Blog | September 17, 2017
Robbie Synge is a choreographer based in the Highlands, and at 37 years old, he is supporting over over 50s Flames in their workshops. Here’s his experience with our fabulous Flames!
“I was invited by Fiona at Tricky Hat Productions to lead a workshop with The Flames with a view to the material we generated being part of a performance at the CCA. Being a choreographer, our future audience. All in a very short time! Actually, in the end we tended to devise a number of instructions or scores that the group would work with rather than set choreography. This means that what The Flames perform and what the audience discover should be very live. There are a lot of decisions being made in the moment, which we think is exciting.”
Do you think that there is a demand for a theatre group for over 50s?
“In my experience there have sometimes been waiting lists for these opportunities. So, yes definitely! I think also that the idea of participating in theatre or performance may not be an obvious option for many people around this age. It’s not necessarily on the agenda but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be. As a maker, I have found the degree of energy and openness of older participants often to be surprising and I am always inspired by what they bring to creativity and performance.”
Do you feel that over 50s are offered enough opportunities to get involved in the arts?
“In general, probably not, and I think the emphasis is understandably on younger people. There are so many ways we might mix and collaborate and understand each other in different ways through different activities. I think arts offers endless scope for this.”
Don’t miss your chance to take part first-hand in what The Flames are doing, at the CCA in Glasgow on October 4th. More information here.