Leeds children’s hospital patients to test Northern Ballet virtual reality dance experience

Young patients at Leeds Children’s Hospital will test a virtual reality dance experience designed to explore whether creativity and technology can help ease stress and isolation.

The pilot, led by Northern Ballet in partnership with Leeds Hospitals Charity, combines meditative dance, music and virtual reality technology in a five-minute immersive film.

Children and young people aged between eight and 16 will experience the project in a clinical setting this autumn, with sessions led by the hospital’s Play Team, funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Through a VR headset, patients will be transported from the hospital into a sensory, 360-degree virtual environment featuring a dance piece inspired by and set in the natural world.

The project is intended particularly for patients who are bed-bound or spending long periods in hospital, with organisers hoping it will help them feel entertained and more connected to life outside the clinical environment.

The experience was choreographed by Northern Ballet’s George Liang, who has danced with the company since 2018, and is performed by Cameron Pugh, a dancer at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

Filmmaker and project director Mark Wilkinson filmed the work at Otley Chevin Forest Park in Leeds over the summer. It is set to a score composed by the Leeds Conservatoire, combining gentle music with sounds from the outdoors.

Northern Ballet Artistic Director, Federico Bonelli said: “We know that dance can transport audiences to a different time and place, to experience stories and emotions that take them away from their everyday lives – but to be able to do this in a fully immersive way takes this to a whole new level. I hope the powerful combination of nature, beautiful movement from the dancer and the immersive soundscape will help children feel calmer and less isolated in hospital.

“It’s so important that Northern Ballet finds innovative ways to use the opportunities presented by the digital world to make ballet even more accessible to new audiences. We will continue to complement our touring productions by exploring how we can bring dance to people who may not usually experience, or be able, to see ballet in a traditional theatre setting.”

Patients will be asked to complete a short feedback form devised by the project partners. Their responses will be analysed, with a report due to be made publicly available in spring 2027.

The pilot also involves the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University. It has been developed with insight from the Leeds Young Research Owls, a group of young people who help influence child health research in Leeds.

Academic input has been provided by Leeds Beckett University and The University of Leeds through the Child Health Outcomes Research at Leeds programme.

The work aims to contribute to growing evidence about the effectiveness of virtual reality in improving children’s experiences in hospital. It is also intended to lay the foundations for a larger research study and support the sharing of knowledge across the healthcare sector locally and nationally.

Rebecca Baldaro-Booth, Director of Grants and Impact at Leeds Hospitals Charity, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Northern Ballet to support this innovative project at Leeds Children’s Hospital which explores how creativity and technology has the potential to resonate with children and young people in hospital. Being in hospital can be an anxious and isolating time, particularly for patients who are undergoing treatment or spending long periods away from home and normal routines.

“Through the power of dance, music, and virtual reality, we’re hopeful patients will respond positively to this pilot project and enjoy the opportunity to step outside the hospital environment for a few moments to experience something calming and uplifting.

“At Leeds Hospitals Charity, we are committed to championing projects that can lay the foundations for research that will improve patient wellbeing and help build evidence for new approaches to care. We’re proud to support this project that seeks to better understand how children respond to innovative interventions like this. We hope the feedback will contribute valuable insights for hospitals and healthcare providers across the UK.”

The pilot has been funded by the Linbury Trust and forms part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Council’s Seasons of Culture 2026.

It is also part of Northern Ballet’s digital programme, which seeks to take ballet from the stage to screens in different formats and make dance available to wider audiences.