Important Update on DanceSyndrome’s January Dance Sessions
Our team will be taking a well earned break over the festive season. Sessions, both in person and on Zoom, closed on 19th December and we will reopen on the revised date of 4th January.
When we reopen in January, our timetable will initially look a little bit different. As you know, the current Covid-19 situation is very ambiguous due to the new variant which continues to impact on small businesses as they try to adapt to the ever-changing pandemic.
It is difficult to predict what the situation will look like when we return from our Christmas break in January. We want to keep our in-person sessions going for as long as possible, but we also want to reduce risk to our staff, our participants and their families. As you know, we work with many vulnerable people so we have taken the cautious decision to temporarily reduce our programme.
We have created a new timetable with a mixture of online and in-person sessions that can be easily adapted to completely online sessions, if necessary. We hope that everyone will be able to find something to suit their needs on this new timetable.
Bookings for all January dance sessions will still be online and can be accessed on the Events page of our website.
Please be assured that this situation is short term whilst we wait to see the impact of the pandemic in the early part of 2022. Once we have overcome this challenge, DanceSyndrome will continue to go from strength to strength. In recent months, our team has been working hard developing some exciting plans for growing our charity and we are looking forward to sharing our new strategy with you soon. In the meantime, we are so grateful for your on-going support as we all continue to navigate the pandemic together.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Managing Director Julie Nicholson by email at Julie@dancesyndrome.co.uk
We hope you all enjoy the Christmas break and we look forward to seeing you in 2022.
DanceSyndrome’s work was celebrated with yet another award this weekend!
The DanceSyndrome team was chosen as the recipients of the People’s Choice Award at the One Dance UK Awards in an online awards ceremony which took place on Friday 19th November, live on YouTube and Facebook. (You can watch the whole ceremony on the One Dance UK YouTube Channel.)
DanceSyndrome was founded by Jen Blackwell, who happens to have Down’s syndrome, because she found it difficult to find job opportunities in community dance due to her disability. Our ethos is that disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams. Dancers with and without disabilities work together to inspire people to see what can be achieved when we all become more inclusive. All DanceSyndrome sessions are disability jointly led, with people with learning disabilities taking visible Dance Leader roles working together with professional Dance Artists.
It is this inclusive approach which was recognised through the award nomination. The One Dance UK Awards are an annual celebration for people from across the dance sector to unite, celebrate, acknowledge, and reward the people who have made an impact on the vibrant UK dance landscape. Championing the excellent work of dance artists, teachers, practitioners, educators, schools, choreographers, companies, venues, scientists, and writers, it is an evening of celebrations, for all of those who contribute to the dance sector throughout the UK.
DanceSyndrome was chosen as the recipient of the People’s Choice Awards following a public vote on social media in August. It was the only award category that was chosen exclusively by a public vote. Our team came together via a Zoom watch party on Friday so that they could be together for the announcement of the award and, needless to say, they were ecstatic with the result!
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Julie Nicholson said “The DanceSyndrome Team are absolutely thrilled to receive the People’s Choice Awards. It makes us especially proud that this was chosen by a public vote. It is so encouraging for us all to know that we have such an incredible public following who value our work so much. To win a prestigious award like this at a national level, and in a mainstream dance awards ceremony is testament to the hard work and determination of our team who have responded to the pandemic in a positive way and it is truly well deserved!”
The inspiring work of DanceSyndrome is only possible thanks to the support of our donors. If you would like to support us to offer life changing opportunities for people with learning disabilities in the world of dance, you can donate directly using the form below or visit our Fundraising page for more information.
The work of DanceSyndrome Founder Jen Blackwell was celebrated with yet another award last week. Jen was announced as the winner of the Inclusion Award at the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) Awards in an online awards ceremony held on Friday 1st October.
DanceSyndrome’s this inclusive approach was recognised by NAPA, a charity which supports the not-for-profit sector to prioritise wellbeing by promoting activity, art and engagement. The annual NAPA Awards celebrate the wealth of outstanding contributions that third-sector organisations make to their communities. Jen was the winner in the Inclusion Award category which recognises an individual, team or organisation whose activities demonstrate a commitment to inclusive practices, making individuals feel that they belong, can be their authentic selves and are given a voice.
Jen said “I’m honoured to have been chosen as the winner of the Inclusion Award category. Being nominated for this award shows that people with learning disabilities can do amazing things with their lives if given a chance. Dancing is my life, I am passionate about dance and about supporting people like me to have opportunities in the dance world.”
