‘There must be someone famous coming… ‘

To celebrate International Day of Older People, Yorkshire Dance wowed surprised shoppers with a flash-mob and fabulous performance of Beige.

Beige is a playful dance performance which aims to challenge some of the many stereotypes of ageing.

My cheeks hurt from smiling so broadly with the 60 local older residents, who went from wearing bland, boring, beige clothes to casting them aside to show the bright and vibrant colours underneath. This tongue in cheek performance challenged all stereotypes and displayed the confidence ageing brings to many. Truly inspirational and fun!

As we stood waiting for the dancers to descend the escalator, a man turned to me and proudly that his wife was one of the dancers. Another woman, equally proud, declared her grandmother was also in the performance. What great memories created by the older people themselves and the talented artists at Yorkshire Dance.

This wonderful uplifting flashmob exemplified the many preconceptions society has of older people and the responsibility we all have to challenge this.

Hillary Wadsworth
Programme Manager (Learning)