Using the combination of my participation and my awareness initiative, I have written and developed a series of specialised suggestions and documents to help inclusivity in partner dancing environments. This was developed after my experiences as a dance class and events attendee, volunteer and participant at class and events.
Why this was created
Despite many people involved being a variety of people with different backgrounds, there are can be situations when some people with hidden differences like myself can be at a disadvantage and in some cases become discouraged. Especially if there's little or no ground-level
understanding provided.
These documents are designed to enable and improve inclusive environments regardless of thespecific difficulties, strengths and any ability and capacity limitations.
The development in developing my suggestions document
So in 2019, I have written the first edition of a series of "Beyond Understanding" documents specifically for partner dancing environments.
It provides insight and information and guidelines that team members need to consider and be aware of to make sure that any individuals who live with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and social anxiety can able to maintain their presence when during classes, workshops, social dancing and social presence. In addition, there were specialised guides for salsa-related conventions & festivals such as Motion City and a guide to support volunteering for hidden differences at dancing conventions.
My initial family of documents incluldes
* Detailed suggestions guidelines
A detailed ocuments for leaders of classes and managements
* Bitesize guides
A summuary guide for teachers, assistances and selected experences dancers
* Dancing Convention guidelines
A detailed documents for events leaders, mamagement and key members
* Dancing convention volunteering guide
A detailed documents for key team memebrs and to enable support and to make resonable allowances towards volunteers of volunteers of hidden differences
The documents was published in early 2020 and some of the participants of Latinmotion and selected members of NYE fest and with Motion City during the summer months became interested to access examples of a special understanding and information document.
Despite a number of suggestions and guideline has been together these ideas are not set in stones and they are open forother possibilities and additional ideas.
Second edition
Since the first document futher issues occured which I felt though my obervations and listensing to different viewpoints. So updated suggestions of conventions and documents was published during Summer 2022 with additional information and greater insight which can support event managements and crew memebers.
Despite a number of suggestions and guideline has been together these ideas are not set in stone but the team was open for other possibilities and additional ideas
During the autumn months of the same year this document became featured online to specific awareness auidences with Anna Kennendy OBE, one of the UK's most respected awareness campigners on the autistic spectrum
In January 2024 this document was updated for the the third time. This edition became online for everyone for the first time,
You can view and download the updated version of the document online by visiting the Embrace Dancing webpage
This project is linked with
Visit the Dancing Direction index for more on my dancing related involvement, projects and developments