This award is one of several accolades that have recognised the importance of the work done by the DanceSyndrome team, including a Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award and the Queens Award for Voluntary Services in 2019. On Friday 25th September 2021, Jen was also presented with an EVA Star Award at the EVA awards at Blackpool Winter Gardens . In 2020, the EVAs celebrate it’s tenth year with a lockdown celebration of ten EVA Stars. These were ladies who have won EVA awards in the past and have really stood out as superstars. Jen won the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award at the 2015 EVAs and was thrilled to be recognised again as an EVA Star in 2020. She was finally presented with this award at the celebration event, where she also performed with her DanceSyndrome colleagues, receiving a standing ovation!
DanceSyndrome have certainly made a successful return to post-lockdown activities!
If you’re inspired by our work and would like to help us to do even more life-changing work, you can donate directly using the form below:
Christopher Reid is 24 years old, from East London. He is a keen athlete who hopes to represent Team GB in the next Paralympic games in 400m and 800m running events. Christopher has a learning disability and has had mental health difficulties in the past and he blogs about his experiences to raise awareness and advocate for others who may need support. As part of his work, Christopher is a Star Supporter for DanceSyndrome, helping us to spread the word about our work and working hard to raise much needed fund for our work. Here Chris shares a blog about his life and work, and how dancing has helped his mental health. (If you have experienced mental health difficulties yourself, we would like you to know before you read on that this blog gives details which may remind you of your own experiences.)
My name is Christopher Reid and I am 24 years old and I am a T20 para athlete which means I have a learning disability also.
I was first diagnosed with bi polar disorder when I was 15 years old. When I found out from the doctors that I had a mental health problem, I was very shocked and a bit nerve wracking because I didn’t know what this could mean to me but once the doctor talk to me about It made me feel felt me more at ease.
Once I got told with my mum and dad from my consultant saying that you have bi polar disorder.I was bit worried and frightened what my future holds. once they will tell me you will have medication and take tablets for it. At first I was a little reserved at first.
As I heard more about the medication and tablets that I was taking it made me feel a lot better.
When I first had my first breakdown which was in secondary school.
I first I didn’t really want to go into school because I was getting bullied a lot and it really affected my mental health.
I had some support from the learning disabilities department. Which helped me in class.
And some of my friends trying their best to help me but didn’t know how to best support me at the time.
the teachers didn’t know how to stop the bullying and support me with my mental health.
I think their needs to be better system and Education how to support people with their mental health in school college and workplaces.
And to stop bullying and prevent it from happening in the first place.
Then my mental health was slowly deteriorating because I had lots of breakdowns and I was sent into children psychiatric unit. It made me feel a lot worse because and it I feels like I am in a box on a boat and I can’t get out.
One of the things that has helped me is dancing. It made me feel relaxed. And that I was keen to support dance syndrome. And I think their work is really important.
Christopher has shown a significant committment to supporting our work at DanceSyndrome in 2021. In August, he took part in a sponsored walk in memory of his dad, which has raised over £2000 to date. He has had a successful year on a personal level, receiving a Young Hero award from Young Work.
View this post on Instagram
If you would like to support Christopher Reid’s fundraising, you can still donate to his Just Giving page or you can donate directly using the form below.
On 1st September 2021, DanceSyndrome is excited to welcome Julie Nicholson as our new Managing Director.
Julie is not new to DanceSyndrome. She has been a proud Trustee for many years, actively volunteering her time to influence the direction of the charity, whilst also working as Head of Partnerships & Programmes at UnLtd, the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in and around the UK.
Julie said ” A decade ago, in my early days working at UnLtd, one of the first social entrepreneurs I met, and with whom I immediately connected, was Jen Blackwell. I was blown away by her charisma, her passion and drive and can-do attitude for world domination. Jen dreamt of being a dance leader, but after completing mainstream school, she found herself in the frustrating position of not being able to fulfil her ambitions. At the time there was no suitable dance training for a person with a learning disability. Something needed to change. Jen and her parents, Sue and Malcolm Blackwell took matters into their own hands and Jen become the Founder and Creative Director of DanceSyndrome in 2009.
“I have followed and supported the DanceSyndrome journey over the last ten years. Sue and I have chatted every six months or so with me being a sounding board and offering informal advice and ideas. I have proudly watched the team grow, roll out a variety of community inclusive weekly dance sessions, develop a unique ‘Dance by Example’ Leadership Training Course aligned to Sports Leaders UK framework and perform all over the UK including at the Edinburgh Festival.
