Familia de la Noche Theatre Co.

27/11/2025

WE HAVE BIG NEWS:

Dancing the Parenting, our movement based creative group for parents and babies who have struggled in their early days, has been awarded funding for another two years! We are over the moon at this investment and plan to grow the project so it can reach as many new mums as possible. In the next two years we'll be working with Aneurin Bevan's Perinatal Mental Health Team and Gwent Infant Parent Mental Health Services, as well as expanding into a new health board. This is a group that is all about free expression, joy and community.

On Monday the 17th November Bronwen and Dr Rebecca Tucker presented the project Dancing the Parenting to the PQN Forum at the Royal College of Psychiatry. The whole day was celebrating embodied and nature based interventions used by perinatal mental health teams throughout the UK. We made some great contacts, shared our learning and even got everyone to do the macarena to Stevie Wonder.

If you're interested in hearing more please get in touch!

NEWYDDION MAWR!

Mae Dancing the Parenting, ein grŵp symud creadigol ar gyfer rhieni a babis sydd wedi cael dechrau anodd, wedi derbyn grant gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru am ddau flwyddyn arall! Ry'n ni wrth ein boddau gyda'r newyddion yma ac yn barod i gymryd y camau nesaf i dyfu’r prosiect fel bod modd cyrraedd cymaint o famau newydd ag sy’n bosib.

Yn ystod y ddwy flynedd nesaf byddwn ni’n gweithio gyda Thîm Iechyd Meddwl Perinatal Aneurin Bevan a Gwasanaethau Iechyd Meddwl Rhieni-Babanod Gwent, ac yn ehangu i fyrddau iechyd newydd hefyd. Prif fwriad y grwp yma yw i greu llawenydd, rhyddid i fynegi, a chymuned go iawn. ✨

Ar ddydd Llun 17 Tachwedd, aeth Bronwen a Dr Rebecca Tucker i gyflwyno Dancing the Parenting yn Fforwm PQN yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Seiciatreg, Llunden. Roedd y diwrnod cyfan yn dathlu ymyriadau corfforol ac ymyriadau yn seiliedig ar natur sy’n cael eu defnyddio gan dimau iechyd meddwl perinatal ar draws y DU. Wnaethon ni gwrdd â llawer o bobl ysbrydoledig, rhannu ein dysgu – a hyd yn oed cael pawb i wneud y Macarena i Stevie Wonder! 🕺💃

Am fwy o wybodaeth – cysylltwch!

17/11/2025

From the Familia Archive: How to Catch a Clown (2017) a short educational film on the best way to catch your own clown – and a great way to celebrate national butter day.

Cyfieithiad:
O Archifau Familia: How to Catch a Clown (2017) ffilm addysgiadol fer ar y ffordd orau i ddal clown - a ffordd wych i ddathlu diwrnod cenedlaethol menyn.

03/11/2025

From the Familia archives: The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank (2015) — Winner of the ThreeWeeks Editors’ Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, who called it “consistently brilliant” ★★★★★.

A darkly comic dreamscape wandering through the tangled corridors of grief, heartbreak and the fragile terrain of mental health.

Devised by Familia and supported by Arts Council of Wales, Moondance Foundation and Pontardawe Arts Centre. Brought to life at the Assembly Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 with performers Sam Redway, Malik Ibheis, Melissa Sirol, Becca Cox and Jean Goubert. PHOTO BY Rah Petherbridge

O archifau Familia: The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank (2015) — Enillydd Gwobr y Golygyddion ThreeWeeks yng Ngŵyl Fringe Caeredin, a’i alwodd yn “gwych tro ar ôl tro” ★★★★★.
Tirwedd freuddwydiol dywyll a chomig sy’n crwydro trwy goridorau cymhleth galar, torcalon a thir bregus iechyd meddwl.
Crëwyd gan Familia ac fe’i chefnogwyd gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, Sefydliad Moondance a Chanolfan Gelfyddydau Pontardawe. Daeth yn fyw yng Ngŵyl Assembly Festival yn Edinburgh Fringe 2015 gyda’r perfformwyr Sam Redway, Malik Ibheis, Melissa Sirol, Becca Cox a Jean Goubert.
LLUN GAN Rah Petherbridge

20/08/2025

Come join us at Maesteg Town Hall for a riotous hour of sillyness this Saturday 23rd August.

