DanceSyndrome

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DanceSyndrome

DanceSyndrome is an inclusive dance charity based in Lancashire with a focus on including everybody.

DanceSyndrome is an innovative North West based inclusive dance charity, led by people with learning disabilities. Established in 2009, DanceSyndrome is the inspiration of founder and Director, Jen Blackwell, an aspiring community dance leader, who happens to have Down’s syndrome. DanceSyndrome believes that everyone has the right to follow their own interests and passions – regardless of whether they have a disability or not; and exists to support Jen, and other dancers like her, who are learning disabled and want to lead and inspire others to share their love of dance through inclusive community workshops, dance leader training and performances.

25/03/2026

The DanceSyndrome Team would like to say a huge "thank you" to DanceSyndrome Spokesperson and Ambassador Becky Rich for her recent fundraising efforts.

Becky designed and carried out a "Trisomy 21 Triathlon" to raise money and awareness about the importance of inclusive activities for people with Down's syndrome and other learning disabilities, in line with the theme . She completed her activities on World Down Syndrome Day on Saturday and we celebrated at our Station Takeover at Manchester Piccadilly.

Becky has raised over £1,600 to support our work with this personal challenge, a huge achievement! Congratulations Becky! 🥳

24/03/2026

DanceSyndrome is proud to have been working in partnership with University of Manchester to consider the impact of Access to Dance for Autistic Adults. John, Sarah and Julie all took part in consultations and John was also featured in the short films that were created as a product of the project. This research is being shared online this week for those who are interested.

More details below:

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝟮𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝟳𝗽𝗺:
If you are autistic, a social prescribing link worker, dance teacher, or generally interested in the topic, please join us!

122 autistic adults took part in a survey about dance and 26 people took part in interviews. People danced for fun, to socialise, express themselves, emotional regulation, as a stim, as mindfulness… Some enjoyed learning routines, and the repetition of practice. Some said it helped with alexithymia.

Join online on 26 March, 7pm to 8pm UK time, to find out more and see the short films created with Sophie Broadgate (Pikaia Films). Free online event, register here: https://forms.office.com/e/WhpHBRNyb6

If you are autistic, see if the findings resonate with you, and get ideas for adjustments to suggest to link workers and dance teachers, or ideas for dancing at home. If you are a social prescribing link worker or a dance teacher you could learn simple ways to make your practice more accessible for autistic adults.

Come along to watch some amazing autistic dancers share their joy, share some of the challenges they experience, and their suggestions for making dance more inclusive. You can view our short film trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OGcmYHq_KY

24/03/2026

Thank you! We did it! With your support we raised £4,500 during the Big Give match week, which has been matched to give a total of £𝟵,𝟬𝟬𝟬 for 𝙞𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚. We are so grateful to every donor, partner and supporter who helped to make this happen.

Want to see the results live in person? Tickets for “Origin” at The Lowry will be on sale soon. Keep following our social media for ticket information! This show is not to be missed!

23/03/2026

Our Big Give campaign closes tomorrow. We are making great progress with a total of £6,540 so far! Can you help us to reach £9,000 in just one week?

Please share & give what you can. Donations received before before 12pm on Tuesday 24th March will be DOUBLED by Big Give to support 𝙞𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚, DanceSyndrome’s pioneering project which is helping our dancers with learning disabilities to develop as Artists and deliver a fully accessible, professional show at The Lowry, Salford.

You can support us on the link in the comments.

23/03/2026

Just a reminder for our participants, everyone should have had a letter to let them know that we're taking a break for Easter from Sunday 29th March - Sunday 12th April (inclusive).

Our full programme of sessions will return from Monday 13th April.

22/03/2026

At the end of Down's Syndrome Awareness Week, we want to thank everyone who has supported our work this week, whether that is through donations, sharing our posts, chatting to us in the community or dancing in one of our workshops. We have truly all come 💙

If you would still like to support our work, we are trying to raise £9,000 in just one week, to enable us to make our 𝙞𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 performance at The Lowry in November fully accessible. There are lots of costs associated with meeting the needs of people with a range of different disabilities, but it's vital if we are all to genuinely come together and include 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚. For one week only, all donations are match funded through The Big Give campaign, so it's a great time to support our work. The link to donate is in the comments.

