Tickets are now available for the public performances of DanceSyndrome’s new “Orbit” tour.
The project is a new approach for DanceSyndrome, allowing the dance company to develop some extremely creative new dance pieces. The team are working with respected choreographer Aya Kobayashi to create a company piece and inclusive practitioner Rachel Liggitt who will offer artistic mentoring to creatively weave the work together and develop workshop content to be delivered in the final stage of the project. Creative workshops will take place in each of the performance venues, enabling local people to join in with the dancing and influence the content of the live shows, which will combine group performances, duets and solo pieces.
The public workshops and performances will take place as follows:
Friday 18th November, 5:30pm – Plungington Community Centre Workshop
Friday 18th November, 7:30pm – Plungington Community Centre Performance
Monday 23rd January, 7pm – The Met Arts Centre, Bury Performance
Friday 3rd February, 7pm – St Helens Library Performance
Please click on the dates above for more information about tickets for each event.
If you would like more information about Orbit, please contact the DanceSyndrome team via email at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk. More information about the project will be added to the website soon.
DanceSyndrome would like to thank Arts Council England for supporting this exciting new project!
Peter is a volunteer Dance Leader with DanceSyndrome and has recently taken on an administration role too, helping with our social media, collating research data and helping around the office. He has been heavily involved with DanceSyndrome since the very early days and he tries to join in with all aspects of our work, so we thought he was the perfect person to write a regular blog for DanceSyndrome! You can find out more about Peter in his case study https://dancesyndrome.co.uk/peters-story/
Here is Peter’s first blog:
21st September 2016
I travelled down to Preston and then walked down to Plungington Community Centre to practice a piece of work for two events with DanceSyndrome in Blackpool and Preston. The event in Blackpool was for the EVA awards for women in business and the other event is a music and dance at Bartle Hall in Preston. So for the performance in Blackpool I will be doing the duet with Sophie and for the performance in Preston I will be doing the duet with Jodie.
23rd September 2016
I travelled down to Blackpool to the Winter Gardens to performance with DanceSyndrome at the EVA awards I got to Blackpool early to have a look around the shop and I bumped into DanceSyndrome’s Christine and Pauline then I showed them where the Winter Gardens and Pizza Express was where we had tea after the run though in the space. When we did the performance it was shown live on the big screen in the ballroom and when we finished the piece we got a standing ovation and it made me feel full energy.
https://twitter.com/MelVicMakeup/status/779412019946647552
25th September 2016
I travelled down to Preston then got a coffee so I was focused then Sue picked me up from the train station where we travelled down to Bartle Hall to perform at our music and dance event where we meet Debbie Lye from the Spirit of 2012 and Hannah Payton from the Special Olympics.
Peter (third from left) and the DanceSyndrome Dance Leader team at the Music and Dance Festival at Bartle Hall.
Join Peter next month to find out about DanceSyndrome’s activities in October!
DanceSyndrome is pleased to announce that we have been given funding from Natwest’s Skills and Opportunities Fund to enable us to deliver our flagship dance leadership training course in Preston.
NatWest has provided DanceSyndrome with a grant of £5,780 to cover the core costs of running our Dance By Example training course, which will take place at Plungington Community Centre in Preston on Tuesday afternoons, starting in October.
Dance by Example is DanceSyndrome’s unique training course which enables people with and without learning disabilities to gain the skills and confidence needed to co-deliver dance workshops and take the role of Dance Leader. Over 20 weeks learners will explore the skills needed to co-deliver community dance workshops including leadership, communication, delivering dance activities, health and safety and working with participants with varying needs. At the end of the course, participants will receive a Level 1 qualification.
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Dawn Vickers said “Dance By Example is a totally unique training course that DanceSyndrome have been running since 2014. It has been really successful and we have trained some really talented dancers who could not find suitable training anywhere else. It has been truly life changing for the participants, especially when they were chosen as winners of the Sporting Chance Award at The National Learning Disability and Autism Awards in July.
“We are thrilled that NatWest have chosen to support us through this grant because it means that we can continue to enable people to follow their dreams and pursue a career in dance, providing opportunities that would not be available otherwise.”
NatWest is committed to supporting communities in a variety ways beyond traditional banking. The bank’s Skills and Opportunities Fund will distribute grants totalling £2.5 million this year. Grants of up to £35,000 will be awarded to local charities, not-for-profit organisations and state-funded education bodies across the UK and Ireland that support people in disadvantaged communities to learn new skills, get into the world of work or set up their own business.
Heather Waters, Regional Enterprise Manager at NatWest, said: “Dance Syndrome is a delivering a unique and inspiring programme of dance and fitness activities. It’s great to see how the charity is positively impacting the East Lancashire community and empowering users to be their best. We are delighted to support Dance Syndrome with this grant (through the Skills and Opportunities Fund) and look forward to working with the charity in the future.”
DanceSyndrome has received a significant boost to our funding after being chosen to receive a grant worth almost £200,000 from major UK funding body Spirit of 2012!