The Familia Clown School | Awen Box Office https://share.google/EVmv7exOUlByAIO9N

Awen

21/06/2025

Three artists worked on Dancing the Parenting: Bronwen (dance), Deborah Aguirre-Jones (Visual arts) and Alex Lupo (music).

Whether it was feeling and finding a movement for an emotion through dance, then taking that move and putting it into clay, or using humming as a way to find different parts of our bodies - all three art forms played with and supported each other.

The wellbeing of our artists was a primary concern. Running groups such as this can feel like a transactional service - artists are brought in to run a session, then go. In this project the artists were as much a part of the co-creating and evaluation approach as the parents and clinical teams. We all had much to learn from one another. Further, by being involved in this work each artist has pushed their own personal practice.

If you’d like to know more follow the link in our linktree to the case study on the WAHWN website.

Daeth tri artist i weithio ar Dancing the Parenting: Bronwen (dawns), Deborah Aguirre-Jones (celf gweledol) ac Alex Lupo (cerddoriaeth).
Boed yn teimlo symudiad a’i ganfod ar gyfer emosiwn trwy ddawns, yna cymryd y symudiad hwnnw a’i osod mewn clai, neu ddefnyddio hymio fel ffordd o ganfod rhannau gwahanol o’n cyrff – cefnogodd y tri ffurf celf eu gilydd mewn ffordd chwareus.
Ein prif bryder oedd lles y cyfranogwyr.. Gall rhedeg grwpiau fel hwn deimlo fel gwasanaeth trafodol – caiff y artistiaid eu cyflogi i redeg sesiwn, yna gadael yn syth wedi ei gynnal. Yn y prosiect hwn roedd y artistiaid yn rhan fawr o’r cyd-gynhyrchu a gwerthuso ynghyd â’r rhieni a’r timau clinigol. Roedd llawer i’w ddysgu oddi wrth ein gilydd. Yn ogystal, drwy fod yn rhan o’r gwaith hwn mae pob artist wedi gwthio eu hymarfer personol.
Os hoffech ddysgu mwy, dilynwch y ddolen yn ein linktree i’r astudiaeth achos ar wefan WAHWN.

Diolch yn fawr iawn
For funding through the Arts and Health grant

19/06/2025

One of our focuses of Dancing the Parenting was to work as a team. The clinical staff from both PIMHS and GIMHS worked alongside the artists on the project to a) manage it and b) collaborate. One of the stated aims of the project was to increase staff wellbeing alongside those of the participants.

So often, clinical staff see service users at their worst points, but very rarely get to follow that person all the way to where they are recovering or flourishing. Having a space where staff could participate with and observe women and their children where they were having fun, and relaxed had a positive impact both on clinical staff's own wellbeing, but also their ability to support these women.

There were some unintended positive outcomes too, such as women who attended the dance group were more likely to sign up to other clinical offers within the service.

If you’d like to know more follow the link in our linktree to the case study on the WAHWN website.

Un o ffocysau prosiect “Dancing the Parenting” oedd gwaith tîm. Roedd y staff clinigol o PIMHS a GIMHS yn gweithio ochr yn ochr â’r artistiaid ar y prosiect i a) ei reoli a b) i gydweithredu. Un o nodau’r prosiect oedd codi lles y staff ochr yn ochr â’r cyfranogwyr.
Yn aml mae staff clinigol yn gweld defnyddwyr gwasanaeth pan yn teimlo ar eu gwaethaf, ond prin iawn y byddant yn gallu eu gweld y gwellhâd yn digwydd o’u blaenau . Mae cael gofod lle gall staff gymryd rhan a gweld menywod a’u plant yn cael hwyl ac yn ymlacio wedi profi i gael effaith gadarnhaol ar les staff yn ogystal â chynnig sgiliau newydd sy’n eu galluogi i gefnogi'r menywod yma.
Roedd rhai canlyniadau cadarnhaol annisgwyl hefyd; roedd y merched a fynychodd y grŵp dawns hefyd yn fwy tebygol o gofrestru ar gyfer gwasanaethau clinigol arall o fewn y gwasanaeth ar ôl cymryd rhan yn hon.
Os hoffech ddysgu mwy, dilynwch y ddolen yn ein linktree i’r astudiaeth achos ar wefan WAHWN.

Funded by

18/06/2025

Dancing the Parenting ran from October 2024 until March 2025. This was a collaboration between the Aneurin Bevan Health Board Perinatal Mental Health Team, Gwent Infant Parent Mental Health Service and Familia de la Noche Theatre Company.

