DanceSyndrome Dance Leader Becky Rich has been in the news a lot recently! In November she was announced as the winner of Disability Equality (NW)’s Lesley Finley Community Award and on Monday 3rd December she was announced as one of only 60 people (15 in her category) to make the national Learning Disability and Autism Leaders List. Here she shares some thoughts about why dancing is so important to her own health and wellbeing and that of others.
Becky Rich – Dance Leader, Spokesperson and Ambassador
I am Becky Rich and I am 28.
Dancing is helping me and my friends at DanceSyndrome to keep fit. I have a heart condition called AVSD but I eat the right things and really enjoy my exercise through my passion for dance.
At DanceSyndrome, my dancing family, we have dance workshops set up across the North West. We find dancing is energetic, particularly to up beat music and is really great exercise for cardio and blood flow.
We dance teach and appear at various events when we do mass participation to get everyone involved.
During the course of this year 2018, we have appeared at many events including “The Edinburgh Fringe” with a mass participation on The Royal Mile and then separate performances of our special Lit Adrift Show. We also performed our street dance at the EVAS awards evening in Blackpool.
I am now a qualified Dance Leader and have been appointed Ambassador and Spokesperson for DanceSyndrome. This is a role I take very seriously. I am keen to promote our work as I believe that there are great health benefits through dance, both physical and emotional.
For me personally I have reduced my weight a lot by about 3 stone through exercise and eating the right food which I really enjoy.
I do keep well because of my dancing that I love. This applies also to many of my fiends and my dancing family DanceSyndrome.
I want to spread the word and get more people involved in our charity, it is very important to us because we are having a very positive impact on the people’s lives, we CAN make a difference.
I also believe in standing up for myself and others with various disabilities. The should be NO discrimination and at DanceSyndrome we believe in concentrating on ability NOT disability. This is the whole basis of what we do and it is the right way.
Life is precious and by working together we can make it better for everyone.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you! From Becky Rich
If you’re inspired by Becky’s incredible achievements and would like to follow in her footsteps, visit our Events page to find a workshop near you!
DanceSyndrome Dance Leader Becky Rich has been recognised at a national level for the contribution that she has made to the lives of people with disabilities.
The Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ List is the UK’s first national listing of people with learning disabilities and/or autism who are helping make things better for themselves and others. The Leaders’ List is a project created for its first year in 2018 by not-for-profit support provider Dimensions, in association with Learning Disability England, VODG and the Guardian newspaper. It is a collection of stories from people who have learning disabilities and/or autism who are making a difference and getting involved.
Becky is a volunteer with DanceSyndrome. She joined the charity in 2014 and completed the unique Dance By Example leadership training, which enables people with a disability to learn how to lead their own inclusive dance workshops. Becky really enjoyed the course and it resulted in her leading two workshops of her own, independent of DanceSyndrome. She has become a valued member of DanceSyndrome’s two performance teams, delivering inspiring contemporary dance and street dance performances to audiences across the UK. She is also a talented public speaker, going to high profile events and conferences to speak about disability rights and the need for society to be more inclusive. This has led to her being given the role of Spokesperson and Ambassador, a role which she has taken to whole-heartedly, eagerly contacting businesses and high profile individuals across the country to ask for their support.
The incredible work Becky does for DanceSyndrome resulted in her being nominated for the Leaders List. She was chosen from over 600 nominations as one of the 60 people to be included in the list, one of only 15 people recognised in the category of sports, arts and entertainment.
Becky said “I would like to thank those that nominated me for this list and to thank those who have chosen me to be in the top 15 of my category. I love my passion for dance and dance teaching in the community as a member of the DanceSyndrome family. It’s very special when your work is recognised in this way!””
This isn’t the first time that Becky has been recognised for her inspirational voluntary work. Only a few weeks ago she was awarded The Lesley Finley Community Award from Disability Equality (NW). This award recognises the positive impact made by disabled people in Lancashire to improve the lives of other disabled people and to inspire others to make a positive impact of their own. In 2016 she was chosen as Volunteer of the Year at the Lancashire County Council Pride Awards and she also went on to become a Champion for Lancashire Volunteer Partnership, featuring in a countywide poster and advertising campaign promoting the benefits of volunteering.
Becky hopes to keep building momentum and raising awareness of the work that DanceSyndrome does in 2019. She is even planning a new training course for DanceSyndrome, which will give other people with disabilities the skills to become public speakers and ambassadors.
