Swan Lake Take Flight
Overview
In 2024-25, New Adventures is touring its pioneering production of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake.
Alongside the show, we worked with theatres across the UK to offer a range of free dance activities and experiences for young people inspired by Swan Lake.
About Swan Lake Take Flight
To coincide with this 30th anniversary tour of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, New Adventures developed Swan Lake Take Flight, an ambitious dance project which aimed to reach over 2,500 young people in the UK. The activities that made up this project, which included regional dance-artist training and employment, community movement workshops and in-theatre experience days, were inspired by Swan Lake and engaged young people who may or may not have ever experienced dance before. The activities focussed on how connecting, creating, and moving together can improve wellbeing. Furthermore, through a pioneering research partnership with The Centre for Health and Wellbeing across the Lifecourse at Brunel University London, New Adventures will identify the conditions and mechanisms by which Swan Lake Take Flight achieves its wellbeing outcomes.
The project was delivered with New Adventures’ Placemaking partners, including Mayflower Theatre and MAST Mayflower Studios, Norwich Theatre, The Alhambra Bradford, Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Marlowe Canterbury, Theatre Royal Newcastle and Farnham Maltings, as New Adventures aims to support relationships between venues and local community groups and bring new audiences into theatres across the country.
Etta Murfitt, Associate Artistic Director of New Adventures, said,
“Now, more than ever, young people need dance and dance needs young people! Just as our production of Swan Lake embraces the next generation, Swan Lake Take Flight will get today’s generation of children and young people moving and excited about dance and validate the impact of dance on wellbeing to support the future of our industry and generations to come. I could not be prouder of this pioneering programme and look forward to working with our venue partners throughout the UK to make it a success.”
Meet the Dance Ambassadors
Meet our Regional Dance Ambassador for Bradford, Elliot Augustine. Elliot led our Community Workshops.
Meet our Regional Dance Ambassador for Canterbury, Jodie Cole. Jodie led our Community Workshops.
Meet our Regional Dance Ambassador for Newcastle, Alyssa Lisle. Alyssa led our Community Workshops.
Meet our Regional Dance Ambassador for Norwich, Sophie Utting. Sophie led our Community Workshops.
Meet our Regional Dance Ambassador for Plymouth, Sapphire Sumpter. Sapphire led our Community Workshops in Plymouth.
Meet our Regional Dance Ambassador for Southampton, Charlotte Fernandes. Charlotte led our Community Workshops.
Evaluation
We are delighted to be partnering with The Centre for Health and Wellbeing at Brunel University London, to build a programme theory of wellbeing for the Swan Lake Take Flight programme.
The research will identify the conditions and mechanisms by which community dance achieves its wellbeing outcomes and will build evidence of the impact of an extensive programme of movement and dance activity in different places with diverse participants across the UK. The PhD will ensure the development of an evidence-led framework for supporting the values of New Adventures in ensuring wide accessibility for people in different places to watch adventurous performances, take part in creative movement projects and become part of the New Adventures family of performers, professional practitioners and participants.
We have defined that Wellbeing is about feeling happier and healthier through creativity, connection, joy, and wonder. Swan Lake Take Flight is about bringing young people together, making them feel excited and inspired, and enriching their lives through movement. By valuing their creativity and giving them the chance to flourish, we aim to improve the wellbeing of every participant involved across the UK.
Hannah Filer, Dance, Communities and Wellbeing Doctoral Researcher, is undertaking this PhD which will lead to the design and delivery of workshop activities to coproduce a programme theory of wellbeing or community dance. We are also working closely with Hannah’s supervisor Louise Mansfield, Professor of Sport, Health and Social Sciences and Research Lead for Welfare, Health and Wellbeing in the Institute of Environment, Health and Societies.
Meet Hannah Filer, Communities and Wellbeing Doctoral Researcher at Brunel University.
Meet Louise Mansfield, Professor of Sport, Health and Social Sciences at Brunel University.