I was a member of Ludus Youth Dance Company from 2008/9 to 2013. I attended Ludus Pro Class and started freelancing for the organisation. I was also employed as the General Assistant supporting admin of Ludus Dance.

There are many amazing memories! Working with a range of Dance Artists whilst in LYDC to create new work, this helped inform the kind of choreography I enjoy making and viewing. Performing in countless youth dance platforms and other events.

As a professional, joining pro class was great to connect with other Dance Artists and continue my personal practice, freelancing gave me lots of delivery opportunities to build my skills and experience, being a staff member gave me insight into the office based work of an arts org and again developed my skills.

My favourite project with Ludus Dance was as a Lead Artist for Mill Girls to Militants - an incredible opportunity to create work based on an interesting theme and a community that was interested. I learnt lots about the women's suffrage movement, the project challenged me as a choreographer and facilitator and ultimately I was very proud of the piece I created - which I felt really captured the story of the Lancaster suffragettes. It was incredibly powerful and moving performing the work alongside a mass group of women and girls. I was also selected to perform as part of the Emerging Artist evening of Big Up North. This supported me to create an intergenerational duet between myself and my grandmother and is one of the highlights of my professional work and practice.

Being a member of LYDC helped me to develop my skills and experience as a young dancer, supporting me to pursue training in Dance and showing me that there were accessible careers in the sector. It also helped form my style and interests as a choreographer/facilitator, as we worked with such a range of Dance Artists. Freelancing for the organisationsupported me as an emerging artist, helping me to build a portfolio career as I was trusted to work in and deliver sessions with a range of participants, settings for different projects. The General Assistant role built my confidence and understanding of desk based work undertaken within an arts organisation. I engaged with projects that were incredibly fulfilling and made me feel proud of by abilities and achievements and I have made friends for life through meeting in pro class or the office.

I know that Ludus Dance has hugely contributed to my career, and helped form the Dance Artist I have become. Thank you Ludus Dance for your impact on me and so many others - Happy 50th!

I was very lucky to gain a place with Ludus Touring Company from 2004 to 2009. Where I got to work on 3 shows. This was my first 'proper job' as my mum would say!

I had spent a year after Uni doing lots of projects and finding my place in the world of dance...and wondering if I was cut out for life as a dancer...then I met the team at Ludus. I'll never forget meeting Joan and Julie as I arrived on audition day - it's amazing how you know that a place is right just from one cheeky wink (thanks Joan!) and knowing that the people here are 'proper good 'uns'! One of my scariest memories is not the audition itself, thankfully, Deb, Gil, Jamie and the team made everyone so welcome and so at ease. It was actually the interview downstairs in the basement office - I swear that every member of staff at Ludus was invited down there - that room is like the Tardis. I'm sure there weren't that many people in reality, but my word, it was a bit intimidating....talk about sweating! Thankfully, I realised that the people who work for Ludus have kind hearts and are nothing but encouraging. It ended up being a lovely interview (if you can say any interview is lovely), and I couldn't believe it when I got the job!

On top of this, my memories are full of love for the people I got to work with - not just the amazing dancers in the Touring Co, but also the DDD team who were simply brilliant! The office team (of course), the Tech boys etc. I still remember making up stupid songs with Kate Mercer when we were driving to workshops (Myrtle!), dropping Debbie Milner on her head (complete accident - sorry Debs!), and Jim...well...just being Jim to name but a few! There are 2 people I do want to shout out that made a huge difference to me - not just as a dancer, but in my life. Firstly Deb Barnard - thank you for taking a risk on a kid with not much experience and helping me believe in myself - I don't know if you realise how much I looked up to you and your incredible knowledge. Secondly, Gil (GG!), words cannot express the impact you had on my life. I think working with you was the gift I never knew that I needed, and you helped me to heal at a time when I wondered how I could ever hide all the cracks. Thank you for helping me find who I was, believing in what I could achieve, and inspiring me every day.

