Down by the River I...

Project by artist Rhiana Laws in collaboration with Dance for Parkinson’s Scottish Borders

Film by Felipe Bustos Sierra and Rhiana Laws

Thought to be the first example of a creative outdoor Dance for Parkinson’s project, ‘Down by the River I…’ focuses on a series of movement workshops supported by Connecting Threads between August and November 2023, and subsequently made into a unique short film with BAFTA-winning film-maker Felipe Bustos Sierra / Debasers Films (Nae Pasaran, 2018).

At the heart of the project was Rhiana Laws’ desire to develop creative movement practices in and around the River Tweed in collaboration with communities in Peebles, to promote mental and physical wellbeing in connection to the river and each other.

Dance for Parkinson’s is a global network founded upon a wealth of evidence-based research. Down by the River I... has been created to celebrate the benefits of nature, creativity and human connection with the global Parkinson’s community.

Project background
Down by the River I... spanned a community dance studio and the River Tweed. Participants explored creative movement in the studio before taking these to the river. Participants then gathered leaves, grasses and found items from the river and brought them back to the studio. This exchange enabled every member of the group to engage with the project.

The project involved two distinct communities in parallel: the existing Dance for Parkinson’s Scottish Borders group and a group of wild swimmers. Each group took part in four sessions either in the water (wild swimmers) or on the riverbank and in the shallows (Dance for Parkinson’s) which combined choreographed movement, improvised movement, music, singing and creative reflection.

Organising a screening
If you are interested in organising a screening of the film, please email Rhiana Laws.