A company which empowers people with learning disabilities to establish themselves as dance artists is to move in October 2023 from its home in Banbury, Oxfordshire to Derby.
Anjali Dance Company will become artists in residence at Déda, the creative centre for dance, contemporary circus and outdoor performance, in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter.
Director Alex Henwood said, “Anjali are excited about starting a new collaboration with Déda who are known for their exceptional dance programmes and wide-reaching audience engagement.
“We have five very talented professional dancers in the company, so the move will add to our ambitious artistic plans to upscale our work and increase access for other talented individuals with learning disabilities to engage with our company.”
Established in 1995, Anjali has “helped to change perceptions of the creative and artistic potential of people with learning disabilities in the UK and beyond”. It performs original work “in collaboration with world-class choreographers, with high production values and tours in the UK as well as internationally”.
More than half of the members of the leadership team identify as having a disability, neurodivergent or having first-hand experience of disability within their immediate families.
Anjali is currently on the road delivering outreach work in Swindon, Banbury, Worcester, Leicester, High Wycombe and Birmingham. Workshops are led by people with learning disabilities, with support from practitioners.
The company will be taking its Young Anjali summer school to Leicester’s Attenborough Arts Centre and the University of Worcester in August for six days of inclusive dance technique, fitness, creative sessions and choreography suitable for people with learning disabilities and associated conditions.