Working at Ludus cemented that I could do 'it' - I was not a fraud and I had found somewhere I belonged and it truly felt like home for me. It also helped with my next steps after leaving Ludus (which is always the hardest thing to do). I feel that without working for Ludus my career would not have been what it is now.

I joined Ludus as a Community Dance Development Worker from Sep 1991 - July 1992.

I was appointed as Dance Development Worker straight out of Laban - my first proper job! I stayed for a year and then moved back home to Wales.

My favourite memory has got to be - being supported to lead the best sessions that I could, by Louise Glynn, who I thought was amazing and is still the best community dance practitioner I know. I was amazed that she could work with anyone whatever their ability or age or background, always starting where people were at! I had the best team around me - Jane Mooney, Sue Akroyd, Joan and Alan Dowthwaite and Pete Johnson. I consider myself so lucky to have this opportunity that Chris Thomson encouraged me to apply for. The two day interview process was amazing but I was so nervous. Sue and Louise let me know I had got the job and I went to a pay phone at Preston train station to call Chris and my Mum!

I loved the range of sessions from the kids' Saturday morning programme that I led, to adults with disabilities, to care homes, adult dance sessions and women only groups on the Deepdale Estate in Preston. I was proud to have set up Preston Youth Dance and remember bringing about 20 young people to Ludus for a joint session with Ludus Youth Dance.

What a learning curve that was to be at Ludus for a year - I definitely learnt my craft at Ludus about how to lead 20-25 very different dance sessions weekly.

Phfew, what memories!

Naive Louise arrives at Ludus.

Task; to help develop the wonderful community work already started up by the super talented Gil Graystone. Scary, how does one begin?

Marsh estate; Aim; getting people dancing

Advice from Gil and Anthony Peppiard; “Get to know the people, meet them where they are at”

Action; Louise ends up sitting in a pub on the Marsh estate, looking for a local to chat to, in the hope of gaining a participant for the class.

Whoops, not going well. I sound as if I am trying out some novel chat up lines.

“Would you like to dance?”

Result; funny looks by locals and a quick exit by me.

Eventually success was achieved by chatting to parents at the local primary school and asking whether they would like to drop off their children and then have the opportunity of a fitness class.

Initially being told; “Dance is for middle class people who wear stripy leotards”. However, I eventually won over a couple of people.

Classes started, no dress code. Just fun and transparency and we were off. The group became 25+ participants (very young children in tow) and even, when possible, afterwards a drink at the pub.

Develop work with older people in a nursing home

I remember arriving at the Empress Nursing home in Morecambe, smiling enthusiastically, lesson plan in hand. Here I go! (I thought)

The participants came into the large function room. Some walkers, others being wheeled in. I smiled and positioned people into a circle and began.

“Good afternoon everyone”

Music (carefully chosen) played

The warm up began eagerly but was stopped abruptly.

A walking stick hurled at me “You have a bloody cheek coming here, this is our home!”

The woman was right, she had been wheeled in by a staff member against her will

Wake up call for me; get the participants agreement first; I was a visitor!

Thankfully I got accepted after talking to all individually and I became a fixture at the home, but never loosing my guard; listening and being sensitive.

Many happy memories!

The Lancaster carnival

Oh no, cringe moment. I was to be dressed as a milkmaid. Gil as a cow.

Dancing and celebrating with the people of Lancaster I paraded through the streets. As ever; Gil, the true performer was on form. I shuddered on the inside and on the outside smiled. All in a day’s work. EEEK…..!

I have the fondest memories of my time at Ludus and as a result of my experience and all I learned I have had the most wonderful career in dance.

Thank you

I came into contact with Ludus very early in my career when I was teaching dance at Heysham High School in Morecambe, 1976-1978. We booked Ludus to bring their production into school which they performed in the school hall to a few hundred students. As a probationary teacher I enjoyed attending evening classes run by Ludus, which focussed on Graham technique.

