Conversations with Carers is a series of podcasts, articles and innovative dance films, which examines the realities of paid and unpaid care. Conversations with Carers is created by Rashmi Becker, MBE, Founder of Step Change Studios, and supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
In this video, you can watch dancers Max Cookward and Annie-Rose Grantham in ‘Joy’. Max grew up with two disabled brothers and has been an informal carer since the age of ten.
Sibling review
The video, which is around 3 minutes long, opens with the word ‘Joy’ followed by a quote: ‘When I’m with my brother I’m completely present. The pure joy of being outdoors, laughing, playing and connecting is indescribable.’
The rest of the video is a dance sequence performed by a man and woman on a terrace overlooking a city. The text accompanying the video on the website explains that the male dancer grew up with two disabled brothers and has been an informal carer since the age of ten.
The dance is set to cheerful music and is an expression of some of the ways in which disabled and non-disabled siblings make positive connections. At certain points in the dance, each dancer is either lifted by or leans on their partner, reflecting how siblings support each other. I enjoyed the video; it is a short and sweet interpretation of sibling relationships. It probably isn’t for everyone – not everyone likes interpretive dance! – but I think most people would enjoy it as a short piece of entertainment.
Review by adult sibling Sarah
Find out more
- Listen to podcast Episode 3: The informal carer with Max Cookward
- Check out this article with producer Rashmi Becker, who outlines how Conversations with Carers came about, and reflects on the views shared by carers during the project
- For all podcast episodes, articles and dance films visit www.stepchangestudios.com/conversations
- Adult sibling carers