Spirit of 2012 is an independent trust, established with a £47m endowment from the Big Lottery Fund. They fund projects that empower people to get out, be involved and feel better, working with partners that provide opportunities in sports, physical activity, arts and culture, volunteering and social action. Spirit has awarded over £650,000 from the Spirit of Achievement Arts and Culture Challenge Fund to three separate projects. All three of this year’s projects focus on inspiring disabled and non-disabled people through music and dance.
DanceSyndrome applied to Spirit to request funding to enable them to continue to provide inclusive dance workshops and leadership training, enabling people with and without disabilities to come together to enjoy dance sessions that cater for people of all ages and abilities. They hope to expand on their current provision and engage with even more people to show how much fun inclusive dance can be and how good it is for people’s wellbeing. DanceSyndrome also want to reach out to more people through live performance and share the message that we should all focus on ability rather than disability and challenge existing perceptions about people with disabilities.
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Dawn Vickers said “Receiving this funding from Spirit of 2012 is a huge boost for DanceSyndrome! It means that we can reach out to even more people and show them not only that dance is a powerful tool for building confidence, life skills and happiness, but also that everyone can be involved in all activities in our society, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.”
Spirit of 2012 Chief Executive, Debbie Lye, explained: “This year’s challenge fund focuses on inspiring people through music and dance, and all three of these projects got us very excited about the innovative ways they will be doing exactly that. Dance Syndrome is an excellent example of user-led inclusive arts development.”
If you would like more information about any of the work that DanceSyndrome does, please contact the team via email at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk.
More information about Spirit of 2012 can be found at http://www.spiritof2012trust.org.uk/
DanceSyndrome was recognised at a national level this week when our Dancer Leader team was announced as the winner of the Sporting Chance Award at the National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards.
The awards, which took place on Thursday 14th July 2016 at the ICC, Birmingham, exist to celebrate excellence in the support for people with learning disabilities and aim to pay tribute to those individuals or organisations who excel in providing quality provision.
The Dance Leaders were nominated for the Sporting Chance Award and were interviewed by the judging panel in May. The award was designed to celebrate a person or team who have worked creatively to develop sporting activities in which people with learning disabilities and/or autism can participate and enjoy. Sport is an area where people with disabilities can be visible achievers and winners, and participation in sport or physical activities can improve people’s health and wellbeing. DanceSyndrome actively promotes the importance of improving physical and personal wellbeing and with their inclusive approach to dance they challenge perceptions and emphasise ability rather than disability.
The Dance Leaders were thrilled to attend the Awards night which was hosted by Christopher Biggins. A total of 16 awards were presented on the night, to people working in all areas of care and support for people with learning disabilities and autism, from frontline staff such as care workers and care managers to people who have made an impact in other ways such as training and innovation. The team was absolutely thrilled when they were announced as the winners of their award!
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Dawn Vickers said “We are so proud of our Dance Leaders! They are such a hard working, dedicated group of people who have a real passion for dance. The fact that many of them have overcome difficulties to achieve their ambitions of becoming Dance Leaders is truly inspiring and we hope that people will see them dancing and be inspired to follow their own dreams, whether that is in dance or other areas.”
The Dance Leader team is comprised of 13 individuals from Lancashire and Greater Manchester, Sophie Tickle from St Helen’s, Jen Blackwell, David Corr, Jonathan Rodman and Donna Harrison from Chorley, Sue Chadwick from Rishton, David Darcy, Becky Rich and Jodie Turner from Preston, Peter Pamplett from Salford, Elizabeth Boothby from Oldham, John Hendrickson from Sale, Helen Shepherd from Blackburn and Dorothy Shepherd from Darwen. Well done to all team members! We are incredibly proud of all you have achieved!
If you would like to join our award winning Dance Leader team you can enrol on our upcoming Dance By Example training course (click here). If you would like more information please contact the DanceSyndrome team at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk
You can read more about the Learning Disability and Autism Awards 2016 in this brilliant blog by organisers Turning Point.
Turn your passion for dance into a career with our exclusive dance leadership training!
Dance by Example is a unique training course to enable people with learning disabilities to gain the skills and confidence needed to co-deliver dance workshops and take the role of Dance Leader.
The training is also aimed at people who want to support Dance Leaders with learning disabilities.
The course is suitable for learners starting out on their dance journey or learners with some dance experience.
Over 20 weeks (40 hours) learners will explore the skills needed to co-deliver community dance workshops. These include:
- leadership
- communication
- delivering dance activities
- health and safety
- working with participants with varying needs
Visit our Case Studies page to find out how participating in Dance By Example has been life changing for some of our Dance Leaders!
The next course will take place at Plungington Community Centre, Preston on Tuesdays at 1pm – 3pm. The dates for the course are as follows:
Induction Session – October 4th
Course starts – October 18th
If you would like more information about Dance By Example you can download a leaflet or email the DanceSyndrome team at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk
If you would like to apply for a place, you can download the Dance By Example application form and easy read guidance notes. Please get in touch via info@dancesysndrome.co.uk if you have any queries about the application process.
DanceSyndrome is very excited to announce that Arts Council England have chosen to support the charity’s new project entitled “Orbit”.