You can read more of Becky’s story and more about the Leaders’ List on the Dimensions website.
For more information about the range of opportunities DanceSyndrome offers, please visit our Events page.
In early 2019, DanceSyndrome is launching a range of new sessions for dancers of all abilities to develop their skills in specific areas of dance.
These sessions will be called EXTEND and EXPLORE. They are different from our weekly Everybody Dance workshops as they have more of a focus on technical skills and specific dance styles; Everybody Dance is more of an introduction to dance and is about having fun, staying healthy and using a range of dance styles to learn communication and social skills.
EXTEND
Extend is a programme of inclusive technique classes exploring different styles of dance. These sessions are perfect for both beginners and those with experience. Each class will begin with technical exercises and then explore set choreography, which will be developed over the 6 week term.
Extend: Ballet
Monday, 11:30am- 12:30pm
Extend: Street
Monday, 1-2pm
Extend: Contemporary
Monday, 2:15- 3:15pm
Extend: Jazz
Monday, 3:30- 4:30pm
These sessions will run at Plungington Community Centre at a cost of £7 each, or there are discounts available for attending multiple sessions on the same day (£13 for 2 sessions. £18 for 3 sessions. £20 for 4 sessions.)
If you would like to know more about these sessions, please contact info@dancesyndrome.co.uk or just turn up. Sessions start on Monday 7th January.
Here is a taste of what our DStreet Crew street dancers have already achieved in these sessions in 2018:
EXPLORE
DanceSyndrome truly believes that there is no right or wrong way to move and there is beauty and significance in everyone’s movement. Our EXPLORE programme offers dancers an opportunity to come together and explore movement, develop choreography and unlock creativity.
Using contact improvisation and somatic practice we encourage dancers to listen to their own bodies and explore; how we want to and are able to move; respond to natural movement impulses; push and challenge our habitual movement styles; and find moments of connection through dance with others in our company.
Explore: Create and Connect
Wednesday, 1- 3pm
At Plungington Community Centre
This session will cost £5.
This video gives a taste of the kind of dance that happens in these sessions:
If you would like to join any of these sessions you are welcome to just turn up. If you need more information, please email info@dancesyndrome.co.uk
In celebration of 5 years as a charity, and 9 years in total, DanceSyndrome have produced a 108 page book (210mm x 210mm) which shares highlights from the history of the organisation alongside stories from people whose lives have been impacted by the charity.
We are selling copies of the book to help raise funds to enable us to continue changing lives, unlocking potential & challenging perceptions with our “ability, not disability” approach!
Copies of the printed book can be purchased in person from the DanceSyndrome team or online using the online order form at a cost of £10 plus £2 postage and packaging. You will also receive a link to a free digital download of the book.
Alternatively, a digital download of the book alone is available for £5.
All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support the valuable work that DanceSyndrome does.
The online order form can be found here: http://bit.ly/DSLivingTheDream
In celebration of 5 years of being a charity, DanceSyndrome is hosting a special 5th Birthday Party fundraising event on 23rd November. A raffle will be held on the night to raise money for our charity.
Raffle prizes include:
Dinner, bed & breakfast for 2 at Blackpool Village Hotel
Dinner, bed & breakfast for 2 at Rendezvous Hotel Skipton
2 x family passes for Play Factore
Round of golf for 4 – Chorley Golf Club
Round of golf for 4 – Blackburn Golf Club
Round of golf for 4 – Green Haworth Golf Club
Round of golf for 4 – Whalley Golf Club
£25 voucher for Franco’s Restaurant, Oswaldtwistle
£25 voucher for Rtreat Restaurant, Adlington
£15 voucher for Oriental Delight Restaurant, Clayton Le Moors
2 x hampers
£10 Tesco voucher
If you are unable to attend the party, you can still buy tickets for the raffle online. You will receive a confirmation email and we will contact you on Monday 26th November if you have won a prize.
Tickets are available via this link until 10am on Thursday 22nd November 2018: http://bit.ly/DSRaffleTickets
DanceSyndrome Dance Leader Becky Rich has been recognised with a community award for the contribution that she has made to the lives of people with disabilities across Lancashire.
Becky is a volunteer DanceSyndrome. She helps to deliver inclusive dance workshops and dance leadership training as well as inspiring performances that demonstrate a focus on ability rather than disability. DanceSyndrome’s ethos is that disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams.
