BareFooted Arts

BareFooted Arts Supporting health, wellbeing and creativity through brilliant arts opportunities for all.

As our ‘Bringing the Outside In’ project comes to an end, we’ve been reflecting on what an extraordinary 18 months it ha...
12/06/2026

As our ‘Bringing the Outside In’ project comes to an end, we’ve been reflecting on what an extraordinary 18 months it has been.
We have shared music, dance, puppetry and sensory play with more than 900 children and families in hospital, and together co-created a trilogy of performances inspired by the ideas, imagination and generosity of the people we met.
Of course, we hoped to bring moments of joy, creativity and calm into the hospital environment, but, as always, we have learned just as much from the children, families and staff who welcomed us into their world.
We have had beautiful conversations, heard remarkable stories, shared laughter, tears, and quiet moments of reflection. We have watched strangers become playmates, seen families find a moment of respite, and been reminded again and again of the power of human connection.
We always feel deeply privileged that families invite us into such personal and uncertain moments in their lives. At the heart of our practice is the belief that creativity can help create a safe, calming and human space, where for a little while children and families can simply be themselves and forget the clinical environment around them.

Thank you to every child, parent, carer and member of staff who danced with us, made music, shared a story or made a wish. You have shaped this project, and we will carry those moments with us.

✨ Bringing the Outside In
✨ 18 months
✨ Over 900 children and families reached
✨ Three co-created performances
✨ Countless moments of human connection

Thanks to , and Heart of England for funding the work and to our wonderful partner

And of course, brilliant collaborators,

Would you enjoy a nourishing day of gentle guided dance, movement, meditation, and creative exploration ~ a space to rec...
18/05/2026

Would you enjoy a nourishing day of gentle guided dance, movement, meditation, and creative exploration ~ a space to reconnect with yourself through movement, rest, creativity, and community?

Is that a YES? Then come join us! 💜
Everyone is welcome

🌿 What to expect
• Gentle guided dance & movement (all abilities welcome)
• Creative expression & exploration
• Somatic practices for body–mind connection
• A welcoming, supportive community space
• Nourishing food & time to simply be

📍 Chester House Estate
🗓 Sunday 28th June 2026
⏰ 10am–4pm

Spaces are limited ~ book via www.dancemind.co.uk


Reimagining Stories, a movement and reminiscence project, began at Coventry University Hospital today. Over the coming m...
06/05/2026

Reimagining Stories, a movement and reminiscence project, began at Coventry University Hospital today. Over the coming months, we’ll be working across the older care wards.
This project creates a space to meet people exactly where they are, responding to how they feel in the moment with care, attention, and openness.
A way of bringing the human into a clinical environment through movement, presence, and shared experience.

A quote from a lovely patient today:
“That has put me right that has. I wasn’t feeling like myself.”
There is something profound in coming back to ourselves through the body. In remembering that we are still dancers, still whole, still capable of connection, expression, and feeling.

With thanks to for their ongoing support as resident artist.

We are very privileged to share moments of play, creativity, and connection with some wonderful families during what can...
14/04/2026

We are very privileged to share moments of play, creativity, and connection with some wonderful families during what can be for them an incredibly challenging time.
Through these encounters, we create space for children to be fully themselves. not defined by the hospital around them and for parents and carers to catch those precious glimpses of their child as their playful, curious, joyful self. Moments of pride, connection, and togetherness that feel so important.
Thank you to everyone who lets us step into their world, even just for a little while 🌿


Photography

08/04/2026

A little glimpse of ‘In Comes the Countryside’ 🌿
Co-created for children and families in hospital, this gentle, child-led work meets each person exactly where they are, offering space for sensory play, imagination and connection at the bedside. From dancing leaves to butterflies, every moment invites playfulness and changes clinical spaces into places of surprise and wonder.

We’re so grateful to the children, families and staff who welcome us so openly and to those who trusted us to capture and share these moments. It feels like a real privilege 💛

🎶 Musician & Composer:
🎬 Performer & Director:
🎬 Filmmaker:

Made possible with support from

Spring is in the air, and today we’re back at UHCW, bringing a little piece of the countryside right to the bedsides of ...
20/03/2026

Spring is in the air, and today we’re back at UHCW, bringing a little piece of the countryside right to the bedsides of children and their families. 🌿🐝
With music, movement , and a few curious creatures along the way (including this rather friendly wasp!), we’re looking forward to meeting some truly wonderful families across the wards. Our hope is to brighten the day, ease a little of the stress, and offer a gentle moment of escape and imagination.
It’s always a privilege to share these moments with families 💛

Made possible with support from

Photo credit:

Today marked our first visit to the wards with In Comes the Countryside, the next chapter of our Barefooted hospital pro...
20/02/2026

Today marked our first visit to the wards with In Comes the Countryside, the next chapter of our Barefooted hospital programme, gently bringing the sights, sounds, and feeling of the outdoors to children and their families at UHCW.
Through music, movement, and sensory play, we shared moments of calm, curiosity, and connection together on the wards.
One parent shared:
“This has brought us a joyous and relaxing experience as a family, please keep doing what you are doing, it is so needed for families like us.”
We’re so grateful to continue creating these small moments of togetherness during long hospital days 💛

With thanks to and all the families who welcome us into their spaces. And to and for supporting our work.

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Northampton

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