Creative exchange: Dancing with MS

In the Clore Studio, people from all walks of life watch, dance and participate, coming together with a common interest and purpose – creativity. The studio space is a container for the inspiring creations and powerful art of the creative individuals who inhabit it.

The Clore Studio is one of the rehearsal spaces for The Royal Ballet company, at the Royal Opera House (ROH) in Covent Garden. Each Wednesday morning for the past twelve weeks, the space has belonged to 24 people, all living with multiple sclerosis (MS), and all who have come together to dance.

Our work with people living with MS and our partnership with the MS Society has led to an ROH Creative Exchange project inspired by Cathy Marston’s ballet The Cellist. Each week, this group of Creative Exchange dancers travelled from all over the country to bring their creativity and life experiences to our dance studio.

“From the beginning it was clear that the group of people I was working with were really special: they were open, unafraid to be vulnerable and were unbelievably strong and determined”, says Bim Malcomson, the choreographer for this project.

Moving beyond the MS label

The Cellist is based on the life story of the prominent cellist, Jacqueline du Pré, who was diagnosed with MS at 28 years of age. Premiering with The Royal Ballet in the 2019-2020 season, it depicts du Pre’s struggles with MS, an experience our dancers can connect with more profoundly than most.

“We rehearsed with a passion and commitment, taking ideas from The Cellist and making our own creative responses which we wove into a dance”, says Bim.

The ballet depicts the impact of MS on de Pré’s life and clearly shows that, while MS is a part of a person’s life, it is not their whole life. Through exploring and expressing their creative identities through ballet, these Creative Exchange dancers came together not just as people living with MS, but as creators, dancers, and as part of a team.

Some have spoken of a sense of hope that came from the project, and the opportunity it gave them to move beyond the MS label and embrace a creative identity. “MS does not define us”, says one of the Creative Exchange dancers. “Look what we can do.”

ROH MS Society Residency. Photo: Ian Rice ©ROH

Reawakening the brain

The aim of each Creative Exchange is to provide an opportunity for people with different life experiences to come together to express themselves, but the impact often goes far beyond that. In the MS Society Creative Exchange, the dancers spoke of the improvement to their social wellbeing, as a strong sense of community and togetherness became important to everyone involved.

Being in a space with people who share the experience of living with MS was deeply meaningful for the dancers, with one commenting: “This is the first time I’ve been with so many fellow MS-ers and it has been a beautiful experience.” Another added: “To be with people who understand what you’re going through and also be able to make something amazing with them is a brilliant experience.”

The project has also been important for physical wellbeing. As MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, it can significantly impact a person’s movements. Reflecting on why the workshops have been so valuable, one dancer said: “When you’re diagnosed with something that can affect the mobility in your legs, movement becomes even more important.” Another added: “[The dance] benefits the MS… when I have a bad relapse, although [my legs] work, I can’t feel them. The ballet really does help to send those messages back up, to reawaken the brain.”

Making ballet accessible

The ethos of each ROH Creative Exchange is to provide a space with creativity and community embedded, where groups who may have been underrepresented in the arts can work with, and perform at, one of the most prestigious theatres in the world. Having that representation and the chance to perform to an audience at the Royal Opera House has been deeply significant to our dancers. “It’s important to be able to show people you can do something, and that there is hope.”

Opening access to ballet and opera is one of the greatest parts of working at the Royal Opera House and it’s made possible by the amazing artists we work alongside, like Bim. Reflecting on her choreography, she says: “My approach makes ballet accessible to humanity. Whether dance trained, not dance trained, wheelchair using or not, exploring your own geometry enables people to access their own expression within the ballet form.”

With creativity, openness, enthusiasm and shared experiences at the core of the MS Society Creative Exchange, every workshop had a magical energy – an energy created by, and belonging to, these unique dancers living with MS. We owe huge thanks to the MS Society and the dancers living with MS who participated in this project, for their commitment, generosity and creativity.