c/o Pathways Associates
Suite 2, Waterside
St James Court West
Accrington
BB5 1NA
Contact: Julie Nicholson
Email: info@dancesyndrome.co.uk
ABOUT US
DanceSyndrome is an inclusive award-winning North-West dance charity led by dancers with learning disabilities.
DanceSyndrome believes that everybody belongs and that people with learning disabilities have skills and assets which can contribute to and inspire an equitable civil society.
DanceSyndrome was created in response to the determination of Jen Blackwell, a dancer with Down’s Syndrome who wanted to share her passion for dance and get the world dancing.
She wanted to engage with other dancers, to lead workshops, to choreograph and deliver performances and inspire others to believe in themselves. Supported by her parents Jen spent 10 lonely years searching for opportunities to train to become the community dance worker she sought to be.
Established in 2009 as a limited company, DanceSyndrome became a charity in 2013. Under the current Managing Director, the charity has experienced an exponential increase in demand both regionally and nationally. Using dance as a vehicle for positive change, our vision is to empower learning-disabled individuals through inclusive dance.
All activity is led by a Dance Leader with learning disabilities supported by a professionally trained Dance Artist. Using a co-production model, DanceSyndrome delivers weekly community workshops and training for the core company. On demand the dancers regularly engage in performances, training, university seminars, conferences and we are developing and piloting a social replication model.