22/03/2026

This week as part of Week, we've been talking about coming . One of the ways we do this is by delivering workshops and training for other organisations to learn more about creating truly inclusive spaces were everyone feels welcome and included.

This film is about Inclusion in Action – our workshops that show how small changes can make a big difference in genuinely bringing people together and creating psychological safety for everyone.

If your business would like to learn more about Inclusion in Action, visit our website: https://dancesyndrome.co.uk/inclusion-workshops/

Thank you so much to our partners at Foundation of Nursing Studies for supporting this project.

22/03/2026

Witness the power of what happens when our community groups come together in our EXPRESS ’26 performance this summer!

📆 Thursday 11th June at 7:30pm
📍 Blackburn Empire Theatre

In a week all about being , EXPRESS ’26 shows us what can happen when people, with and without disabilities, are given the opportunity to come together and perform side by side.

Tickets available now: https://blackburnempire.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173665131

21/03/2026

Earlier today, DanceSyndrome took over Manchester Piccadilly Station! 🚉💃

As part of Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week ( ), our dancers turned a busy station into a space of performance! This video shows us what inclusion can look like right in the middle of everyday life. With your support we can continue to create more opportunities like this ✨

Thank you to everyone who donated or stopped to watch our dancers, we’re incredibly grateful for your support. And a special thank you to the Norway cheer team - we wish you all the luck this weekend for the National Cheer & Dance Championship with UKCA - United Kingdom Cheerleading Association!

21/03/2026

UPDATE

Today is the halfway point of our Big Give campaign. We’re now at £4,620 towards our target of £9,000!

Huge thanks to everyone who’s supported our work so far. For one week only, all donations are doubled, so your donation has twice the impact!

This week, for Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week, we have been talking about working . Access and adaptations are what makes theatre inclusive for 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚, without excluding anyone because of their different needs.

It costs a significant amount to make a production genuinely accessible, but it is necessary provision so that we remain inclusive. We want our event at The Lowry in November to be accessible for everyone.

If you would like to help us to reach our target, please visit this link before 12pm on Tuesday 24th March to have your donation doubled: https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS00000BN9ibYAD

21/03/2026

It's ! 🥳 Happy to all our supporters!

Let's come today and celebrate the wonderful people with Down's syndrome in our communities.

We'll be dancing at Manchester Piccadilly Station today (10:30am - 1pm) if you want to pop in, say hello and join in 💃👩‍🦼🕺

If you can't join us, give us a like/share on social media to help us to share our work and demonstrate the amazing things people with Down's syndrome and other learning disabilities can achieve when we all become more inclusive.

🧦 Are you celebrating by wearing your odd socks today? Drop us a comment to share your odd socks pics and well wishes 💜💙

20/03/2026

Disabled people and people with learning disabilities are far more likely to experience loneliness. That makes this year’s Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week theme, Together Against Loneliness, especially relevant.

Jessica Reid, one of our Dance Leaders, reflects on how dance and friendship can help people feel more connected and less alone. Her words are a reminder that leading with inclusion, both inside and beyond the dance space, can make a real difference to the people around us.

Statistics shown in the video from the Office for National Statistics and Mencap highlight the scale and impact of loneliness for disabled people and people with learning disabilities.

Video description: A vertical video of Jessica Reid speaking indoors. Jessica answers questions about loneliness and the role dance can play in helping people feel less alone. Throughout the reel, on-screen text highlights questions which she answers reflectively. At the beginning and ending of the video, statistics from the Office for National Statistics and Mencap about the impact of loneliness on disabled people and people with learning disabilities. The overall message focuses on friendship and inclusion, and how we can help people feel more connected and supported.

Address

The Globe Centre, St James Square
Accrington
BB50RE

Telephone

+447597942494

Website

http://www.dancesyndrome.co.uk/

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