“The pandemic has been a time for reflection and re-evaluation. After ten years at UnLtd, I began to think about my next move while the current Managing Director of DanceSyndrome was having similar thoughts. In a fortunate stroke of serendipity, Sue approached me about taking on the Managing Director role and after several conversations, meetings, and a formal process, I accepted the role and will join DanceSyndrome to work with Jen and team on their next chapter on 1st September 2021.
“As I think about the move to my new role, I have reflected on how many more Jens there might be out there, many without the same incredible support net that Sue and Malcolm have provided. People with learning disabilities are limited only by the barriers which society puts in their way. It is up to non-disabled leaders to take action to break down the barriers in our society. I look forward to helping many more people like Jen to fulfil their potential.”
DanceSyndrome Chairperson Sue Blackwell said ” DanceSyndrome is delighted to welcome Julie Nicholson who brings passion and drive along with pragmatism to the role of Managing Director. DanceSyndrome is at a crossroads needing to become increasingly socially entrepreneurial. Julie’s background and skill set will be perfect to achieve this change, enabling many more people historically written off by society to blossom and become their own person. She totally subscribes to ‘leadership from unexpected places’, making her perfectly placed to steer DanceSyndrome into its exciting future.”
Julie will be taking over as Managing Director from Dawn Vickers, who is moving to a new role in the DanceSyndrome team as a part time Project Manager, working to secure funding to support the future plans of the charity.
Dawn joined DanceSyndrome in 2014 and has played a fundamental role in growing the charity, which had only been registered as a charity in the previous year after being formed by Jen Blackwell in 2009. During that time, DanceSyndrome has celebrated some huge successes.
Dawn said “During the first 12 months I spent time learning about the work of the charity and getting to know Sue and Jen Blackwell, the mum and daughter team who had founded and built DS since 2009. Their combined passion and energy was infectious, now they needed a cunning plan to take their work further and enable more people to benefit from their original mission and vision – to enable adults with learning disabilities to be leaders, to influence and educate society and to demonstrate inclusion through powerful, professional inclusive dance. That mission has never changed.
“Next we needed the right team to make it happen. Dance By Example was born and made available to adults with learning disabilities who wanted to learn how to lead, teach and design inclusive dance activity. A team of Dance Leaders grew and before long weekly dance sessions sprang up in community venues across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, co-delivered by Dance Leaders and a growing team of freelance Dance Artists. Everyone was welcomed to join in, hence we named our project work “Everybody Dance”. And everybody did, from all backgrounds, with all levels of ability but with the commonality that they loved to dance.
“Now we were starting to get busy! I applied everywhere for funding, had many rejections and learnt some tough lessons. But then we were incredibly fortunate to receive 3 years of funding from Spirit of 2012. What a springboard that turned out to be! We were able to develop our work locally and engage more people by delivering outreach dance sessions in schools, hospitals, community centres, day centres, care homes, Colleges, Universities – the list went on. We gained funding from Arts Council England to further develop our contemporary dance performance work, which we performed locally and then at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 to great acclaim. In 2017 we gained funding from Big Lottery Reaching Communities, to enable us to work with partners in other areas of the UK, testing a social replication model over a three-year period. This was an exciting development and we were starting to get lots of interest in our work and requests to work with organisations across the UK. We needed to find a way to do this without losing focus on the people we were working with locally and now we had a funded project in place to enable this to happen.
“Our Dance Leaders were growing in confidence and as such their individual skills, talents and assets were beginning to surface. They were invited to speak at conferences across the UK and their work was recognised through many awards and accolades”
- Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services 2019 – the charity was awarded the voluntary group equivalent of an MBE
- Disability Power 100 – Jen Blackwell included in the top 100 for three consecutive years in 2018, 2019 & 2020
- National Learning Disability and Autism Awards 2019 – The charity was winner of the People’s Award
- Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ List 2018 – Becky Rich included in top 15 in leaders in Sports, Arts and Entertainment
- Points of Light Award – 25 October 2018 – Jen Blackwell was chosen as the Prime Ministers Point of Light recipient
- E3 Business Awards 2018 – Charity of the Year
- Red Rose Awards 2017 – Not-For-Profit Award Winner
- National Learning Disability and Autism Awards 2016 – Dance Leader Team was the winner of the Sporting Chance Award
- Enterprise Vision Awards 2015 – Jen Blackwell wins Inspirational Woman of the Year
Helping the charity to survive the challenges of the pandemic with a completely new business model, and generating the funding to support that, has been Dawn’s final success as Managing Director and she hands over the reins to Julie at a time of optimism and opportunity for the charity.
