2nd October 2025
Over the past two years, the National Trust has been carefully planning the future of Bath’s iconic Assembly Rooms. Through consultation, creative events and conservation work, a bold vision is taking shape for when the building reopens in 2027.
Katie Mehlig is their Senior Volunteering & Community Officer and delivers engaging and fascinating historical sessions.
Sam Grief is a freelance dance practitioner bringing joy, companionship and well-being for older adults through dance.
Together, Katie, Sam, the National Trust and ReMind UK recently collaborated to curate a ‘Dancing through history’ session – a sensory Georgian ball experience for people living with dementia and their carers.
Background to the project
ReMind UK is an internationally renowned research and treatment centre, with headquarters located in Bath, in the grounds of the Royal United Hospital. They offer a memory clinic and diagnosis, research participation, ongoing treatment, events and courses to help people learn and connect.
ReMind run post diagnostic support programmes for people with a diagnosis of dementia and their loved ones. Provision includes seasonal events, ten-week wellbeing interventions and carers information days.
More about ReMind UK
Sam Grief began volunteering with ReMind UK and whilst doing so, changed her career pathway to pursue her passion for dance and movement. She tested her emergent sessions alongside ReMind UK beneficiaries (people with a diagnosis and their loved ones), who loved them and asked for more.
Sam perfected a three-stage process to be embedded in ReMind’s ten week wellbeing interventions.
- Requesting ReMIND UK staff to find out ‘juke box jury’ favoured music or artists from each group
- When sent this, she then gathered props, researched songs and artists and attended a session where everyone listened to 10-12 songs and shortlisted their favourites after listening to them collectively
- Sam returned for a session to perform choreographed dance routines to the music selected (to suit all abilities)
More about Sam Grief, dance artist
Simultaneously Katie Mehlig from the National Trust approached ReMind UK about the Bath Assembly Rooms, which were delivering outreach to community groups on Georgian handling and history, followed by crafts.
Bath Assembly Rooms planned to host a ‘Connection’ event in November 2024, inviting local Bath charities and organisations to present ideas on the theme of connection.
At the same time, ReMind UK were conducting a ten-week Chat, Make, and Move intervention with BEMSCA (Black Ethnic Minority Senior Citizen Association) at Fairfield House.
Katie and Sam liaised and planned to pilot a session together combining their sessions.
The Bath Preservation Trust kindly outfitted the project with fancy dress, including Georgian wigs and dresses. The Holburne Museum offered handling objects such as snuff boxes, mirrors and Georgian paraphernalia and a new session was initiated.
Dancing through history
Katie expertly welcomed visitors to learn about the history of the Assembly Rooms and Georgian life (the scents, sights, sounds, and peculiarities of Georgian Balls), incorporating stories, sensory activity and craft making. Sam led fun dance sessions by teaching everyone how to minuet in the English way and then the more flamboyant French style. Bridgerton Music created a soundscape, whilst feathers floated through the air and much fun was had, as the participants recreated an essence of what it might have been like to be at a Georgian Ball in the Assembly Rooms.
The sessions you create are so magical – that was really something at the Assembly Rooms, blowing feathers and capturing – I am not quite sure what happened, but it was absolutely joyous.
Participant feedback
The session was repeated at Fairfield House with BEMSCA the following week and again with a ReMind UK Group in Twerton, as well at back in the Assembly Rooms beneath Luke Jerram’s Sun installation for a Connection Café.
ReMind UK believe this is a fantastic example of how the third sector, creativity, freelancing genius, and the cultural and heritage sectors can collaborate in inspiring co-production ways to create a very special collaboration that they hope will continue to be rolled out in the community across different groups and settings. The project illustrates the value of collaboration in fostering innovation, the creative economy, and placing participants at the centre of new initiatives.
For me I think what has worked so well with this collaboration is at each stage taking the time to explore different ways to find those connections with people. This has enabled us to evolve what we offer so at each session there are mix of props, music, topics and sensory interactions that can be tailored to engage each person. As a result, each session is slightly different and we can flex what happens depending on reactions of the group. What stays the same is the highly interactive nature of the activity and the overall themes of sharing memories and social connection through history, music and dance.
Sam Grief, dance artist
I think this collaboration has really brought to life ‘connection’ in multiple ways. It’s a core theme for us as the purpose of the Assembly Rooms from the start was to bring people together and help them connect, as it is so good for wellbeing. Sam brilliantly helped us all connect with the history in a fun and engaging way, and also connect with our own lives and each other through music and movement.
Katie Mehlig Senior Volunteering & Community Officer, Bath Assembly Rooms