Led by our lovely Bronwen, this group met once a week for 21 weeks. Everyone who came was someone who had been affected by significant mental health issues either in pregnancy or after giving birth. In the sessions the group used movement to get back into their bodies, and by getting back into their bodies, we saw significant improvements in self-confidence, self-efficacy and attachment with their children and each other.

It was a joyful co-created collaboration between the service users, clinical staff and the artists. Over the next few slides we’re going to highlight some of our favourite things that happened for all those groups. Please also follow the link to the case study on the WAHWN website: https://wahwn.cymru/knowledge-bank/dancing_the_parenting_-_case-study/30

Cynhaliwyd “Dancing the Parenting” rhwng Hydref 2024 a Mawrth 2025.
Roedd hwn yn gydweithrediad rhwng Tîm Iechyd Meddwl Perinatal Bwrdd Iechyd Aneurin Bevan, Gwasanaeth Iechyd Meddwl Babanod Rhieni Gwent a Cwmni Theatr Familia. Dan arweiniad ein Bronwen ni, casglodd grwp unwaith yr wythnos am 21 wythnos. Roedd pawb a ddaeth yn unigolion a oedd wedi cael eu heffeithio gan broblemau iechyd meddwl sylweddol yn ystod beichiogrwydd neu ar ôl rhoi genedigaeth. Yn ystod y sesiynau, defnyddiodd y grŵp symudiadau a dawns i ail-gysylltu a’u cyrff, ac drwy wneud hynny gwelsom welliannau sylweddol mewn hunan-hyder, hunan-effeithiolrwydd, ac atyniad gyda’u plant ac eu gilydd.

Gwelwyd cydweithio llawen a chreadigol rhwng y cyfranogwyr, y staff clinigol a’r artistiaid. Yn y sleidiau nesaf rydyn ni’n mynd i dynnu sylw at rai o’r pethau gorau a ddigwyddodd i bob un o’r grwpiau hyn. Dilynwch y ddolen yn ein linktree i’r astudiaeth achos ar wefan WAHWN.

Diolch for the funding from
Arts and Health grant.

03/06/2025

20/03/2025

Nodyn i'ch atgoffa o'r rhaglen ar gyfer hyd yma!

Mwy o newyddion ar y ffordd cyn hir, gan gynnwys manylion y parti cloi yn The Bunkhouse Swansea 👀

🎟️ AM DDIM - does dim angen archebu o flaen llaw, cyntaf i'r felin ar y diwrnod!

-

A reminder of your line-up so far!

More news coming your way soon, including the details of this year's closing party at The Bunkhouse 👀

🎟️ FREE - no need to book in advance, first come first serve on the day!

📅 Dydd Sadwrn | Saturday, 7.6.25
📌 Amgueddfa Genedlaethol y Glannau - National Waterfront Museum



Amgueddfa Cymru | Enjoy Swansea | Joio Bae Abertawe | Gower College Swansea | Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales | Taliesin Arts Centre | Mewn Cymeriad / In Character | Orielodl | AMAM | PYST | Theatr na nÓg | Familia de la Noche Theatre Co.

22/02/2025

There Will Be Snacks films:

During the sharing of our research we aired films we have worked on as part of this project. Some of these were kitchen disco films from a variety of people who we have collaborated with: Bronwen sent a request out to a large group of people and this is what we got back.

Fel rhan o’n cyflwyniad cyhoeddus fe rannom ffilmiau cafodd eu creu fel rhan o’r prosiect.
Cynnwys y ffilmiau oedd trawsdoriad o bobl yn dawnsio yn eu ceginau: fe ddanfonodd Branwen wahoddiad i grwp mawr o bobl i gymryd rhan a dyma’r ymateb cafodd hi.

Dott edited these together with art direction from Bronwen and we projected them on a wall near the dancefloor. Part art, part celebration of the small dances we do at home: the films created a sense of solidarity.

Fe olygodd Dott y cynnwys o dan gyfarwyddiad creadigol Bronwen ac yna, gan ddefnyddio uwchdaflunydd, fe arddangosom y ffilmiau ar waliau’r Elysium. Darn o gelf a dathliad o’r dawnsio bach yr ydym yn eu wneud heb feddwl adref: fe greodd y ffilmiau deimlad o undod yn yr ystafell.

Participants who sent films have reported that since contributing, they have started dancing more at home. One said that it reminded her to just enjoy her body moving without being self conscious.