I founded and directed Youth Dance England from 2004 -2016, the national dance organisation to support children and young people’s dance in and beyond schools. In this role I created a national network of regional youth dance coordinators. I commissioned Ludus to host the NW regional coordinator post because of their exceptional work with young people’s dance and a shared ethos about the power of dance to change people’s lives for the better.

I am now a trustee of Ludus since 2022/3. I decided to become a trustee because of my close connection with the ethos of the company that has remained constant, even though resources are much reduced since 2011 when the first arts council cuts came. I was born and brought up in Morecambe, my close family live in the local area and I am passionate about supporting opportunities for young people to enjoy and develop in and through dance.

One of my favourite memories is seeing the Lancashire Youth Dance Company, created and led by Ludus, perform at the national U.Dance festival at The Lowry that was a programme that I ran as Director of Youth Dance England. The choreography and standard of dancing was exceptional. More recently I enjoyed seeing Ludus young dancers performing with the solar power they generated themselves at Light up Lancaster – bringing together Ludus’ commitment to helping young people contribute positively to the ecological agenda and creating performances that are clearly created by and for the young dancers.

Ludus has always been a leader in the dance sector founded on the principles of how dance can be used as a vehicle to bring about social and personal change. It was well ahead of its time in 1975 and it gave me confidence to develop my practice as a dance animateur in Berkshire through the 1980s. Members of the company have become colleagues as I have moved into different roles and positive and critical friends to challenge and support my work. Ludus changed the dance world in which I have been fortunate to work over many decades.

I was on the touring team from 2009-2012.

My favourite memory is from team teaching and pretending we were American and sneaking in phrases like "dance like a Goblin" and "If ants were the size of cats they would rule the world!" It was incredible travelling the UK and doing what I love- dancing and teaching.

Ludus impacted me by Just being able to go on tour- working with the most amazing people and friends. It was my first professional job after graduating and I was so lucky to have been mentored by Gil, and have George Adams, Becca Thomas and Neb Abbot supporting me. An incredible foundation for starting my career.

I was the Dance Development Officer from 1994 to Dec 2004 - followed by Artistic Director.

I recall travelling with the company for a residency in Kosovo - not long after the war between Kosovo and Serbia (1998-1999). Much of the landscape was war torn and Kosovo was working hard to try and get back on its feet and rebuild the devastation. During workshops and performances, the power would regularly drop for a while and then splutter into life minutes later. (A little nerve wracking for a dance performance). The show was CLASH - a show about conflict and conflict resolution, illustrating conflict from the playground amongst children to all out war between countries. I watched from the audience as the dancers danced their beautiful best and, as the show progressed, I realised I was developing a great sense of unease. The audience was deathly quiet and very still. The unease came from an overwhelming sense of what right did we have - a bunch of Brits who had never been in a war or experienced such conflict - to make such a show. I began to imagine a riot as they booed us off the stage for our audacity. The clock ticked, the end was nigh and I held my breath. The dancers took a bow. Silence. Stillness. Followed by thunderous, rapturous applause and a full house standing ovation.

Ludus, by far, has been the greatest working experience I have been fortunate to be part of. When I think back, I appreciate more now, how deeply special an environment it was - a fantastic community of people with a loving sense of family. The company sharpened my politics particularly in relation to leadership and the fact Ludus was a co-operative. I believe this sense of shared ownership was unique in the arts sector and served the company so well for many years. Hats off to those early pioneers who wished to buck the hierarchical power trends in the arts! It still saddens me to this day that the co-operative status was dropped - for quite spurious reasons I often thought. It wasn't a model which was broken - it had outlived many arts charities which came and went - it was a model that those who had only experienced hierarchies wished to change. Now the arts talks of co-creation, collaboration, co-leadership as if these are brave new concepts for the future! Every person who I had the pleasure and honour of working with, I wish to share a love for and deep thanks - my Ludus family is forever more part of the fabric of my soul. I'm eternally grateful for that.