As a DanceSyndrome Dance Leader, Spokesperson and Ambassador, Becky goes to many community events to inspire people to see what can be achieved when society becomes more inclusive. Because of the incredible work she does, she was chosen as the 2018 recipient of the Lesley Finley Community Award which is awarded each year to a member of the community by Disability Equality (NW).
Disability Equality (NW) is a Disabled People’s Organisation that started in 1996. The organisation is run and controlled by disabled people, to give disabled people a voice and ensure people are included in society. Their main aim is to further the human rights of disabled people across the North West and to provide user-led services to support disabled people. These different services have all arisen out of local community needs.
The Lesley Finley Community Award was initiated by Disability Equality (NW) in 2014 and was named after former Chair Lesley Finley, who sadly passed away in 2013. The award recognises the positive impact made by disabled people in Lancashire to improve the lives of other disabled people and inspiring others to make a positive impact of their own.
Becky was presented with the award on Friday 16th December at the Disability Equality (NW) AGM at Plungington Community Centre, Preston.
She said “I’m thrilled to receive this award! It is amazing to be recognised. I absolutely love working with DanceSyndrome. I did training and qualified as a Dance Leader and because I did such a good job of being a leader, I have recently been appointed Ambassador and Spokesperson. It’s amazing to know that my work inspires people and makes them feel more positive.
“Having Down’s syndrome has never stopped me from doing anything that I wanted to do and I am dedicated to sharing that message and helping people to see that people with disabilities should be treated as equals in society! Winning this award shows that people with disabilities can achieve anything, so my message to other people is ‘Follow your dreams – you can do it!'”
This isn’t the first award that Becky has been recognised for her voluntary work. In 2016 she was chosen as Volunteer of the Year at the Lancashire County Council Pride Awards and she went on to become a Champion for Lancashire Volunteer Partnership, featuring in a countywide poster and advertising campaign promoting the benefits of volunteering.
DanceSyndrome offers a range of opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to become more involved in their community. For more information on upcoming activities please visit the events page of our website.
Vicki McCorkell is a Trustee at DanceSyndrome. She is an experienced practitioner in the Arts and a good friend to DanceSyndrome Founders Jen and Sue Blackwell. As DanceSyndrome celebrates our 5th anniversary as a charity, we have been reflecting on the history of the organisation and Vicki has written a short blog about her own involvement, not just recently but right back at the start of it all back in 2009.
I remember first meeting Jen and Sue Blackwell in 2007. Back then I worked for a company called Full Circle Arts, managing their Arts Mentoring and Young Artist Development Programmes, supported by Arts Council England and under the Artistic Direction of Chris Hammond, a great mentor and thinker, missed by many.
Sue had emailed to ask whether a mentoring place might come available for Jen and we arranged to meet at the cafe at Contact Theatre. Jen, then in her mid 20s me in my early 30s connected immediately over hot chocolate. Jen like many of us was so clear on who she was and what she wanted, but struggled with the ‘how’. “ I want to dance Vicki, to make a life and career in dance and develop my own company”… It was her passion, why couldn’t she follow and progress further in what was at her very core?
Jen would have gone to dance school like those who go on to become professional dancers or dance facilitators, she would have gone to university like many of those serious about studying in the field of dance, but at the time, Jen couldn’t find one single place one single course in the country that would be accessible to her and provide the type of learning, training and support she needed to progress. Jen knew she had to work hard and that a different route was needed.
Weeks later Jen and I met again to speak more about her goals, the journey, the importance of the right support, health, individual dance practice, group practice, strength building, technique, seeing dance and networking in dance. Soon after Jen began a year mentoring placement with Louise Katerega. Jen had already identified exactly who she wanted as her dance mentor and found an excellent mentor in Louise. We all worked well together, kept the communication open, reviewed how things were going. Through Louise lots of accessible, inclusive, challenging and professional training came about, individual and group practice and signposting to additional opportunity.
It was around this time that Jen’s company the company she dreamt of and named DanceSyndrome began to get really serious about the future.
In 2009 I was asked to work with the company on facilitating a development workshop based on coaching practices and principles, some of the usual GROW and Compelling Futures exercise. in other words we all just had a great time in a room, imagining, asking important questions, listening to one another and visualising the future for DS. We explored what the path might look like, where we were now, identified strengths, needs, opportunities, roles and responsibilities.
