Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Established in 2009, Dance Syndrome was the inspiration of founder and Creative Director, Jen Blackwell, who has Down’s syndrome and wanted to follow her dream of being a dancer and dance leader.
Jen went to mainstream school and whilst there she realised how much she loved to dance and decided that she wanted to become a community dance worker. After leaving school Jen found herself in the frustrating position of not being able to fulfil her ambition because there was no suitable dance training for a person with a learning disability. After 10 years of unsuccessfully searching for training that was appropriate and inclusive it became clear that many others were in the same situation. Something needed to change and Jen and her parents took matters into their own hands. They formed DanceSyndrome in 2009 and it was registered as a charity in 2013.
Our team strives to continue to provide new and exciting opportunities for people who may otherwise be excluded from mainstream dance. We believe that everyone has the right to follow their own interests and passions – whether they have a disability or not. We work with learning-disabled and non-disabled company members, and we provide inclusive dance and leadership opportunities for people who believe disability need not be a barrier to living life to the full. All our dance activities are led and informed by people with learning disabilities. DanceSyndrome activities give people confidence, respect, value and self-belief through our philosophy of ‘anything is possible even though you have a learning disability’.
Ithalia Johnson, an artist, leader, and coach from Liverpool, is a passionate advocate for African diaspora dance and culture. Her diverse heritage, blending African, Caribbean, and Irish roots, informs her artistic vision and community engagement efforts. Recognized as Business Female of the Year and a Clore Leadership Fellow, she has made significant contributions to the arts landscape. Central to Ithalia's work is a commitment to inclusivity and community through dance. Co-founding an award-winning dance charity, she uses movement to bridge cultural divides and promote social change. Her journey from Liverpool to international stages, including training at the Jose Limon Dance School in New York City, and a US tour with an all-female cast from the Caribbean Diaspora to celebrate Afro-Anglo Caribbean identity.
Beyond performance, Ithalia impacts education as a lecturer and advocate, addressing societal issues through dance. A qualified ADHD coach with a vision to empower others to identify their strengths and potential. Passionate about creating spaces for joy and empowerment, she continues to inspire through dance, coaching, and collaborative projects worldwide.
Aimee Williamson is a performer, dance artist and theatre maker based in Lancashire. Her work spans across ballet, contemporary, physical theatre and puppetry. She creates work for outdoor spaces using inspiration from folklore, nature and local heritage.
The work that excites her combines traditional folk dancing and modern styles of dance. She feels a strong connection to her home area and strives to bring high quality dance theatre and the warmth of folk storytelling to local family audiences.
She has an expansive career creating, performing and touring with companies such as Folkdance Remixed, BalletFolk, Handmade Theatre, LPM Dance, Wild Rumpus and Ballet Cymru.
Amaya López-Carromero is a Spanish musician based in Edinburgh, writing and performing as a solo artist under the moniker “Maud the Moth”. She is also part of the international rock band “healthyliving”.
Amaya has a classical background both as pianist and as a singer, and extensive experience performing, writing, arranging and recording both for her own artistic projects and others. She is a driven and active member of the Spanish and British underground artistic scenes who strives to connect people and organisations across social, cultural and geographical frontiers.
Amaya is also a scientist who holds a PhD in Musical Acoustics from the University of Edinburgh, and a degree in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Acoustics from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES).
Julia Griffin’s logic as an artist and academic is to open up and interrogate the boundaries of actual and potential socially constructed realities. Julia’s bodily practice engages with dance theatre, dance therapy, contemporary theatre-making specifically immersive environments, visual art and performance art practice. Julia’s creative practice is concerned with the investigation, exploration and experimentation of movement through cross art form collaborations and the interplay of 'live' performance and the juxtaposition between 'live action' and 'recorded action'. Julia Griffin’s work strives to allow a different engagement with the body and how this affords the opportunity for audiences to experience movement in a non-traditional performance space.
Katie Duxbury is a costume designer and maker with a love of all things colourful and fun. She creates the spectacular and fantastical costumes worn by Creatures Collective to reflect and celebrate the beauty of the world around us, and to bring a bit of joy and silliness! Recycling and resourcefulness are at the heart of Katie’s work, with pre-used materials being central to her inspiration and garment construction.
Katie’s costume skills have been developed through fifteen years of freelancing with theatrical wardrobe departments and dance companies across the country, including The Dukes Lancaster, LPM Dance Company, About Time Dance Company, Oldham Coliseum, The Aldwych London and Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Loz Kaye has worked extensively as a Choir Leader, Musical Director, Composer and Vocal Teacher, and is Director of Lancashire County of Song. His music has been heard in performances all the way from Nashville, Tennessee to Okinawa, Japan. He has worked with many Lancashire arts organisations notably Horse and Bamboo and More Music. Theatre music credits include Trestle Theatre, The Royal and Derngate Northampton, Dark Horse and Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough. Recent projects include large scale participatory works “The Last Rose” for Encounter Festival, and “River Runs” commissioned by Lancaster Arts, funded by Historic England.
He has taught widely, and is former leader of music programmes at GITIS Scandinavia Drama School in Aarhus, Denmark. He is a passionate advocate of the public power of song, winning multiple awards. Currently he is Musical Director of Hope Mill Community Choir and Director of Sound for Separate Doors Theatre Company.
Mike Taylor is a highly sought-after piano/vocalist, regularly performing across the North West of England. A trained jazz pianist from Leeds College of Music, Mike seamlessly blends various songs and genres, captivating audiences with his exceptional piano skills and soulful voice. With over 35 years of performance experience, he possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and delivers it to an exceptional standard.
