forWard motion! was created in the Autumn of 2000 designed as a participatory dance performance for children and young people in hospital. From October 2000 to February 2001 it was performed in a limited number of hospitals alongside a national tour of the company’s production of Alanna and the Tree for 7 - 12 year old children. This initial tour was very positively received in these hospitals and generated considerable interest as forWard motion! was the first performance specifically designed for children in hospital.

ForWard motion! followed a modular or episodic structure that was not typical of Green Candle's productions for children. It was designed to contain four short dances interspersed with participatory activities. The dances were to reflect a range of styles and approaches to dance in order to give the children a breadth of experience of dance beyond those which they may have already experienced. Of equal importance was the range of form and content of the dance work in order to elicit different responses and provide a variety of ‘ways into’ participating in dance which would be appropriate for children of different ages, gender, ability, special needs, mobility, medical condition and personal preferences.