Dancer in a wheelchair reaching out and smile as someone else on their knees passes her a scrunched up length of fabric

Rise & Shine

Northern Ballet’s new inclusive dance project.

Rise & Shine is a pilot project to develop inclusive dance in three schools in Yorkshire. Beginning in September 2023, weekly sessions will encourage and support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to progress their movement skills and creativity, with a focus on self-expression.

A wheelchair user joining in as an instructor shows a dance move with her arms.
A person in a wheelchair looks on and enjoys the music played live on guitar while other people in the room look on and clap in time with the music

Led by Northern Ballet Community Dance Artists alongside artists with lived experience of disability, and specialist Music Therapists, the project will culminate in the opportunity for the children to perform as part of Expressions, Northern Ballet’s annual inclusive dance festival - the only event of its kind in Leeds.

We are delighted to be working with Dr Louise McDowall who will be conducting research alongside the project, allowing us to understand and demonstrate the impact for participants and school staff.

Rise and Shine is supported by
Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Header photo by Ant Robling, workshop photos by Gavin Joynt Photography.

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A woman wearing a black top dances with a boy in a wheelchair wearing a blue school uniform, musicians can be seen playing in the background

Introducing Rise & Shine

Supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Rise & Shine is a health and wellbeing project for pupils in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools.
Read more