I left Manchester shortly after this time and returned to live in London but remained in contact with Sue and Jen. Every now and then we’d meet for coffee, a gin, or a glass of bubbly and catch up about how the company was developing.
Ten years on and gosh so much has changed, a great deal of hard work and commitment by all. The company continue to develop and gain the recognition they deserve. Jen and DanceSyndrome have presented and performed at several conferences and events, won awards, gained attention from leaders and celebrities and have a strong team, practice and programme in place.
In 2016 when I told Sue and Jen I was moving back North an invitation came to join the board of trustees at DanceSyndrome, I was delighted and glad to continue my involvement. They’ve achieved so much in 10 years and have an exciting future ahead. I have much more to say about their work, the validity and importance of it in today’s society and for ‘our’ arts and cultural sector, but I’ll end with….
Huge well done Jen and all at DS!
Love Vicki
If you are interested in the history of DanceSyndrome, we have been sharing lots of memories on Facebook and Twitter using #DanceSyndrome5Years. We are also releasing a book with a brief history of the charity and stories from people whose lives have been impacted by our work. If you might be interested in pre-ordering a copy of the book, please email info@dancesyndrome.co.uk for more information.
DanceSyndrome Founder Jen Blackwell was thrilled to discover that, following some work that DanceSyndrome had done with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the team at 10 Downing Street had heard about our work and the Prime Minister wanted to recognise Jen’s work through a Point of Light award.
Points of Light are outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community. Every weekday the Prime Minister recognises an inspirational volunteer with the Daily Point of Light award. Since April 2014, hundreds of people have been named Points of Light by the Prime Minister, highlighting an enormous array of innovative and inspirational volunteering across the length and breadth of Britain. Doing everything from tackling knife crime, to supporting families of dementia patients, UK Points of Light are fundraising, awareness raising, problem solving heroes who all had an idea they decided to make a reality. Their actions have changed lives and their stories can inspire thousands more to get involved or start their own initiatives.
In a personal letter to Jen, the Prime Minister said:
“Through ‘DanceSyndrome’ you have created an accessible environment where people of all abilities can share your love of dance. Your community workshops and performances are improving the fitness and wellbeing of young people with learning difficulties and sending a positive message about the importance of inclusion.”
On finding out about the award, Jen said:
“I’m so thrilled to be recognised by the Prime Minister! Dancing is my life, I am passionate about dance and about supporting people like me to have opportunities in the dance world. Winning this award shows that people with learning disabilities can do amazing things with their lives if given a chance.”
You can read the full story at www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/dancesyndrome
Jen Blackwell, DanceSyndrome Founder and Director, was announced as one of the most influential people with a disability in the UK at a reception at the South Bank Centre on Wednesday 17 October.
The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List is an annual publication of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK. More than 700 nominations were received for the 100 places. The Disability Power 100 List is compiled by an independent judging panel, chaired by Kate Nash OBE. Kate is the world’s leading authority in ‘Networkology’ – the science behind the growth of workplace networks and resource groups. In 2007 she was awarded an OBE for services to disabled people. In 2013 she was appointed Ambassador to Disability Rights UK.
DanceSyndrome was founded in 2009 by dancer Jen Blackwell, who happens to have Down’s syndrome, because she found it difficult to find opportunities in community dance due to her disability. DanceSyndrome’s 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.
Jen said: “Dancing is my life, I am passionate about dance and about supporting people like me to have opportunities in the dance world. Getting this recognition shows that people with learning disabilities can do amazing things with their lives if given a chance”
Nick Bell, Interim Chief Executive of Shaw Trust – a charity helping to transform the lives of young people and adults across the UK and internationally, said:
“Congratulations to Jen Blackwell. The judges were beyond impressed by the standard of nominations but selected the most influential people who are proving that disability or impairment is not a barrier to success. One of our aims for the Disability Power 100 list is to demonstrate to young people that they can achieve their ambitions. At Shaw Trust we work with government, local authorities and employers to support people overcome barriers which hold them back from achieving their potential.”
The full Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List can be found on www.disabilitypower100.com, Jen features on page 40.
