DanceSyndrome was formed in 2009 with the aim of informing and empowering people through dance. The charity, founded by dancer Jen Blackwell who has Down syndrome, provides creative and fun learning opportunities for anyone who wants to improve their physical health and personal wellbeing. Spirit of 2012 have awarded £190,259 to enable their continued provision of inclusive dance workshops and leadership training. These sessions allow disabled and non-disabled people to come together and enjoy dance sessions that cater for people of all ages and abilities.
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 that dance is not only 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.”
The judges’ comments stated “DanceSyndrome is a truly inspirational and passionate business which is changing lives. They can clearly be seen going the extra mile and, with franchise aspirations, this business model could change many more lives for the future.”
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Dawn Vickers said “We are so proud to be chosen as winners of the Not-For-Profit Award! The other organisations who were nominated all do really valuable and important work, so we feel truly honoured to be chosen as the winner! It is a real privilege for DanceSyndrome to be recognised in the company of so many excellent organisations from across the county. We hope to be able to build on this success and enable even more people to join us and be inspired to follow their dreams, whether that is in dance or other areas.”
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