Home care provider Care Connect has announced a partnership with Melbourne Fringe Festival to present FreeSteps – Swinging Years, an uplifting international dance work featuring 59 dancers aged over 60.
Created by acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer Wei-Chia Su, the production celebrates the beauty and resilience of the ageing body. Developed in collaboration with local performers, Swinging Years explores how movement, music, and memory come together to honour life’s richness through decades of experience.
Care Connect CEO Lynda Chalmers said the partnership highlights the organisation’s mission to help older Australians live life on their own terms while promoting wellbeing through movement and connection.
“Ageing well means more than just staying healthy — it’s about staying connected, active and living a life you love,” Ms Chalmers shared. “Swinging Years beautifully encapsulates and celebrates this,” Ms Chalmers shared.
Melbourne Fringe Creative Director and CEO Simon Abrahams said the project embodies the Festival’s vision of making art accessible to everyone.
“This production brings together people performing for the first time alongside others with decades of experience. That’s what Fringe is all about — celebrating the extraordinary in the everyday.”
Simon Abrahams
Performer Debra Batton, in her mid-sixties, said the experience of dancing alongside peers has been transformative.
“The energy, wisdom and joy in the room are incredible. Watching people learn and grow together has been the most enriching experience,” she said.
Ms Chalmers added that the performance serves as a reminder of the strength and vitality that come with age.
FreeSteps – Swinging Years runs from 14–18 October at Meat Market’s Blackwood Box as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Tickets are available at melbournefringe.com.au