We came to Bounce Blast classes and my two young girls really enjoyed using torch light and playing with movement. Attending Ludus’ Dance classes has really helped with my children’s confidence.

I used to bring my children as toddlers to Ludus in the early 1990’s.

My daughter as a teenager enjoyed dance workshops at high school.

My 3 year old son particularly loved the parachute - which I remember was brilliant at the time, so much fun for the children and adults!

Happy memories, it’s always been very community oriented. I tried tap dancing sessions there which was fun.

I came across Ludus as an EYFS (Early years) consultant supporting R&D for an Early Years project and providing training for dance artists working with babies and young children.

Stand out moments from Ludus for me include working with dance artists as they explored aspects of their childhood to create a new piece of work. It was a real highlight of my professional career to be part of such an intensely emotional, yet joyful process.

I also remember attending Gil Graystone's 'Stretch and Boogie for the Over 40s!'. It was the opposite of any other 'fitness' session I'd experienced. The pleasure of dancing with other women, being encouraged and nurtured by Gil's enthusiasm and care for all of us as she helped us find our inner dancer while we stretched and boogied. Also a little moment of personal joy when dancing across the room and catching sight of the glorious 'dancing lady' on the wall - caught in the moment of leaping in the air with no pretensions, no concerns for how she looked or how others saw her. Just enjoying the moment and the pleasure in moving to music, in a space devoted to sharing the joy of dance and playful movement in us all. She symbolised a sense of real inclusivity for me that I hadn't expected to find in a dance organisation. Big thanks to Gil and to the Dancing Lady on the Wall!

I am pleased to count several ex Ludus people / dancers amongst my friends - they all have a certain special something about them!

In 1980 I was ‘head hunted’ straight out of college to work for LUDUS Dance-in-Education company as an Educational Researcher/Deputy Director of The Special Schools Project: “Learning Through Dance”. This was a very ambitious project carried out in 1980 - 82 with support and funding from three education authorities, The Schools Council, The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, The Arts Council of Great Britain and numerous other arts and educational bodies. The project raised the profile of the arts on the special education curriculum, trained teachers in the use of the arts with special children and made many suggestions about the preparation, development, and presentation of professional theatre performances in special schools.

I also ran a weekly dance-movement class, Dance For Non-Dancers (DFND). The hope was that by experiencing and enjoying this class participants would go on to take one or more of the technique classes organised by Ludus.

Some people did, but many more came solely to enjoy the freedom of what Peter Slade referred to as Natural Dance, the ability to allow ourselves to simply enjoy moving. The class was mainly dance-movement games, free form movement to music (both individual and group) and Contact Improvisation/Contact Release.

In the beginning the class was a broad mix of people who had a little dance experience and those who had none. After a few sessions, people discovered that in this class people had fun and found camaraderie and community. Not only did the class meet regularly once a week but I also organised weekend retreats for participants.

The lessons I learned from my work with LUDUS and especially from teaching DFND classes stayed with me throughout my professional life. Throughout my 35-year academic career no matter what other classes I taught, I always enjoyed teaching the introductory movement classes.

My greatest joy was to see individuals who were convinced they had 2 wooden left feet discovering freedom of movement and exploring the expressiveness of their body through the movement vocabulary and structures I provided them in the classes.

Now almost 50 years later , I thank LUDUS for starting me, and later my students, on this journey exploring the joy of movement.

My time with Ludus taught me so much, both professionally and personally. Company meetings were a great experience for me—a time to progress, reflect, and move forward together. Every voice was valued. Our Director, Debs, was my guru. Her working approach and wisdom were truly inspiring. She so cleverly helped us work together and communicate effectively, and her impact on how I work with others today is profound. The cooperative nature of the company was so empowering. The self-led SWOT analyses, our version of appraisals, became a powerful reflective tool for me.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a Ludus company member. It was a pivotal and life-changing moment for me, both professionally and personally. Working with such an eclectic and amazing group of creative, open-minded, and positive people opened my eyes to so much. That experience has wholeheartedly empowered me. I now share the belief that movement enriches all people and encourage everyone I meet to be positive, compassionate, and loving.