The project is a new approach for DanceSyndrome, allowing the dance company to develop some extremely creative new dance pieces. The project will start with a piece of improvised dance based around the “Another Place” sculptures by Antony Gormley installed at Crosby beach. The improvisation will be filmed and used as a backdrop for a series of live performances in venues in Lancashire and Greater Manchester. DanceSyndrome will develop some of the content for these performances at creative workshops in those venues, enabling local people to join in with the dancing and influence the content of the live shows, which will combine group performances, duets and solo pieces.
The project is enabling DanceSyndrome to work with respected choreographer Aya Kobayashi who will work with the company over four days to create a company piece and inclusive practitioner Rachel Liggitt who will offer artistic mentoring to creatively weave the work together and develop workshop content to be delivered in the final stage of the project.
The workshops and performances will take place as follows:
18th November – Plungington Community Centre
December (Date TBC) – St Helens Library
December (Date TBC) – Cardinal Newman College (for college students only)
16 & 17th January – Workshops at The Met, Bury
23rd January – Performance at The Met, Bury
25th January – University of Central Lancashire
If you would like more information about Orbit, please contact the DanceSyndrome team via email at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk. More information about the project will be added to the website soon.
DanceSyndrome would like to thank Arts Council England for supporting this exciting new project!
Craig Hartley is selling a book of his poems to raise money for DanceSyndrome (more details available here) and this inspired us to think about the many ways that dance inspires art. We thought a competition would be a great way to bring together a collection of dance inspired art.
We want you to tell us about what dance means to you. Tell us how dance makes you feel, what’s special about dance for you, what makes you want to dance? If someone had never danced before how would you describe dance to them? You can write a poem or a short story, write and sing a song, draw or paint a picture, make a collage, take photos or make a short video. Get as creative as you like, we can’t wait to see what you come up with.
The entry fee is £1.50 per person and there are great prizes to be won for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, plus something special for everyone who enters. We’ll announce the winners at our Music and Dance Festival at Bartle Hall on Sunday 25th September.
If you want to enter please make your donation and download a copy of our entry form (using the “Buy Now” button below), then send it with your entry to info@dancesyndrome.co.uk or send it by post to DanceSyndrome, C/O Pathways Associates, Suite 2, Waterside, St James Court West, Accrington BB5 1NA
The proceeds from competition entries will enable DanceSyndrome to deliver more workshops in the community and continue to inspire people to follow their dreams.
If you need any help, please get in touch with the DanceSyndrome team at info@dancesyndrome.co.uk
Thank you for your support.
DanceSyndrome supporter Craig Hartley has kindly donated 8 of his best poems to be used in a book with proceeds being donated to DanceSyndrome’s fundraising appeal.
Speaking about his poetry, Craig said “Having Down syndrome, I’ve always experienced an internal struggle with the things I’ve had to face in life. I decided to call this collection of my poems Reach For Perfection because I believe strongly that we can all overcome our struggles and reach for our own perfection in our own way.”
DanceSyndrome has a very similar philosophy. The charity was the inspiration of founder, Jen Blackwell, who also has Down syndrome and wanted to follow her dream of being a dancer and dance leader. Jen had a firm belief that ‘anything is possible even though you have a learning disability’. DanceSyndrome was established in 2009 and that concept is the foundation for everything that it does.
You can download a copy of Craig’s 12 page book for just £1.50 using the “Buy now” button below. The proceeds from sales of the book will enable DanceSyndrome to deliver more workshops in the community and continue to inspire people to follow their dreams.
If Craig’s poem’s have inspired you to get creative, then our We’re Crazy About Dance Competition is just for you!
Thank you for your support.
The DanceSyndrome workshop in Chorley had a special guest appearance this week by County Councillor Steve Holgate.
Steve Holgate, who represents Chorley West on the authority, is also responsible for supporting organisations working with disabled residents across Lancashire.
Steve showed everyone his dance moves at Chorley Community Centre as part of a weekly workshop delivered by DanceSyndrome Dance Leader Jen Blackwell and Dance Artist Donna Harrison. DanceSyndrome workshops are led by trained Dance Leaders with learning disabilities, who are supported by professional Dance Artists. They are creative and fun learning opportunities for anyone who wants to improve their physical health and personal wellbeing , regardless of age or ability. No experience of dance is needed, just a positive attitude!
The workshop in Chorley is a fun, accessible and inclusive dance and fitness session for anyone who wants to get moving and have a good time.
Steve said” I want to meet as many organisations as possible from across the county who are working to support people with disabilities. DanceSyndrome is a great example of a local charity helping to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. You can feel the fun and energy in the room, it’s been a pleasure to meet everyone today and see the great work that’s going on in the community.”
Dawn Vickers, DanceSyndrome Managing Director said “We were all very excited to have Steve join in with our dance workshop today. Anybody and everybody can get involved in our dance workshops, so we hope that people will come along and see how much fun a DanceSyndrome workshop is, as well as being a great way to keep active and healthy. ”
Photograph: Steve Holgate and participants at DanceSyndrome’s weekly workshop at The Arts Partnership, Chorley Community Centre, Chorley every Tuesday 10.30am to 12 noon.