Everyone at DanceSyndrome wishes both Dawn and Julie the best of luck in their new roles.
If you’re inspired by the big impact of this small charity and would like to support our work in the future, you can donate directly using the form below.
The DanceSyndrome team would like to thank the many businesses who have supported our Gala Dinner in October.
Special thanks must got to Cheerdance UK, Pink Link Ladies and The Civic Arts Centre & Theatre for their generous sponsorship of the event. Without their support we would not be able to make the event happen.
Many other businesses have donated a range of top secret prizes which we will only be announcing on the night – so get your event tickets to make sure that you don’t miss out! We are very excited by some of these donations and we know you will be too!
Everyone is really looking forward to this event and we hope that you will be able to join us for a wonderful night of food, entertainment and, of course, dancing! You can book tickets using the form below:
Dance Leaders from DanceSyndrome are excited to be back in regular indoor dance sessions, after being online for the last 18 months during the Coronavirus pandemic.
DanceSyndrome supports many vulnerable adults across Lancashire, many of whom have been shielding during the pandemic. The DanceSyndrome team adapted quickly in the early stages of the pandemic, closing sessions in March 2020 to offer online dance sessions via Zoom and YouTube. We wanted to limit the impact of isolation on participants and continue to make them feel a part of what they refer to as “the dancing family”. We decided to take the pre-lockdown workshops online to bring the sessions to regular participants and anyone else who wanted to use them to stay active at home during isolation.
As lockdown started to ease, the DS Collective performance team started social distanced rehearsals and filming of their performance pieces in Miller Park in Preston. Following further relaxation of government guidelines on 19th July, DanceSyndrome have been able to start a phased return to indoor dance sessions at Plungington Community Centre and St Mary’s Centre, Clitheroe. The sessions include Everybody Dance, Street Dance, Musical Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and a new Rave session with glow sticks, which was such a success online that a new in-person class has been created!
DanceSyndrome Managing Director, Dawn Vickers said “Before the pandemic started we engaged with over 150 participants and volunteers each week in our Lancashire centres. When we were forced to close in March 2020, we knew how valuable dance was going to be for our members for their health and wellbeing and to prevent them from becoming isolated, so we adapted really quickly to offer online sessions in a range of formats, for people of all ages.
“I’m so proud of how our team responded to this challenge! The team were determined to adapt quickly and creatively so that everyone could carry on dancing whilst remaining safe in their own homes. Our dancers with and without disabilities came together, as they always do, to offer an extensive program of dance, that didn’t just cater to those original 150 participants, but actually reached over 600 people, not just from across the UK but from around the world, including Europe, the USA and South Africa!
“The plan was that our online sessions would help people to stay physically and mentally well until we could all be back together in our regular dance sessions. Those sessions all returned on 19th July when the government regulations ended. We are absolutely delighted to be back in a room with our participants again. It feels incredible!
“We do understand, though, that not everyone is ready to get back to their pre-pandemic activities, especially if they are vulnerable. For this reason, and to stay in touch with those new participants who aren’t based in Lancashire, we are continuing with our full programme of Zoom activities too. This means that the number of weekly sessions that DanceSyndrome is offering has doubled from 10 pre-pandemic to 20 post-lockdown! This is an amazing achievement for our team, who have worked so hard all through the pandemic. ”
If you would like to join DanceSyndrome, either online or in person, you can find all the details about the sessions at www.dancesyndrome.co.uk/events
Here are some of the comments from our Dance Leaders about returning to indoor dance, we hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did!
A local teenager is fundraising for charity this summer, despite having had recent surgery to correct scoliosis, a curvature of the spine.
Teegan Chilton is 15 years old from Barley, Lancashire. She is fundraising for DanceSyndrome’s “We like to Move It Move It” campaign, which encourages people to stay active during the pandemic and turn their movement or exercise into a fundraising activity.
At DanceSyndrome we deliver inclusive dance workshops and dance leadership training, as well as inspiring performances that demonstrate a focus on ability rather than disability. The charity was founded by Jen Blackwell, who happens to have Down’s syndrome, because she found it difficult to find opportunities in community dance due to her disability. Our ethos is that disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams. Dancers with and without disabilities work together to inspire people to see what can be achieved when we all become more inclusive. All DanceSyndrome sessions are disability led, with people with learning disabilities taking visible Dance Leader roles.
