London based dance company that helps schools encourage students with special needs to get involved and enjoy dance.
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Dance for Kids with Disabilities & SENs
Dance classes are great fun, great exercise, and a great way for your child to make new friends. It's wonderful, too, to watch your child express his or herself independently. From wheelchair dancing to dancing lessons for teenagers with learning difficulties, there are plenty of opportunities around - you'll find links here to get you started.
A good example is ActOne ArtsBase. They run vibrant, all-ability dance, theatre and arts projects all over Hertfordshire and the surrounding area. They make the performing arts accessible to all, regardless of disability or circumstance. A lot of dance classes for disabled kids get unique funding, so are one-offs lasting a few weeks at a time. Contact you local authority disability officer and local special needs schools to make sure you're kept in the loop and don't miss out. You may find that some local mainstream dance classes can support your child's needs.
You might also enjoy this article about disabled children and dance by Dr Melanie Peter.
Alessendre Special Needs Dance School
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Anjali Dance Company runs regular weekly classes for people with learning disabilities, which offer the opportunity to gain dance and performance skills and make new friends. The classes run in Term time only. The classes are taught by professional dance teachers and each class has a teaching assistant from Anjali's Education Team of workshop leaders with learning disabilities.
The BUILD Charity provides a wide range of opportunities ranging from youth clubs and youth activity schemes to a weekly social club (known as The Wednesday Club) as well as a range of community based activities with opportunities to take part in sport, gardening, outdoor and cultural activities as well as skills learning workshops.
Young people are introduced to technique, the works of various choreographers that Candoco has worked with and have the opportunity to make original dance works with Candoco Artists. Open to new dancers at the start of each term - no previous dance experience is necessary, come along to dance and have lots of fun. Our young dancers have performed as part of Cando2 all over the country at youth dance platforms.
Dance with A Difference ™
Dance with A Difference™ is the culmination of 12 years' research and work and lets children, mainstream or special needs, learn through music, movement and mime.
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DASH believes that Disability does not mean Inability, please look at the link for this group to see a huge variety of activities, help, advice and the chance to be part of something new. From an inclusive and adaptable Sunday youth club to team sports to days out, swimming sessions, reading and writing skills classes, line dancing, boccia the list goes on and on.
Tiger Feet run sessions for children and adults with learning disabilities, as well as an inclusive youth dance school, reaching over 300 disabled people a week. They have a number of existing classes, but also run exclusive classes for centres/schools. Their classes use music, props and lots of fun, to motivate and get dancers moving. 'Giving Everyone the Chance to Dance'.
Eye Arts Club
The Arts Club organise arts projects for children on Saturday mornings in Eye, Suffolk. They welcome children aged 7 and up, especially those with additional needs - whether physical, learning, sensory or behavioural. They aim to provide an integrated, yet supported, setting for arts activities, social interaction and fun. Activities include movement, dance, visual arts, film, animation, puppetry and maskwork.
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Link Leisure
They offer a dance group on a Thursday for teenagers 11-16 with learning disabilities with a professional dance school who come in and teach.
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Services include daytime support services, support in the home and community, social enterprises, Domiciliary Services, supported living and a social club in the evening.
PASTEL
PASTEL provides a wide range of social, educational & learning, leisure & recreational opportunities. These meaningful activities offer new experiences to develop people's independence skills and group working. Projects have included: art, dance, drama, music, shadow puppetry, ball games and sports, food hygiene and preparation, film making, digital photography, ceramics and other fun indoor and outdoor activities.
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Company of dancers with and without disabilities who believe in innovative, and technically dance. Dancers, gallery, details of their repertoire and booking information.
The Total Arts creative learning group is for young people aged 11-19 with disabilities. They offer regular Saturday workshops featuring dance, drama, music making, film production and story devising leading to productions.
Everybody Dance, with support from Brent Sports Service, has started a wheelchair dance sport club in Brent. Learn Ballroom and Latin Dance steps for wheelchair users and friends. The dance can be done with two wheelchair users or a wheelchair user and a standing partner.
