part in weekly classes, intensives, and performance projects. Formerly performing as part of Home From Home, they brought together 50 dancers aged 60+ for sold-out shows across the UK in 2023 and at the Let’s Dance launch in 2025. They will premiere a new work by Becky Namgauds at the Let’s Dance Press Launch 2026 and as part of Mixed Bill: Seasoned.

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is based in South East London. Trinity Laban’s creative health programmes provide adults in the local community with high-quality arts experiences that support wellbeing and enrich everyday life.

EncoreEast, based at DanceEast in Ipswich, is a performing company of 20 dancers aged 53 to 84. The company produced Home from Home, involving around 50 dancers from four companies, which was performed in Ipswich, Norwich, and at The Place. They also co-produce HOST with DanceEast and have performed in Chichester, Tunbridge Wells, Turin, and Rome.

Silver Swans classes are ballet classes designed by the Royal Academy of Dance specifically for older learners to help improve mobility, posture, and co-ordination, and boost energy levels. Seasoned features a performance by a group of Silver Swans students from the Academy’s own dance school, based at its headquarters in Battersea.

Akademi, established in 1979, is one of UK’s leading dance organisations, creating, commissioning, and delivering high-quality South Asian dance programmes. The Third Age Project (TAP) is an older people's charity that supports and empowers disadvantaged local older people in Camden. Akademi artist Georgia Cornwall leads weekly South Asian dance classes at TAP as part of their wellbeing programme Dance Well.

Damn Fine Dance is a vibrant and unapologetic 60+ Dance company based in East London. Founded by Molly Wright and Luke Birch.

Quercum was founded in 2024 by Judith Curry to create intergenerational dance works that demonstrate the ongoing creative and expressive power of older dancers. Sarah Jackson has played a pivotal role since the outset as both producer and choreographer.

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