"It had a profound impact upon the lives of its users, transforming insights, forging identities, and providing lasting well being."
Dr Edson Burton, Heritage Curator
As part of the restoration of Jacobs Wells Baths as a community and arts hub, we at Trinity recently hosted the first of our reminiscence sessions, I Danced at Jacob’s Wells.
We invited anyone with memories of the Bristol Community Dance Centre - whether as a member of a dance class, a dance facilitator, or a choreographer - with the aim of understanding the building's significance and its role within the dance community. Attendees were encouraged to bring photos, documents, posters, and flyers from their events at the Bristol Community Dance Centre.
After the session, we caught up with our Heritage Curator, Dr Edson Burton. Here's how it went:
“We were joined by 18 dancers and tutors, and while others sent through their apologies. The the team included Jude Hutchen and Ruth Myers-Insole from Local Learning and myself who had produced this event as the first in a series of heritage activities that complement the restoration of the former bath house.
"The first informal half hour allowed guests time to look through an impressive archive of flyers and brochures spanning the history of the Dance Centre. But also to meet again. Many of the guests had not met since the closure of the dance centre or had only seen each other loosely. We then proceeded to introduce ourselves with an accompanying dance move. ‘Dad sway’ and ‘Mummy step’ were two of the evening’s highlights.”
Following a brief welcome and introduction, participants were set prompts to get the conversation going and set the intentions for the session. Edson reflected:
“My questions were simple prompts designed to elicit open-ended responses. What followed was a remarkably touching celebration of the Dance Centre. It had a profound impact upon the lives of its users, transforming insights, forging identities, and providing lasting well being. The participants were keen to celebrate the tutors and dancers not in attendance. As well as a mark of their generosity, this was a very loud signal that we need more activities of this nature.”
This was our first remembrance session, and we plan to hold more focused sessions on different topics to explore the role of Jacobs Wells Baths as a community and arts hub. Look out for invitations to participate in conversations and activities, including our Heritage Open Doors tours in September.
We invite past and present community members to share their stories about Jacobs Wells Baths and help shape the future of the arts centre through upcoming sessions.
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