Jodie’s Story

Jodie Turner is a young lady with quadriplegia cerebral palsy and non-verbal communication. Before enrolling in DanceSyndrome’s Dance By Example course she had taken part in a range of dance activities and though she loved to dance, she never thought it would be possible for her to pursue it as a career.

Jodie took part in Dance By Example in 2015 and, as well as learning vital skills in leadership, she felt like she made true, lasting friendships and enjoyed being with like-minded people with the same goal. She was given the opportunity to practice her leadership by co-delivering to the group and described the experience as “WOW!!!!”

After completing Dance By Example, Jodie started one to one training with DanceSyndrome to plan a series of community workshops for 2016. She started co-leading her own weekly dance workshop, along with Lead Artist Sophie Tickle, at Plungington Community Centre Preston, in November 2015. Jodie is a key member of the DanceSyndrome performance team and has a real talent for choreographing group performance pieces.

DanceSyndrome has empowered Jodie to achieve more than she ever hoped she could and to pursue her dream of a career in an area where she saw very few opportunities. In five years time Jodie hopes that she will be living independently and will be continuing to lead community dance workshops.