icandance: a community where anyone can dance
John Lyon’s Charity prides itself on supporting organisations that provide opportunities for children and young people with special needs and disabilities to have the same experiences as their peers. Any person should be able to have the same experience as another and a prime example of this is the creative, inspiring and inclusive charity – icandance.
icandance was founded by Juliet Diener who had the vision to celebrate children and young people with disabilities and help find opportunities for them to thrive, particularly through dance. Juliet is a Dance Movement Psychotherapist, experienced clinical supervisor, trained specialist teacher, ballet teacher and inclusive dance specialist. It was through Juliet’s many years of dance training that she identified dance as a tool to be able to explore one’s body. She started to use this tool to work with children and young people with disabilities or mental health issues and their families on a one-to-one basis.
Coming from a dance background, Juliet quickly identified the need to be able to offer disabled children, young people and their families a creative, therapeutic community which considers the needs of the family. There are very few accessible organisations and resources that offer this type of support to young people with additional needs; Juliet knew it was vital to bridge the gap, which was a key motivator to establish the charity ‘icandance’ officially in 2010.
The charity’s name ‘icandance’ was chosen to inspire and remind anyone doubting themselves that they can do anything regardless of disability. Its work focuses not only on the needs of the children and young people but also their families, creating a community which makes no one want to leave. This inclusive charity has been so successful that past participants come back to volunteer, continuing to thrive in a place where they are accepted for who they are and not defined or judged by their disability. With the support of John Lyon’s Charity, icandance has grown exponentially and as a result, created a family community for hundreds of disabled young children.
icandance originally began as a Saturday provision for children and young people with disabilities and mental health needs. Now, due to its growing popularity and need for its service, the charity has evolved into a dance company that offers a plethora of therapeutic support, including individual Dance Movement Psychotherapy sessions at schools and in various settings for those with disabilities and their families. These sessions offer individuals, siblings and parent’s opportunities to explore the challenges of living with a disability in a creative, embodied way. Sessions are led by skilled practitioners working towards developing a creative, therapeutic relationship to support wellbeing.
Juliet Diener, Founder of icandance said “The beauty of dance is that it’s accessible. Anyone can dance! It allows young people to express themselves who perhaps don’t have language to be able to relate, explore relationships, move and create, allowing them to have a voice through movement. That’s the beauty of it.”
Juliet integrates her expertise to create, lead and research inclusive communities and is currently pursuing Doctorate study focused on icandance’s approach. She is an unstoppable force, which is what drew John Lyon’s Charity to find out more and understand how its funding can support the charity.
John Lyon’s Charity has supported icandance’s mission since 2011 and this funding commitment was key in the growth of the organisation. The vital impact icandance was having on children and young people with disabilities and their families enabled the Charity to start supporting the organisation with a small grant in 2011, quickly evolving to a larger and multi-year grants since then; the Charity has awarded icandance £153,000 to date.
Juliet continues: “John Lyon’s Charity has been part of icandance’s ecosystem for years. We are true partners in this entire process. What’s really important for me is having a Funder who is walking the journey with icandance as we evolve, change and shape our community. John Lyon’s Charity has been instrumental to the growth of icandance through always supporting, valuing and applauding everything we do.”
John Lyon’s Charity has also undertaken research to understand best practice for working with disabled young people and introduced next steps for the sector from the perspectives of Arts organisations, special schools, funders, music hubs and services. More will be revealed on this in 2024 but if you would like to find out about how this research began, then please take a look at the Charity’s Perspectives Report, Change of Perspectives Report and Stand up for SEND Report to find out more.