Ludus’ ethos was to find moments of play in life. While it’s not always easy to do, especially when life gets busy or dull, that playful spark is always there, waiting to be reignited.

I am always proud to say I was a company member and I cherish my Ludus days. I may have learned more than I gave, but I hope I played a small part in the Ludus jigsaw. Everyone who experienced Ludus was touched in a positive way, and the web of ‘Ludites’ continues to touch all those they work with.

Ludus was full of colour and energy, commitment, inspiration, connection, creativity, vibrancy, compassion, belief, movement, and wonder. I was so fortunate I to be enriched by Ludus!

My six years with Ludus, first as a Community Dance Artist and then as a Project Manager, were filled with positive memories. When I think of that time, the building, the people, the workshops, classes, shows, and events all come to mind. Ludus was a place that radiated passion, positivity, fun, and vibrancy.

The Ludus logo—the feet on the front of the Assembly Rooms—inviting you in. Walking through the door, the happy ding of the bell, and then climbing the stairs, I always felt positive about the day ahead. It was never a chore to go to work; I truly felt lucky to be there.

Our open-plan office was a real love-hate relationship for me. I loved the energy but found it challenging at times because I'd get so easily distracted by the buzz of my colleagues. We’d bounce ideas around, inspire each other, and sometimes just start moving and creating in the spaces between our desks when inspiration struck.

My dog was even welcome to lie in the office on some days, patiently waiting for her lunchtime walk while getting lots of affection from everyone who passed by.

The sound of music from the studio would often pull me away from my desk. I'd have to take a break just to peek in and see the excitement happening inside. And when it was my turn to be in that studio, it was glorious! I have so many happy memories of moving and creating in that space. Our weekly professional class was a lush, warm experience that led into our team meeting—a morning of connection and planning. We had a "yes we can" mindset, taking dance to all kinds of people, in any venue, on any theme. We made dance accessible for everyone, including those who never thought they could dance, and they always came away better for the journey.

I joined Ludus in 2002 as a Youth Dance Artist. I then became Project Coordinator for a short period before becoming Artistic Producer. I left in 2013.

My first day at Ludus in 2002 was in North Wales on a team building weekend. I'd just started as one of 3 Youth Dance Artists (Phil and Louise were the other two). The weekend involved absailing down cliff edges and a gorge scramble in a ill-fitting wet suit. I thought it was quite a bizarre way to meet my new colleagues but I immediately fell in love with the team. We made so many incredible memories together - the early days of the Lancashire Youth Dance Festival at the Charter Theatre in Preston, the beginnings of the Ludus Youth Dance Company (who started as the Lancashire Youth Dance Company). I took the youth company all over the country (Cornwall, Dublin, London etc.) I have so many amazing memories of this time - and so many of the original company have gone on to do incredible things.

My favourite memory from my time at Ludus was working in Athens - a partnership between Ludus, The British Council and the Greek Council for Refugees. Anna Daly and I worked in a tower block with young refugees and created performance work for the underground tube stations. It was a life-changing experience.

When I first joined Ludus it still had it's cooperative status. After 3 months, you put a pound coin in jar and became a Director of the company. The pound coin represented the stake you had. Because the staff team were also the board, it meant we had long whole staff meetings - sometimes joyful, sometimes fraught, but such an amazing education in collaboration, reaching mutual consensus and shared responsibility. I think many of the values that Ludus instilled in me, I've carried forward into my career.