Sarah Calderbank joined DanceSyndrome in 2014 as a volunteer, helping with producing marketing literature. In 2015 Tudor Trust provided funding for a Business Development and Administration Executive and Sarah was thrilled to take the role. She is now the Project Coordinator for DanceSyndrome’s two major projects, funded by Spirit of 2012 and Big Lottery Fund. Here she talks about how proud she is to be involved with DanceSyndrome and the charity’s many recent achievements.
“When I first joined DanceSyndrome, the story of how Jen and Sue Blackwell started the charity was truly inspiring to me. These two ladies showed drive and determination in the face of rejection and inequality. What they wanted was simple, the opportunity for Jen to follow her dream to work in dance. There was no reason why Jen could not do that, her only barrier was other people’s perceptions of her disability. So they created a safe environment where barriers were removed and anyone and everyone could have fun together and enjoy dancing. I was proud to be involved back then, but I’m even more proud to have played a part over the last few years as the charity has evolved so much!
Back in 2015, we had 2 regular workshops and an annual Dance By Example training course. Three years later and we now have 5 well-established workshops and this year 3 different groups have completed Dance By Example. We have set up a new street dance crew, due to popular demand, and have formed a “Select Team”, which is a feedback opportunity for people with disabilities to influence the future direction of the charity. We are also about to run our first Inclusive Approaches Training for Dance Artists from other organisations, so that they can adapt their own sessions to be more inclusive and accessible to all.
This year alone we have won Charity of the Year at the E3 Business Awards and DanceSyndrome volunteer Anna James won Student Volunteer of the Year at the UCLan CVCL Awards. We were also nominated for two different Charity Film Awards, our Managing Director Dawn Vickers was shortlisted as a Finalist at the Barclays Celebrating North West Women in Business Awards and we have recently been nominated for a Queens Award for Voluntary Services. We are finalists at the N&W Lancashire Chamber of Commerce BIBA awards Third Sector Business of the Year category later this week and Dawn Vickers is a finalist in Business Woman of the Year category at The Enterprise Vision Awards later in September. We also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and appeared on prime time ITV! Not bad for a small charity from Lancashire!
I like to be busy and it is a privilege to be involved in so much diverse work, but the thing that I really love about DanceSyndrome is the way that it so completely inclusive. Every single person is celebrated for their achievements and any difficulties are overcome so that everyone can be included, enabled and empowered as much as possible. Our Dance Leaders continue to go from strength to strength because they are supported by people who focus on their talents and abilities, whilst understanding their other needs and helping them to overcome any barriers they may face.
This all sounds really simple, but actually this inclusion and empowerment is really significant because it is missing from so many aspects of society and that is something that isn’t really understood by many people who don’t have a disability, or support someone with a disability. It is incredibly moving to see our dancers perform and then hear the wonderful feedback from audience members about how their opinions about disability have been changed.
This year’s performances of Lit aDrift are the perfect example of this. 80% of people who saw one of the performances said that they had a more positive or much more positive view of disabled people following the show and 100% said they would want to see more performances by performers with disabilities as a result. Feedback comments included this summary of the buzz after the show:
“Such an amazing experience, I feel privileged to have been part of the audience, comments I’m hearing all around me are: It’s great, it’s good, excellent, moving, divine, never expected that, wow, so brilliant, fantastic, marvellous, superb, well done, imaginative. So, thank you”.
There were many wonderful comments, which can all be read on our website, and several audience members went as far as to say it was their favourite show from the Fringe. The most overwhelming thing about the comments, though, was that very few of them even mentioned disability, which shows that the audiences saw past any disabilities our dancers and choreographers may, or may not, happen to have and focused on their ability and talent instead! What an amazing achievement!
I can’t put into words how proud I am to be a part of an organisation that has the power to make that kind of positive change to perceptions. We are truly playing a part in making a brighter, more inclusive society where everyone can thrive and I can’t wait to see what the future looks like!”
EDIT: November 2018 – since I first wrote this blog in September, there have been several more impressive achievements for some of our team members. Jen Blackwell was recognised with a Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award on 25th October and she was also included in the Shaw Trust Power 100 list of influential people with a disability in the UK. Becky Rich was recognised with the Lesley Finley Community Award in recognition of the contribution that she has made to the lives of people with disabilities across Lancashire.
If you want to play a part in DanceSyndrome’s future, there are lots of ways you can get involved. You can become a member, become a volunteer or make a donation to help our work to continue. You can keep up to date with all future developments at DanceSyndrome by signing up to receive our quarterly newsletter.
