As local dance company Wee Movers celebrates its fifth anniversary, Ellie Waterhouse meets its founder Fiona Campbell
Rooted in contemporary dance, Wee Movers runs classes for children of all ages and abilities, providing a creative space where everyone can dance and express themselves in a non-judgemental environment.
Founder Fiona Campbell started the company during lockdown, having just had her second child. With a background as a professional dancer, she had a vision for a different approach to traditional dance classes.
“My childhood training was concerned with aesthetics and right and wrong,” she explains. “So I thought, what if we actually flip that around and start from a place of enjoyment, creativity, imagination and ideas? We ask children to explore a theme, a prop or a story through dance where they come up with the movement themselves.”
Since launching, over 5,000 kids and their grown ups have taken part in Wee Movers classes. The company has even collaborated with institutions such as the British Museum and Young V&A, creating family dance workshops inspired by their collections.
Alongside weekly classes, Wee Movers hosts much-loved annual ceilidhs in partnership with Leyton-based café Deeney’s, celebrating its Scottish roots.
Looking to the future, Fiona hopes to continue the trajectory of the last five years. “We want to be growing throughout the UK, and would especially love to work more with local schools. We’ve seen the difference dance can make. It allows children to slow down, listen, and interpret things like poetry or text in a completely different way.”
Summer term bookings are now open via weemovers.co.uk. Information on ‘Creative Schools’ holiday clubs is also available online
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