We are currently very excited to be working with upcoming dance choreographer Emily O’Shea Company on her brand-new dance performance. Rough & Tumble will be a dance performance for the whole family all about PLAY! Emily O’Shea will be hosting a residency at Beswick Library from Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th June to gather research into playing and games. This research will help create a dance show to be performed in 2022-3 but we need your help!

Whether you played Duck Duck Goose or Dodgeball, Skipping or Skittles, we want your stories of playing outside and the best memories of your favourite games. You can join in by completing the online questionnaire at https://emilyosheacompany.com/roughandtumble.  Emily O’Shea will also be running a free Rough and Tumble online workshop during our forthcoming Manchester Festival of Libraries celebrations. Suitable for children aged 6 – 11yrs accompanied by parents or carers and families of all ages. This will explore all our favourite games and playground activities and will take place via Zoom link on Saturday 12 June at 2pm – places are free but limited and booking is essential via

Supported by funding from Manchester City Council and Arts Council England, Emily will also work with communities around Beswick Library including children from local schools Ashbury Meadow Primary and Higher Openshaw Community School. The residency will also include a relaxed Age-Friendly session for people over 55 years old to gather memories and stories of childhood play and games. There will also be a special Tiny Tots fun session for pre-school children with parents or carers to explore play and games and how families bond, embed heritage and learn about the physical world through physical play. These open face to face activities are fully Covid-safe are free but there are limited places and booking is essential. Please contact Beswick Library on 0161 245 7241 to book places and for more information.