In May, RTDI Dance Ambassador Louise Lappin-Cook organised a performance of Jack and Friends by SLiDE at The Mendip School in Shepton Mallet. Students at The Mendip School are aged 4-19 and have a primary diagnosis of autism and speech, language and communication needs. They were joined by students from nearby Fosse Way School and made up an audience of 100 children and young people in total!
Jack and Friends is an uplifting and joyous dance show. Jack is a learning-disabled dancer with Down Syndrome and the show is made with all the things he loves such as Strictly Come Dancing and Singing in the Rain. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments and invitations to join in, with a disco at the end.
Jack has been performing with SLiDE’s community of disabled and non-disabled dancers for over 12 years. The company makes dance performances using a variety of movement styles, presented in a relaxed format and has a strong track record of reaching diverse audiences.
A relaxed format means the audience experience the show in an informal environment. People can be themselves, move around, make noises and come and go from the performance space. This makes Jack and Friends particularly suitable for neurodiverse children, young people and adults who may have autism, learning difficulties and other sensory or communication needs.
It’s not every day an exciting dance show comes to your school, and on top of that, it’s not often learning-disabled young people see themselves represented in the performing arts so this was a really special moment for many of the audience.
"It was beautiful to witness how Jack inspired these disabled children, many children copied what he was doing. When I lifted Jack, they started to lift each other immediately, which they may not often do in a school context, but this was a great way to see them connect with each other"
Jack and Friends dancer Takeshi Matsumoto
The audience were invited to write or draw their favourite bits of the performance.
“I liked the music and playing musical chairs”
“I liked it when the guy in pink danced with the disco balls”
“Amazing dancing. Incredible music”
“Funny, amazing, fun”
“I liked the dancing with Jack”
We hope the show has inspired many of the audience to “Keep Dancing!”
Maybe you know someone who was there who would like to stay involved?
RTDI has also supported Dance Ambassador Louise to launch a Youth Dance Ambassadors group.
The programme is for everyone in the Shepton area aged 10-18 - from experienced dancers to those new to movement – who share a love of creativity and community.
Find out more about how to become a Youth Dance Ambassador here.
Emerge Project Update
We are getting closer to putting in the funding bid for our new project, Emerge, and need the voices of the people of Somerset. This exciting new project is focused on the specific threats Somerset faces as a result of climate change. It asks an interesting question: can those with a passion for Somerset, the environment and the arts work together to make a difference?
Emerge is for Somerset and the people who call it their home. We invite you to join us on our Emerge Facebook page and contribute your experiences of extreme weather in Somerset, what climate change means to you, or just your thoughts about the environment and what changes you would like to see to help Somerset deal with climate change.
