Stories in Motion

Stories in Motion is at the Museum of Oxford on Thursday 29 October, a dance workshop for children aged 6 to 11. It's run by Oxford-based dance artist Shreya Kallingal, and the whole session is built around Bharatanatyam, one of the world's oldest classical Indian dance forms. The idea is to take the museum's own stories and bring them to life through movement, using emotive hand gestures to tell them. Participants follow the dance to traditional music, and you don't need any prior dance experience to join in.

Kallingal herself is an Oxford-based dance artist with more than two decades of experience in Bharatanatyam, and she describes her work as being driven by a passion for making South Asian dance accessible and joyful. That's the spirit the session is built on: an introduction to a classical form that's open to anyone within the age group, rather than something reserved for trained dancers. The focus is on the storytelling side of the dance, so it's as much about the narrative as it is about the movement.

There are two sessions on the day, one from 11:00 to 12:00 and another from 14:00 to 15:00, so you can pick whichever fits your morning or afternoon. It's £4 per child, and that includes free entry for one accompanying adult to the Galleries, which is a nice bonus if you want to wander around the museum before or after. OCC staff get half-price. The workshop is for ages 6 to 11, children must be supervised, and you'll need to book your place by 28 October. You can find it at the Museum of Oxford in Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate's, OX1 1BX.