Yn ôl y cyfranogwyr, ers cymryd rhan yn y ffilmiau ma nhw wedi cychwyn dawnsio lot mwy adref. Dywedodd un cyfanogwr bod y digwyddiad wedi eu hatgoffa i fwynhau eu chorff yn symud heb deimlo yn hunan ymwybodol.

Diolch to our dancers: Melissa, Leanne, Jenny, Fernanda, Gwil and Ots.

Diolch Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales for the support.
[Video description: a variety of women and one man and child dancing in their kitchens. The video uses single colour gradations to create a coherence across the different settings.]

[Disgrifiad fideo: amrywiaeth o fenywod, un dyn a phlentyn yn dawnsio yn eu ceginau. Mae’r fideo wedi eu lliwio a’u golygu yn debyg i greu tebygrwydd rhyngddynt mewn golwg a theimlad.]

18/02/2025

Wow wow wow. Who knew an r&d sharing could be such fun?

Waw waw waw. Pwy fydde’n dychmygu gall rhannu ymchwil fod yn gymaint o hwyl!

There Will Be Snacks was the culmination of an ACW research project looking into our reactions to middle age, dancing and gender. Why people no longer felt welcome on the dance floor.

Bydd Snacs oedd canlyniad prosiect ymchwil yn dadansoddi ein teimladau tuag at fod yn ganol oed, tuag at ddawnsio a thuag at rhyw. Pam wrth gyrraedd canol oed nad yw pobl rhagor yn teimlo bod croeso iddynt ar y llawr ddawns?

We had an epic night at Elysium in Swansea on Sat 15th Feb. A choreographed evening that created an atmosphere where everyone felt able to bring their whole selves and best dance moves onto the floor. We had films, we had snacks, there was much dancing.

Cafon ni noson i’w chofio yn yr Elysium yn Abertawe ar nos Sadwrn y 15fed o Chwefror. Noson wedi ei chynllunio er mwyn creu awyrgylch croesawgar a ddigon cartrefol i bawb allu dawnsio heb bryder. Fe wylion ni ffilmiau, fe fwyton ni ddigon o snacs a roedd llwyth o ddawnsio.

Listen to what some attendees had to say:
“I only realised afterwards how nice it was not to have to think about staying safe... And it was very free-ing to just dance any which way without the anxieties and inhibitions of my youth!”

Gwrandewch ar beth oedd gan rhai o’r mynychwyr i’w ddweud

“Nes i ddim ond sylwi wedyn pa mor braf oedd hi i beidio gorfod poeni am aros yn saff..a roeddwn i’n teimlo mor rhydd i ddawnsio unrhyw ffordd yn ddiymatal heb y pryderon o’n i’n teimlo yn fy ieuenctid.”

“I was be able dance freely, not feeling observed”

“Roeddwn i’n gallu dawnsio’n rhydd heb deimlo fel bod rhywun yn fy ngwylio”

“To meet creative people and dance and eat snacks!”

“I gwrdd a pobl creadigol, dawnsio a bwyta snacs!”

We have thanks yous:
For the sublime music that kept us twirling Branwen Munn needs to take a bow.

For the delectable and hilarious snacks Becca Cox can take full credit.

For technical wizardry with our film edits and projections, as well as capturing all the interesting conversations we had, we thank our amazing Dott Cotton.

For getting the word out to the right people and manning the door so well Mioe Mioe Creative Productions CIC .

For our beautiful photos Billy Stillman.

All the staff at Elysium for being a dream to work with.

And to Bronwen, for making sure everyone felt welcome and safe on the dancefloor.

More? Please let us know….

Diolchiadau
Am y gerddoriaeth anhygoel gadwodd ni i dwyrlio - cymeradwyaeth i Branwen Munn.
Am y snacs doniol a blasus - y diolch i gyd i Becca Cox
Am y dewiniaeth dechnegol; golygu ffilmiau, uwchdaflunio a recordio’r sgyrsiau difr - diolch i’r anhygoel Dott Cotton.
Am rannu’r neges i’r bobl iawn ac edrych ar ôl y drws ar y noson mor dda- Mioe Productions.
Am ein lluniau prydferth - Billy Stillman
Staff yr Elysium i gyd, roedd gweithio efo nhw yn freuddwyd.
Ac i Bronwen am roi croeso i bawb i ddawnsio a’u cadw nhw yn saff.

Mwy o ddiolchiadau? Gadewch i ni wybod.