Grand Gesture has been described as a company of geri-anarchists, celebrating ageing and combating ageism with playfully odd performances. Mary Cox says: “We’re not bowing out, we’re having a ball.”
We are Grand Gesture, a London-based performance and research collective of senior dance artists operating at the vanguard of radical creative gerontology. Our collaborative practice functions as an interrogation of systemic ageism, utilising choreography to disrupt institutionalised narratives surrounding the decline of the ageing body.
Our current creative and methodological inquiry centres on two intersecting axes:
Geri-Anarchism as Performance: We position the mature body as an active site of political resistance and institutional critique. By rejecting hyper-polished, youth-centric aesthetics, we reclaim the stage for lived somatic histories. This radical visibility subverts standard hierarchies of physical utility and performance longevity.
Radical Playfulness and Subversion: Our creative process intentionally leverages play, improvisation, and bodily joy as serious aesthetic strategies. Rather than treating play as mere entertainment, we employ it as a critical methodology to destabilise rigid cultural expectations of how older bodies should move, occupy space, and exist.
Through these framework, Grand Gesture embraces the "imperfect" body, celebrating authentic somatic expression over normative virtuosity, and establishing joy as a potent form of artistic disobedience.
Why are we called Grand Gesture?
Grand refers to the older generation and a gesture is a bodily action to express an idea.
A grand gesture is a bold, showy and surprising act that aims to have a meaningful impact. It’s also a heartfelt expression that risks being ridiculed.
Who we are.
Mary Cox
Founder. Mary is a former dance teacher and now works as a dancer, performer and choreographer.
Bruce Currie
Company member. Bruce is an artist, therapist and performer. He began dancing seriously in his fifties.
Gilly Hanna
Company member. Gilly is a former creative director, now working as a storyteller, artist and deviser-performer.
In loving memory
Remembering Andy Newman | 1961–2026
We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our dear friend and collaborator, Andy Newman.
As a vital part of Grand Gesture, Andy infused every project with artistry and dedication. He was a committed champion of older dancers, and we will forever cherish his passion, flair, and friendship.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones.