Glasgow NHS workers to showcase their dance moves at arts venue

Staff at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will showcase their dance moves at an arts venue in the city.

Through a partnership with Scottish Ballet, the event will take place at the Tramway and forms part of the Healing Arts Scotland Festival in August.

It will be the culmination of a programme in which Scottish Ballet teamed up with the NHSGGC Arts in Health Improvement programme and the Active Staff team to deliver online dance and movement sessions for the health board's staff and Health and Social Care Partnerships.

Before the Tramway performance on August 21, the participants performed a special dance routine, which was filmed at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in April.

In the lead up to the festival, Scottish Ballet visited the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in April.

They filmed hospital staff and representatives from the Scottish Ballet, as well as Community and Health Dancers from the ballet's neurological and youth programmes.

The groups performed a special dance routine, designed specifically to celebrate the role of arts in connecting communities and integrating arts and health.

Their performance will be included in a one-minute movie featuring dancers from across Scotland, marking the Healing Arts Scotland opening.

Jackie Sands, senior arts and health improvement lead at NHSGGC, was a participant in the Scottish Ballet dance sessions and was one of the performers at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

She said: "Through our Arts in Health and Active Staff programmes, NHSGGC is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of its staff, and this collaboration with Scottish Ballet has been a particular success."

Looking forward, Sands extended an invitation to more staff to get involved in the initiative.

“Being part of Healing Arts Scotland will be a wonderful experience, and we are keen to get more staff involved.

"We will be holding more movement and dance sessions with Scottish Ballet, so there is plenty of time for colleagues to come forward and join in the fun."

Healing Arts Scotland 2024 is a week-long national celebration of arts and health, spearheaded by Scottish Ballet, in collaboration with several organisations, including the World Health Organisation, NHS Lothian Charity, NHS Glasgow and Clyde, and multiple Scottish collaborators.