Moving Outdoors For Wellbeing is a Kokoro Arts Ltd led and Taith Wales funded project that brings together youth workers, dance practitioners and young people from Wales and Cyprus to exchange skills, ideas and experiences on using movement in outdoor spaces to increase well-being.
A group of participants and youth leaders from Wales, UK as well as Cypriot young people have just spent a full week in beautiful, hot Cyprus dancing outdoors, learning about the limitless possibilities our bodies and senses offer. They visited many picturesque locations, such as Palaichori, Prodromos reservoir, Agios Sozomenos, Nicosia and different beaches and found ways to connect with the sites through occupying them with movement. The week focused on tuning in with your own body, aiming to be authentic in choice making when dancing as well as creating connections with the rest of the group, exploring touch and intentions in dancing together. Throughout the week the movements and ideas were captured through the camera lens, giving the project another artistic medium to live through.
It was a wonderful opportunity for participants to build new networks, have important cross-cultural and interdisciplinary conversations and receive reassurance that we are all going through similar struggles as young artists, regardless of the country or the art form. Cyprus was such an inspiring choice as the location for this project, everyone encountered was welcoming, helpful and really friendly. Kokoro Arts will definitely be back again for more creative projects and adventures!
“My intention for the week was to discover more ways to delve into my own
practice, my movement desires and goals, which I definitely have done. But I think
it has also reaffirmed the importance of community and how connecting and learning
from others can really inspire and help you find / discover / bring out parts of
yourself that were previously dormant / undiscovered. Although short, I found
spending the week with fellow creatives and having time to unpick conversations
and ideas really thought-provoking, inspiring and motivating.”
/Participant/