Ludus was in many ways, a family - it gave me such a place of belonging and value. I really try to ensure that this is the experience of people I work with now - making sure that everyone feels valued, recognised and championed in their leadership. I learnt a great deal from people like Deb Barnard and Gil Graystone. I learnt a lot about teaching and pedagogy. I learnt how to plan well, and how to consider the multiplicity of other peoples needs. I learnt a lot about how to work well with young people and how to adapt and shift and embrace the unexpected. Ludus always felt like a place to learn and experiment. The sense of team was so strong that it also felt safe to fail. These are values that I carry with me now and always.

I first came across Ludus Dance Company in 1975. I heard about a new company exploring the idea of dance in education. As a drama teacher, I was already used to the idea of drama in education and knew how powerful it could be as a learning tool. So, I was curious — what might dance education look like?

I booked Ludus to perform The Great 1950s Revival Show at Saint Peter’s High School in Wigan. I’ll never forget the energy of that performance, or the buzz it created — not just in the pupils but in me too. From that moment on, I suppose I became a bit of a Ludus groupie! Over the years, I brought almost every show they produced into schools in Wigan.

It was an exciting time, when we were shaping our approach to arts in schools, and Ludus played a huge part in making dance a real presence. I was lucky to be in a position to work with Ludus to make sure young people across Wigan had access to quality dance. We managed to bring the company in for 12 weeks every year, with performances, workshops for pupils, and (crucially) workshops for teachers too.

Those teacher sessions were so valuable. They gave staff a way into the shows — the themes, the subject matter — but also helped them understand the “language” of dance. Dance can seem abstract, even impenetrable, if you don’t know how to break it down. Ludus gave teachers the tools to help young people really read and interpret what they were watching.

Later, I was invited to join the Ludus Advisory Board, which was an honour. I didn’t try to influence the artistic side — that wasn’t my place — but I was able to contribute to conversations about content, programming, and workshops.

One highlight was in 1983, when I invited Ludus to perform at the Wigan Venue at the Edinburgh Fringe. They brought It’s No Accident — a powerful piece about food politics and sustainability — and it was really well received. We also had around 60 Wigan youngsters performing other shows at the Fringe that year, so it was wonderful to see them alongside professionals, soaking up that experience.

A couple of other memories stay with me. At one point, I wanted to widen access and set up community workshops with Ludus. The only way to reach people back then was via the local paper, so I took out an ad for “Ludus Dance Company workshops.” When I opened the Wigan Observer, I was astonished (and a bit horrified) to find someone had “corrected” it to read Ladies Dance Company! That small change said so much about the attitudes we were up against in the 70s and 80s. Unsurprisingly, not many people turned up.

And finally, I still feel a glow of pride when I think back to one of our Wigan students, a young woman called TC (I wish I could remember her surname), who went on to join Ludus as a dancer. To know a local student had taken that step into the company felt like a wonderful full circle.

Im trying to remember if I knew of Ludus before i invited them in, to help set up the Dance provision at Beaumont College. I must have seen their work prior to that...maybe the touring shows? Goodness, finding it hard to remember when that was. I'm thinking it was around the turn of the century...so 20 odd years ago.

I remember watching some of the brilliant touring shows like 'Wildchild'. Fond memories of working with the different generations of dance artists that we brought into college and performing with them..one I remember particularly was with Leonie Haines developing a dance piece with our students..we used Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ as the soundtrack and think we performed it in a local Library.

When the college took the brave move to change the college curriculum from traditional subjects to a Creative Arts one, we needed external input to train the staff in the 3 different Performing Arts subjects. Funding must have been easily come by at the time..so More Music was brought in to help deliver the Music Curriculum and Ludus dancers for Dance. I was then teaching Performance. Jill Slaughter was working with the dancers. They helped lay the foundation for the future of dance at the college, which is still a core subject today. So inspiration, technique, delivery style and opened us up to a huge enriching network of ground breaking dance companies..thanks to Ludus we brought students to workshops with Adam Benjamin, Yael Flexer, Wendy Houston, Northern Ballet, ..London Contemporary Dance? to name just a few.