The DanceSyndrome team are thrilled to share that Italian professional dancer Giovanni Pernice has joined us in an Ambassador role! Giovanni made this special announcement via video at our 10th birthday event at The Lowry on Sunday.
The DanceSyndrome team first met Giovanni at Plungington Community Centre, Preston, in June 2022 when he surprised us during filming for the Channel 4 TV lifestyle show Steph’s Packed Lunch. Giovanni spent the whole day with our dancers and was impressed by the inclusive dance setting that the charity had created. Later in 2022, he approached our team about the possibility of an Ambassador role with DanceSyndrome.
Giovanni learned about the importance of inclusion in dance while dancing with Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf, in Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 and is determined to do more to raise the profile of inclusive dance through his charitable roles.
The Ambassador role will mean that Giovanni promotes the work of DanceSyndrome on his social media as well as attending events, providing exclusive gifts for fundraising prizes and generating funds for our work through appearances on charitable TV shows.
Giovanni said, “DanceSyndrome’s sessions are exactly what dance is about, having fun and enjoying yourself. Dancing is a way to express yourself using music and everybody has to be allowed to do that, no matter what. DanceSyndrome is a beautiful group. I loved meeting everyone. Together they show that, whatever your ability, anyone can and should share in the passion for dancing. I love this message and am proud to be an Ambassador for their incredible work.”
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Julie Nicholson said “Everyone at DanceSyndrome loved meeting Giovanni last year. He was so supportive and inclusive in the way that he worked with us, everyone felt really valued. The Dance Leader team was thrilled to hear that they had an equally significant impact on Giovanni too, and that he wanted to do more to support our work. Obviously, as a small charity we need a lot of support with fundraising and increasing our profile, but this means so much more to us. Many of our dancers with learning disabilities have faced barriers when trying to access mainstream dance, so it is a real boost for them to meet such a high-profile professional dancer who understands the quality and value of our work. We can’t wait to see where this partnership takes us!”
DanceSyndrome are appealing for your support as we celebrate our 10th birthday since becoming a charity. Charities do not survive to the 10 year mark without significant support from the communities that they serve. There is significant demand for our services and we are creative with our offering, achieving a lot on a small budget. As a small charity our only real limitation is financial, so we are incredibly grateful for the support of our followers.
Could you donate £10 to help DanceSyndrome to make it through the NEXT ten years? If you could make it a regular donation, either monthly or annually, it would make even more of an impact.
There are many different ways you can support us.
- Text – You can donate £10 by phone by texting DANCE to 70191
- Facebook – If you make a donation via Facebook we receive 100% of the donation – there are no fees!
- Just Giving – you can support our Just Giving campaign by donating or setting up your own fundraiser and encouraging your friends and family to support us too.
- Online – You can donate directly using the form below:
DanceSyndrome is a multi-award-winning dance charity that was founded by Jen Blackwell, who has Down’s syndrome. The charity was formed because Jen found it difficult to find opportunities in community dance that were accessible to people with learning disabilities. DanceSyndrome’s ethos is that disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams. All DanceSyndrome sessions are co-led by people with learning disabilities, who take visible Dance Leader roles to inspire people to see what can be achieved when we all become more inclusive. The charity offers inclusive dance workshops and leadership training both in communities across the North West and online via Zoom.