Saltcutters are a traditional céilí band led by the esteemed Liverpudlian fiddle player Mikey Kenney and award-winning dancer Maria Malone. The band is comprised of some of the North-West's most exceptional traditional musicians and with a great wealth of experience of playing for dances.
This Saltcutters céilí will be fun for all the family and no previous experience is necessary as both Maria and the band will gently lead you through the steps and help you to find your feet before they send you off flying into an exciting whirlwind on the dance floor! Expect rapturous jigs and high-octane reels a-plenty!
Drawing inspiration from the greats of funk, soul, and blues, The Small Town Playboys have crafted a very unique sound. Mikey T's soulful vocals, combined with his virtuosity on piano and bass, serve as the heartbeat of the band, while Nick's saxophone adds a smooth, jazzy edge that'll have you moving and grooving. Kyle's guitar licks inject a fiery energy into every performance, and Carl's drumming provides the driving force that keeps audiences on their feet. Together, they create an irresistible sonic fusion that transcends genres, delivering a musical experience like no other. The Small Town Playboys are on a mission to make the world dance, one funky riff at a time.
Philippa Zawe is a Yorkshire based singer-songwriter. She is of Ugandan heritage and her songwriting is inspired by the rich stories that are told around her and that lie within her.
"Philippa has a fantastically controlled vocal style which conveys an enormous amount of feeling and meaning in every single word." (Ryan's Gig Guide, 2018) Her songs are rooted in the genre of Folk with an infusion of Soul. Her inspirations vary from the likes of Terry Callier to Joan Armatrading, Nick Drake to Laura Marling. Her music has been described as “audio self-care at its finest” (Two Story Melody, 2018).
Preston Youth Dance Company are a collective of talented, creative, young dancers aged 11 -19 years from Preston and the surrounding areas. They work as a company, developing dance technique and creating and performing innovative contemporary performance work across the region, celebrating the individuals and their collective voice.
TramShed are an inclusive theatre company based in Blackpool. What started as a small grass roots charity 17 years ago, has now grown into a well-respected, dynamic and developed organisation. Driven by the voices of our community, we break down social barriers and social exclusions in all its forms. Unequivocally inclusive, TramShed is a place where differences are always accepted and actively celebrated. Join TramShed for a celebration of inclusivity performance, through the art of Creative Sign Language
Jenny is a Lancaster-based choreographer as well as being the founder and Artistic Director of AbouTime Dance Company.
TurnAround Dance Theatre have been creating whimsical circus dance shows for family audiences since 2016. Sisters (Ellen & Grace Turner) grew up in Lancaster and have worked and performed together since being children. Their work often reflects their passions when growing up: Nature, circus, magic, singing and interacting with audiences to make lasting memories.
The Bush Rush is a group for members and fans of The Bush Rush - the Lancaster-based Kate Bush flashmob!
The first ever Bush Rush event was held on Friday 6th March 2015 in Market Square, Lancaster, as part of the Hear Me Roar festival in honour of International Women's Day.
The Bush Rush fully demand to be let in your window again sometime soon!
The Young1’z are Indepen-dance’s inclusive community youth performance group.
They meet weekly at the Pearce Institute in Govan, Glasgow, and perform at a variety of different community events and festivals.
The Young1’z are delighted to be performing at the Fleetwood Moves Festival and are really excited to share their new work Turn-Styles with the audience.
Grace is an eclectic and ambitious dancer, aerialist and performance artist who experiments with the boundaries of physicality, theatre and creativity. Grace trained professionally at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, graduating with a 1st Class Honours Degree. In 2015 Grace completed the Greentop Circus in Performance Course with a Distinction and since has been performing as an aerialist internationally including for the Engagementpreis in Berlin, in Qatar and for Wired Aerial Theatre at the Bregenzer Festspiele Haus in Austria working as an aerial stunt performer for Carmen 2018 and Rigoletto 2019.
Ellen Turner is an energetic dance artist twitching with energy. She trained at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance and began her career by joining Ludus dance Company where she gained a lot of her performance and educational facilitating experience. Shes toured work by Yael Flexer, Ben Wright, Nigel Charnock, to name a few and has gone on to work with Tmesis Theatre, La Petite Mort Theatre and Casson & Friends. She has worked alongside Gary Clarke, Elinor Randle, TC Howard, Adele Thompson, and Robert Clark. She regularly teaches for Yorkshire Dance and has set up TADT's regular Dance Around classes. She is the lead artist for InMature Dance company, a project lead by Yorkshire Dance to help combat loneliness and isolation in care home around Yorkshire and to help people who live with dementia. Ellen is also a skilled film editor.
bio to follow
bio to follow
Helen is a Co-Director of LPM Dance Company and creator of the Fleetwood Moves festival. Helen was awarded an MBE in 2024 in recognition of her services to people with Parkinson's.
Emerging out of the North West, Morph Movement is a collaboration between artists Max Ashbrook and Alice Taylor with the aim to capture the imagination and inspire. Morph Movement work with interdisciplinary techniques creating live performances containing elements from all different performative arts. Dance, live music, wrestling and more all appear in their work separating the company stylistically and creating a dynamic group of individuals.
Morph Movement is a brand new company made up of recent graduate students from Salford University. LPM is excited to bring emerging work to Fleetwood whilst supporting young artists embarking on their careers.
Copyright © 2024 LPM Dance - All Rights Reserved.
A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE: COMPANY NUMBER 8524378
Powered by GoDaddy