Inclusive classes life changing, young dancers say

Youngsters in Kent have described their accessible dance classes as life changing.

This Is Us, a not-for-profit company based in Tunbridge Wells and supported by BBC Children in Need, has been offering creative movement sessions since 2016.

Robert, 10, who is autistic and has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), said the regular classes "help calm my brain" and "regulate my thoughts".

His father Barney told the BBC: "For him to have an opportunity to express himself like this and to show that creativity, how great his mind is, is a really wonderful thing. He's brilliant."

"I think one of the only reasons my schoolwork is good and I can progress with it without going completely insane, bonkers, is because of This Is Us," Robert said.

He was surprised when his father first booked him in for dance lessons.

He told the BBC: "I was like: 'Ah! What? Dad! You're the worst person in the world. I don't want to go to dance class.'

"But now look at me. I'm literally begging to go."

NHS England recommends enjoyable exercise for young people with ADHD as "a good focus for their energy".

Barney said he "couldn't be prouder" of his son.

"Robert has discovered himself with This Is Us," he added. "These are kids who don't necessarily have the opportunity to feel a lot of self-achievement and pride in themselves."

The vision for the company, which also offers outreach to SEND schools across West Kent, came from one of its directors, Jan Cockburn.

Working as a teaching assistant for disabled schoolchildren, she noticed a gap in extracurricular activities for them, such as dance, which she wanted to fill.

Hannah Rotchell, a co-director and dance teacher, told the BBC: "Our motto is 'be seen, be heard and belong'.

"We teach that down to the dancers themselves so that they can carry that onward with them outside the studio."

This Is Us said support from BBC Children in Need facilitated sessions, family days and free taster sessions in schools.

Without it, Rotchell said their work would not have had as much reach.

Devon, 18, has been going to classes for a decade.

"I wasn't a very creative or confident person, I just kept in my own bubble and didn't really interact with anyone at all," he told the BBC.

After he had difficulty expressing himself with his walking frame, he said Cockburn and Rotchell thought about getting him a dance wheelchair.

"It changed dance for me completely," he added.

"I'm now able to help those who need it like I did when I was that age - almost a force to be reckoned with."

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