Teegan has taken part in dance classes since she was able to crawl. She has done many different styles of dancing and has competed as a solo performer in several competitions. It is because dance has been such a big part of her life, and because she understands the positive impact that dance can have on a person’s wellbeing, that Teegan decided to support DanceSyndrome’s fundraising, despite her own health challenges.
Teegan first started experiencing pain from scoliosis at just 7 years old. She suffered several years of pain before finally getting a diagnosis and eventually having corrective surgery.
Teegan said “I first got really bad pain at the age of 7, whilst out Christmas shopping. The pain became continuous byt the age of 10. I went for an unrelated appointment at the hospital and we told them about my back and the doctor said that I had kinks in my spine but not to worry and if it kept bothering me then to get it checked. We got it checked and I had an x-ray and it was confirmed that I had scoliosis.
“When I first got referred, my curves were at 36°. He said that if it was under 25° then they could have given me a brace, but, unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it. The only thing they could do was monitor it until it got to the point where I needed surgery. Once it got to that point I needed a spinal fusion operation to correct the curves. Before the surgery the curves were between 60 – 70°. Now it is less than 10°.”
“The impact scoliosis has had on my life has been quite significant. I didn’t like the way my body looked or how uncomfortable it felt sitting on hard chairs. I was in pain every day for 4 years, so this caused me to have a lot of time off school meaning I got behind and people noticed I was different. I had to always have a chair with a back for support and a few comments were made to me about being disabled. But I think it will have a positive impact on my future, it has made me a more resilient person and I am a lot more confident in my body now.”
Speaking about the fundraising, Teegan said “I am doing a one mile walk, two mile bike and a small swim. This is a big achievement for me because I am doing all this less than three months after my operation. I lost a lot of muscle mass and it has been hard to get that back but fundraising is something I’ve done for a long time and I enjoy helping other people.”
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Dawn Vickers said “Teegan is an incredible person and we have been so proud to have her on our fundraising team! Her strength and determination is a reflection of what we often see in our Dance Leaders so we were thrilled that she chose DanceSyndrome to benefit from her fundraiser. Her fundraising will make a real difference to our charity at a challenging time when we are having to frequently adapt to the changing COVID regulations. We’ve just returned to indoor dance and we couldn’t have done that without the support of fundraisers like Teegan!”
Teegan and her team of fundraisers are currently at 70% of their £1,000 target. If you would like to support them , please visit www.justgiving.com or donate directly using the form below:
A national organisation supporting mental health charities has chosen to boost the fundraising efforts of DanceSyndrome as we plan for our future in the changing post-pandemic world.
MAKEITBLUE CIC is a non-profit company dedicated to raising funds for mental health charities. Formed by a group of live events professionals, they work on arts, entertainment and cultural projects to raise funds and awareness of mental health issues. Last year, they launched the #LightItBlue campaign to thank NHS staff and healthcare workers fighting Covid. They also ran a charity art auction in aid of events industry professionals suffering from Covid-related mental health problems. Our DS Collective also created the video below as part of their Dance It Blue campaign in May 2020.
In order to survive through such challenging times, we are running an ambitious fundraising campaign to support our work as we move back into the community after so long delivering online. MAKEITBLUE have donated £500 to kick-start this campaign, which has a target of £10,000. The campaign is called “We Like to Move It, Move It” and encourages people to use any form of movement activity to improve their own mental health and fundraise at the same time.
DanceSyndrome supports many vulnerable adults across Lancashire, many of whom have been shielding during the pandemic. Our team adapted quickly in the early stages of the pandemic to offer online dance sessions via Zoom and YouTube. We wanted to limit the impact of isolation on participants and continue to make them feel a part of our “the dancing family”. We took our pre-lockdown workshops online to bring the sessions to regular participants and anyone else who wanted to use them to stay active at home during isolation. The sessions have been a real success, attracting new participants from across the UK, and even as far as Europe, South Africa and the USA! There are now 15 online sessions a week and these will continue as face to face dancing returns.
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Dawn Vickers said “We’re incredibly grateful to MAKEITBLUE for supporting our fundraising efforts this year, which has been one of the most challenging years in our 12 year history. It is always a privilege to collaborate with like-minded organisations who are working to achieve the same goals. Dance and positive mental health are so closely linked and we’re grateful to be given the opportunity to work with them to share that important message.”
Fabulous fundraising ideas so far have included a daily boxing target of 1000 punches by DanceSyndrome Dance Leader and Ambassador Becky Rich, a non-stop sailing campaign around the UK by Founders Sue and Malcolm Blackwell and a charity fundraising walk by DanceSyndrome Star Supporter Christopher Reid, who is walking in memory of his dad, who loved to dance.
