Our incredible company of 13 children and young people dedicated themselves to developing their dance and performance skills through weekly rehearsals, culminating in our powerful piece, Who We Are. This performance explores themes of self-identity and discovery, inspired by professional choreographer Kloe Dean, who worked with us as part of the Making Moves team at Sadler’s Wells.

Each dancer, supported by adults who know them well, chose a word that best represents their personality. These words —Resilient, Kind, Caring, Powerful, Inquisitive, Curious, Independent, Joyful, Spontaneous, Bubbly, Clever, Prankster, and Confident —not only shaped our creative process but were also proudly displayed on the front of our dancers’ costumes, with their names on the back.

We set out to create something inspiring and uplifting, and we truly achieved that! On Tuesday, February 11th, we travelled to Sadler’s Wells (Angel) for an unforgettable day filled with dance and performance. The team at Sadler’s Wells went above and beyond to accommodate the additional needs of our children and young people, providing us with a dedicated rehearsal space, a quiet space, and extra technical rehearsal time. Our dancers carried themselves with professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the day , embracing the incredible opportunity to perform at the Lilian Baylis Theatre.

The audience, made up of Making Moves staff, fellow young performers from other dance schools and colleges, professional choreographers, practitioners, and proud parents, were deeply moved by our performance.

Our piece began with a heartfelt video dedicated to the loving memory of Noel Phillips, followed by each dancer introducing themselves and sharing their chosen word using their preferred communication method—whether voice, AAC, or text. From there, we launched into our movement piece, and by the end, there weren’t many dry eyes in the house! Tears of pride and joy filled the room as our dancers inspired everyone present.

The feedback has been nothing short of beautiful. One student from another performance group shared: "Miss, it was just their confidence to be who they wanted to be and to love being on stage. It’s about the joy! They made me dance with so much more joy, focus, and happiness—they were inspirational." The students from this performance group are so keen to work with our dancers, they will be coming to do a day of workshops for us in the near future.

We couldn’t be prouder of our dancers and everything they have accomplished. This experience has been truly magical, and we are so grateful to have been part of it! Watch this space for our next performance. This is just the beginning!