DanceSyndrome

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.

Julie had a lovely morning at Act for Action CIC today, presenting their team with certificates from the Dance Leadershi...
10/03/2026

Julie had a lovely morning at Act for Action CIC today, presenting their team with certificates from the Dance Leadership Level 1 qualification that we recently delivered with them. Congratulations everyone on this fabulous achievement! 🏆️

❗Important information for Chorley participants.Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we need to cancel the Ch...
09/03/2026

❗Important information for Chorley participants.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we need to cancel the Chorley Everybody Dance session at St George's Church Hall tomorrow (1.30pm).

We will be back as normal next week.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for yesterday! It was a fully booked session with lots of new faces - we r...
09/03/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for yesterday! It was a fully booked session with lots of new faces - we really enjoyed meeting everyone. 🕺👩‍🦼💃

We'd love to welcome more people to our regular Zoom sessions, so if you had fun dancing with us yesterday, it would be great to see you again!

This event was delivered in partnership with Down's Syndrome Association.

One of our tasters yesterday was for DSEngage Wake Up and Dance with DanceSyndrome. This weekly session is an hour of fun dance moves and great pop music! It's a great way to start your day!

DSEngage sessions are for children and adults who have Down’s syndrome to help support good physical and mental health and wellbeing.

You can find out more about both DSEngage and DanceSyndrome sessions on the links in the comments.

We hope to dance with you all again soon!

07/03/2026

Today we are reflecting on a very special two weeks hosting our friends from LAND FES in Tokyo as they return to Japan 🗾

Land Fes Artistic Director Dai Matsuoka worked with DanceSyndrome performers over a five-day intensive rehearsal process to explore inclusive choreography collaboratively as part of our ground-breaking iCreate project. 🕺👨‍🦽💃

This partnership is built on shared learning, cultural exchange, and the trust and belief that disabled people should be leading the creative conversation in and beyond the dance studio. Through iCreate, dancers with learning disabilities are producing original work, making creative decisions, and delivering performances that reflect who 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 are.

All of this work will come together in a live performance at The Lowry this November. We’d love to see you there - ticket info coming very soon! 🌟

We’ve had a thought-provoking day in Manchester, at our “Artists with Disabilities Sharing and Learning” event. We have ...
06/03/2026

We’ve had a thought-provoking day in Manchester, at our “Artists with Disabilities Sharing and Learning” event. We have talked about the challenges Artists with disabilities have faced, the events they are proud of, the dreams that they have for the future and how we as an industry can support them to make those dreams happen.

We welcomed participants from Arts Council England, LAND FES Tokyo, Stopgap Dance Company, Cheshire Dance, NYDC , Mind the Gap and, of course, our own DanceSyndrome Dance Leaders. We would like to thank the people who took the time to join us for these important conversations. Lots of questions have been asked and there is a lot to think about for all the organisations involved, as well as the wider Dance industry.

We will be sharing some of the learning over the coming weeks, including as a blog article, so please follow our channels for more updates.

05/03/2026

💃✨ Dancing Queen vibes ✨💃

When Ellie Goldstein made history on Strictly 2025, she had a huge fan cheering her our very own Helen Cherry.

A dancer since age three, model, musician and actress, Helen shines on and off the stage, combining her passion for dance with working in our finance team through DanceSyndrome🌟

For Helen, dance means strength, confidence and connection.

💬 “Dance makes me feel strong and powerful.”
Helen hopes Ellie’s journey inspires more people to rethink what’s possible.
💛 “Dance is for everyone.”
✨ Fancy joining the movement?

Let’s Dance! is happening on 8 March 2026 - a nationwide celebration to get everyone moving, meeting and feeling good.

🕺💛 Give it a whirl!

Find out more and read Helen’s story 👇🏽

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/cha-cha-charm

05/03/2026

We're thrilled to be going to at The Lowry on Saturday 14th March!