For more information about DanceSyndrome’s fundraising campaign please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/MoveitMoveit or you can donate directly using the form below:
Following our last Covid update on 15th June, we are excited that following government confirmation, we are now able to return to indoor dance for the first time since March 2020!
We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone again!
An easy read version of this update can be downloaded here.
Health & Safety
It is great news that we are returning to sessions, but we still want to remain cautious due to the increasing case numbers of COVID-19 locally and the fact that many of our participants and/or their family members/carers may be clinically vulnerable. With this in mind we aim to keep everyone as safe as possible in our sessions and would like to draw your attention to a few bits of guidance for attending our indoor dance sessions:
– Please book your sessions in advance online wherever possible at www.dancesyndrome.co.uk/events This helps us to manage session numbers, reduces points of contact for our participants and staff and will enable our sessions to get started more quickly. If this presents a challenge for you, please contact us at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk and we will find an alternative method of payment.
– Lateral flow tests are now available for free home delivery for everyone in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
We are sharing this information as taking regular lateral flow tests helps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is not compulsory for attending indoor dance sessions, but we do strongly recommend it for everyone’s safety.
– Please DO NOT attend an indoor dance session if you or someone you live with has had any of the main COVID-19 symptoms in the previous 7 days.
– Please observe specific rules implemented by our venues, such as one-way systems, track and trace QR code scanning, etc.
– We ask that at the current time, carers do not stay in the dance space to watch the session unless they are actively needed to support a participant to take part in the session. If you are remaining in areas of the building outside of the dance space while the session takes place, for example in the cafe, you will be required to sign in for track and trace purposes.
– Please continue to use social distancing, wherever possible. We know this is no longer official guidance, but we want everyone to feel comfortable and have their personal space respected.
– Please continue to sanitise or wash your hands frequently, particularly before entering our dance space.
– We strongly recommend still wearing a face mask indoors when moving around the public spaces in the building unless you are exempt.
– Please bring your own drinks to the session. Our Dance Artists can no longer offer drinks at breaks for health and safety reasons.
– Our Dance Artists will aim to keep the dance space well ventilated, so you may want to wear a removable sweatshirt or jumper to keep warm.
– Sessions will all have a maximum number of spaces available to ensure everyone’s safety. We highly recommend booking in advance online to secure a place. If you turn up without booking, we will try our best to accommodate you, but we have strict rules around maximum numbers, and you may not be able to participate.
You can view a copy of our Plungington Community Centre risk assessment on this link.
These guidelines will be reviewed in September, taking the pandemic situation at that time into consideration.
Session timetable
Our Zoom sessions will continue for those who do not live locally or who prefer to stay online at the moment.
Monday 19th July 2021 at Plungington Community Centre
EXTEND: Jazz will return at 11am – 11:45am from Monday 19th July. Cost £10 per session.
EXTEND: Contemporary will return at 11:45am – 12:30pm from Monday 19th July. Cost £10 per session.
EXTEND: Street will return at 1:15pm – 2pm from Monday 19th July. Cost £10 per session.
Wednesday 21st July 2021 at Plungington Community Centre
Everybody Dance – Preston will return at 10am -11am from Wednesday 21st July. Cost £7 per session.
EXTEND: Ballet will return at 11:15am – 12:15pm from Wednesday 21st July. Cost £10 per session.
DS Collective rehearsals will go indoors in Plungington Community Centre on Wednesday 21st July from 1pm – 3pm. Cost £10 per session.
EXTEND: Rave a new face-to-face session building on the success of our Zoom Rave with Bex and Dave session. Wednesdays at 7-8pm. Cost £10 per session.
Saturday 24th July 2021 at St Mary’s Centre, Clitheroe
Everybody Dance – Clitheroe will return at 10:30am -12:15pm from Saturday 24th July. Cost £7 per session.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not worry if your regular session is not included above. This is a phased return, and we are still looking at how to safely return to other venues. This is an extensive process and the first phase of the return required us to focus on one venue at a time. We will be in touch soon as further sessions re-open. In the meantime, everyone is welcome at both our face-to-face and online sessions, so why not try something new?
Booking for all sessions will be via www.dancesyndrome.co.uk/events
Whatever way you choose to dance, we hope to see you at one of our sessions soon. In the meantime, please contact us if you have any questions.
Thank you for your support throughout the pandemic.
From #TeamDS
