Wigan inclusive dance charity heading back to Fringe

DanceSyndrome, which hosts dance classes for people with disabilities, is heading to Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the second year running.

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The charity was founded in 2009 by dancer Jen Blackwell, who herself has Down’s Syndrome and was keen to prove that the condition wasn’t an obstacle to fulfilling her and other people’s ambitions.

It provides dance workshops and leadership training for people with and without disabilities across the borough and the North West as a whole.

The dancers, who meet at The Rose Club in Hindley (formerly the Monaco Ballroom), also perform live at special events across the country with the aim of demonstrating that people with disabilities can live their own lives and empowering individuals.

Dancers for the charity are now looking for support from Wigan residents to help them fund the trip and will be carrying out a variety of charitabale activities in order to pay expenses for the journey to Scotland which will take place in August.

Managing director Dawn Vickers said: “We have been overwhelmed by the success of our 2017 Fringe Festival performance and we are so proud of what our dancers have achieved!

“We are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of returning to Edinburgh this year and we are really inspired by the ambition and determination of our dancers to raise the money to make this a reality.

“I really hope that local people and business will get behind their appeals and help them to follow their dreams.”

Dance Leader Becky Rich, who also has Down’s syndrome, is looking forward to connecting with audiences on a larger platform.

Speaking about last year’s event, Becky said “We were very touched by the positive response that we received when handing out our flyers on the Royal Mile to promote our show.

“Also we had fantastic audiences on both days which made it really special for us as performers and we think we really connected with the audiences in a special way. We all had a very special and fun time.”

To support the Edinburgh trip visit www.justgiving.com/dance-syndrome or to get involved with any fund-raising call DanceSyndrome on 07597 942494.