Touch, Play, Dance for youngest audiences

Published: 12 April 2023
Reporter: Vera Liber

Second Hand Dance We Touch... Credit: Zoe Manders

As Second Hand Dance marks its 10th birthday, We Touch, We Play, We Dance, a dance experience for those aged 0–3 is at Warwick Arts Centre on 30 April, Brighton Festival on 13 May and Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells 19–20 May.

Four dancers weave around the space, inviting babies and children to join them, accompanied by music mixed live by a DJ, as the dancers respond to the children, guiding them through a series of exchanges and encounters, with high fives, hugs and dancing.

Two shows will be offered at each venue: a gentler morning show for babies aged 0–18 months, and an afternoon show for those over 12 months who may join in more energetically.

These performances are the first since Second Hand Dance joined ACE’s National Portfolio in April and the London shows mark the company’s first performances at Sadler’s Wells since being announced as Artistic Advisors to the theatre on work for young audiences, having previously presented Getting Dressed in the Lilian Baylis Studio (2017) and Night Tree Films (2021) on Digital Stage.

The company is also developing a new version of We Touch, We Play, We Dance for audiences aged 4–11 who are disabled, autistic or neurodivergent.

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