About Us
Established in 2009, DanceSyndrome was the inspiration of founder and Creative Director, Jen Blackwell, who has Down’s syndrome, and wanted to follow her dream of being a dancer and dance leader.
Jen went to mainstream school and whilst there she realised how much she loved to dance and decided that she wanted to become a community dance worker. After leaving school Jen found herself in the frustrating position of not being able to fulfil her ambition because there was no suitable dance training for a person with a learning disability. After 10 years of unsuccessfully searching for training that was appropriate and inclusive it became clear that many others were in the same situation. Something needed to change and Jen and her parents took matters into their own hands. They formed DanceSyndrome in 2009 and it was registered as a charity in 2013.
Our team strives to continue to provide new and exciting opportunities for people who may otherwise be excluded from mainstream dance. We believe that everyone has the right to follow their own interests and passions – whether they have a disability or not. We work with learning-disabled and non-disabled company members, and we provide inclusive dance and leadership opportunities for people who believe disability need not be a barrier to living life to the full.
All our dance activity is led and informed by people with learning disabilities. DanceSyndrome activities give people confidence, respect, value and self-belief through our philosophy of ‘anything is possible even though you have a learning disability’.
Our Vision is Simple
To empower people with learning disabilities through inclusive dance.
Our Charitable Objective is:
To advance education in the art of dance for the public benefit, in particular (but not exclusively) for people with learning disabilities.
Our Mission
To be a sustainable & environmentally responsible leading community role model that provides high quality inclusive dance leadership, participation, performance and training opportunities for both people with learning disabilities and non-disabled individuals and our company of dancers.
Our core values are embedded within our mission statement:
- Inclusion & equality
- Collaboration
- Artistic excellence
Our Strategy – Vision 2025
Our Artistic Vision
Our Delivery Strands
As part of the Vision 2025 strategy, we deliver our work in three different strands:
Community
- Everybody Dance and Zoom Classes (Weekly sessions)
- Commissioned Classes
- Outreach and Mass Participation Events
- Dance by Example Dance Leadership Training
- Social Replication Model (In development)
Performance
- Dance Company Training and Development
- Dance Company Performances
- Dance Organisation Partnerships
- Dance Accreditation (In development)
- Youth Company (In development)
Inclusion
- Inclusion in Practice Workshop (for business)
- Breaking Down Barriers Workshop (for Dance Artists
Our Team
Jen Blackwell
Founder & Director
Peter Pamphlett
Dance Leader & Director
Malcolm Blackwell
Chair of Board of Trustees
Louise Howitt
Vice Chair
Sue Blackwell
Director
Natasha Britton
Director
Cristina Bowman
DIRECTOR
Lynn James-Jenkinson
Director
Cat Young
Director
Julie Nicholson
Managing Director
Sophie Tickle
Artistic Director
Sarah Calderbank
Communications Manager
Sam Millar
Fundraising & Grants Manager
Rachel Coupe
Community Outreach Manager
Grace Bell
Project Coordinator
