Richmond dancers and students performed a flashmob outside the Science Museum and V&A at the weekend to raise awareness of motor neurone disease.

The flashmob of 50 people included dancers from Rambert School in St Margarets, Richmond upon Thames College and Richmond Park Academy.

Blending art and science, the performance was part of the Exhibition Road Festival on Sunday, 'celebrating trailblazing ideas in science and the arts'.

The dance, Star Cells Part 2, was inspired by the work of neuroscientists at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Imperial College in London and aimed to convey the impact of neuromuscular diseases on the body.

It was led by Richmond-based Combination Dance Artistic Director Anne-Marie Smalldon.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a condition that affects the brain and nerves.

Smalldon said: 'Star Cells Part 2 uses dance to inform and illustrate the science of how the body moves and reacts, the project conveys the impact of neuromuscular diseases in a powerful visual medium that raises awareness of these conditions.

'We are proud to launch this performance in support of a fantastic charity, the MND Association two days before global MND Day 2022. The cast includes established professional dancers from Combination Dance and Ombrascura Dance Company and students from Rambert School, Richmond Upon Thames College, Richmond Park Academy and St Angela's Ursuline School, Forest Gate.'

This week's performances follow an impressive Star Cells Part 1 flashmob in St Pancras station last year, where the dancers were joined by Deputy Mayor of Richmond Councillor Suzette Nicholson.

As some may remember, they then appeared across Richmond and Twickenham in a series of amazing flashmobs to mark the start of #RichmondLive.

Smalldon says: 'Starcells 2 is ultimately a communication exercise – can an art form like dance educate as well as entertain an audience?

'Will people walk away from the performance having learned something about a debilitating disease like Motor Neurone Disease?

'Will they take the time to find out more or even hopefully donate to the Motor Neurone Disease Association? The MND Association have over many years funded the research that has led to the science that you have watched being depicted in the Starcells 2 performances.'