Dancing Doctors
Dance Doctors, a collaboration between the Lemmens Institute’s Arts Programme (Dance course) and the ‘Art for the Children’s Hospital’ Fund, gives children with long-term illnesses the chance to take control through dance. We sat down with Jennifer Regidor, choreographer and dance teacher at the Lemmens Institute, to discuss the progress, inspirations, impact and ambitions of the project. The project demonstrates that dance possesses a universal healing power that leaves no one unmoved.
Dance doctors is a wonderful project. Where did you get the inspiration for it?
As a dance teacher and choreographer, I’m in a privileged position: I get to experience just how healing dance can be every single day. But everyone should be able to feel and experience that. After running my own company for 25 years, I wanted to take more time to focus on my own projects without being tied down to anything. In recent years, I’ve been particularly inspired to view dance not just as a performing art, but also as a means of integrating into other facets of society. The healing aspect of dance makes me particularly interested in the link between dance and well-being.
A few years ago, Kunstenpunt gave me the opportunity to go to the United Kingdom in that context. I then came into contact with choreographer Akram Khan, who was involved with an organisation that uses South Asian dance in hospitals. And that planted the first seed. His project combined my two goals: using dance for wellbeing on the one hand, and creating professional opportunities on the other. It’s simply not easy for a young dancer to find work: I see it with my recent graduates. Those ideas laid the foundation for Dance Doctors.
How was Dansdokters set up? How did it actually work in practice?
The project was launched in collaboration with Sofie Salu, coordinator of the ‘Art for the Children’s Hospital’ Fund at Gasthuisberg. The mayor of Leuven had put us in touch with the idea of incorporating dance into their activities. Sofie had already organised various projects, in which she had used many art forms, but often in a group setting. For her, a personal element was missing: she was looking for a project that could take place in the child’s room, as there are a number of children who, due to their condition, cannot get to the communal areas. Starting from the idea of a ‘jukebox’, we began brainstorming, and that’s how Dance Doctors came about. The project also fitted perfectly within ‘Dance Lab’, a creative course for fifth-year students at the Lemmens Institute where they are given various tools to create.
During the preparatory phase of the project, Sofie held an information session for the pupils. She spoke to them about the hospital environment, procedures for dealing with long-term patients, and infection prevention. This ensured they were prepared for a world with which they otherwise had little contact. Attention was also paid to sensitivities: for instance, she explained that you shouldn’t ask young patients what they’d like to eat, or how they’re doing. Some children aren’t allowed to eat what they want, and generally speaking, they’re not doing well. In this way, we were able to ensure a safe environment where both my pupils and the patients felt comfortable.
The project took place on April 24th, 2025, to mark International Dance Day. The pupils were divided into groups and each group was assigned a child. They went to visit them, and then the ‘dance doctors’, together with the child, filled in a sort of ‘dance prescription’ in which they were allowed to choose certain elements for a choreography themselves, such as the music, a dance style they liked, or specific steps they wanted to see. The dancers also decorated those sheets of paper! After the visit, the students got to work in a separate room, where they created a choreography entirely according to the child’s wishes. In the afternoon, they performed their dances in the patients’ rooms or in the therapy room. Some children even danced along, which was lovely to see. The students really threw themselves into it. In the ‘Dance Lab’ module, they explore their own movement language, but through Dance Doctors they had to harmonise that with the children’s dance vocabulary, and it was indescribably beautiful!
It’s difficult to be confronted with other children who are suffering. But the realisation that they can be a small ray of hope – that is priceless.
What impact did the project have? How did you experience that?
The whole process was magical! On one hand, you could see the children beaming and enjoying themselves: they were served a meal made especially for them, exactly as they wanted it. On the other hand, as a teacher, it was also wonderful to see how my pupils learnt just how happy they could make others through dance, and how they could truly feel that appreciation. Everyone was moved: the children, the dancers, myself – but also hospital staff, parents, onlookers… It left no one unmoved. The most poignant moment was when a parent said: “I haven’t seen my child this happy in a long time.” And you could see that too. You could feel it in the room: there was a sense of euphoria in the air.
That feeling has two aspects: for both the patients and the dancers. The children got to see something they had helped create, and the students were able to really feel the impact of their own creations in a tangible way. Sofie told me that those children already have to do so much: they have to go to therapy, they have to go to the physiotherapist, they have to go to the dining hall at specific times. They have little control over their lives. In Dance Doctors, they were in complete control: they were the creators. What’s more, the students now value their own abilities more. They have a greater appreciation for their health and their happiness. It’s difficult to be confronted with other children who are suffering. But the realisation that they can be a small ray of hope – that is priceless.
All of this is proof that dance can be healing. It brought satisfaction to everyone: the dancers, the children, the carers, the parents… That is precisely the power of art. My pupils will never forget it!
What does the future hold for Dance Doctors?
Dance Doctors started as a pilot project for my students. But because it was a success, I have since developed the ambition to expand it into a larger project. First and foremost, my goal is still to create jobs! Collaborating with (semi-)professional dancers is one possibility, although I would like to continue involving my students. After all, it is a wonderful learning opportunity. There is also scope for expansion in terms of content. For example, the movement therapy team suggested involving the children more physically through contact improvisation.
I really believe it’s important to use art in healthcare, especially with children. I’ve recently been in touch with Jonas Rutgeerts, coordinator of Counterpoint, a new interdisciplinary dance research centre at KU Leuven. They’re very interested in the project because it demonstrates how dance can play a significant role in healthcare and how it can enhance our well-being. They want to support Dance Doctors by further developing the methodologies and conducting research into the project’s impact on children’s wellbeing and health. There is already a great deal of research on this subject involving people with dementia or Parkinson’s, but that mainly concerns older people. Research on children is really lacking.
I recently attended a conference on Culture Care, as part of Leuven Cultural Capital 2030, to talk about Dance Doctors. There, I came into contact with interested parties from The Netherlands and Poland - so there are even international opportunities for collaboration! Through a fundraising campaign by Dansvloer (an organisation representing all Leuven dance associations), we received a donation, which we plan to use to organise several sessions next school year. There is also the idea of submitting Dance Doctors for the Warmste Week, and I hope to be able to secure some funding elsewhere. So, plenty of dreams for the future!
When Sofie and I started Dance Doctors, I never would have dared to dream that we’d have come this far already. We had few expectations, with only a tentative idea of how to develop it further. Yet I also felt a lot of pressure to turn it into a major project straight away. I first took some time to learn more about healthcare and science, and I wanted to see how I could give the project a better chance of success in the long term. But now we’re ready to get stuck in! My ultimate dream is to develop a course where dance and wellbeing truly come together. I want to go beyond the performing arts or dance therapy: rather, I want to pass on knowledge and skills with a focus on the healing power of dance. How can we make that impact tangible, and share it with more people in society - that’s what I want to focus on. After all, dance is a universal language: everyone is allowed and able to speak it.
Text: Bavo Sablon
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