As part of our Arts Council England funded work, our DS Youth performance collective have been working in partnership with choreographer Josh Hawkins Hawk Dance Theatre and students from Dance and Performing Arts at Burnley College to create a new performance piece called "Ignition is a Conversation." We're very proud that this exciting collaboration has been chosen for the U.Dance North West regional platform.

Tickets to watch the performance are available directly from The Lowry

Over the past week, our iCreate performers have taken part in an intensive choreography residency led by Dai Matsuoka, A...
04/03/2026

Over the past week, our iCreate performers have taken part in an intensive choreography residency led by Dai Matsuoka, Artistic Director of LAND FES 🌟

We focused on developing choreography for the next stage of our iCreate project by giving dancers the opportunity to develop their dance skills, strengthen their performance ability, and explore the outcome of different creative decisions. This international exchange forms part of our partnership with Land Fes in Japan, which places disabled artists at the centre of professional choreography development.

We are incredibly grateful to Dai for his leadership and insight throughout this week, and to the funders who have supported the partnership: Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Kiss Port Foundation in Minato City, & The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. .

03/03/2026

DS Youth Collective had an exciting day at The Lowry for North West regional platform, delivered by Sadler's Wells. 11 dancers took part in a day filled with workshops, reflections, rehearsals and performing their piece “Gender”. It was a wonderful experience and the group thoroughly enjoyed working with Thick & Tight choreography toolkit.

DS Youth will be performing their piece ‘Gender’ at EXPRESS ‘26 in June, get your tickets now!

https://blackburnempire.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173665131








02/03/2026

Dance is not about perfection or performance.

Dance is expression. It’s about sharing the enjoyment of moving with other people. Inclusive dance can play a powerful role in reducing loneliness, helping people feel welcomed, valued, included, and part of something bigger 🌟

Video description: Text on screen reads “Dancing has to be perfect,” “Dancing is about skill,” and “Dance is about standing out,” with each sentence crossed out in red. The final line appears in shiny green with green arrows: “Dancing is about being together.” The video then shows happy clips of people dancing, smiling, moving freely inside a large interior space.

On Sunday 8th March, discover the physical & mental benefits of dancing! Join DanceSyndrome and the Down's Syndrome Asso...
01/03/2026

On Sunday 8th March, discover the physical & mental benefits of dancing!

Join DanceSyndrome and the Down's Syndrome Association's DSEngage for a FREE online taster session & try out our unique approach to inclusive dance, co-delivered by people with learning disabilities.

Join us: https://bit.ly/DS-Lets-Dance

✨️👩‍🦼 Dance is more than movement. ✨️💃 It is about finding connection, building confidence, and feeling part of somethin...
27/02/2026

✨️👩‍🦼 Dance is more than movement. ✨️💃

It is about finding connection, building confidence, and feeling part of something. Inclusive dance brings people together, helping to reduce loneliness and strengthen a sense of belonging.

Everyone can take part, express themselves freely, and feel seen and heard - both in sessions and in everyday life!

Image 1: Close-up of two dancers’ hands reaching toward each other in a bright dance studio. Text on image reads: “Dance Is More Than Movement. It is one of the most powerful ways people relate to one another. Inclusive dance practice allows every voice to be heard, so everyone feels recognised and valued even after the music stops.”

Image 2: Two dancers wearing purple DanceSyndrome t-shirts move with arms extended toward each other in a dance studio. Text on image reads: “Dance for your friends. Dance for your family. Dance for yourself.”

Image 3: Two dancers stand back-to-back with arms open in a light-filled dance studio. Both wear purple DanceSyndrome t-shirts. Text on image reads: “We all experience loneliness sometimes. People with learning disabilities are four times more likely to be isolated. At DanceSyndrome, we bring people into a shared space to enjoy the moments of connection. When we move together be become part of something special that is bigger than ourselves.”

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The Globe Centre, St James Square
Accrington
BB50RE

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+447597942494

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