New Yeovil dance group awarded Small Sparks grant

A new dance group, Dance Ability, has been set up at the Spirit Gymnastics Academy in Yeovil with a Small Sparks grant from the Discovery Community Fund.
The fund allocates grants of £500-50,000 to groups for a range of activities to enable people with additional needs to live fulfilling lives in their community. It has already supported ten projects in Somerset.
The group is about expression, team working and meeting new people and it’s open to everyone. Sophia Cursons, Locality Manager with Discovery says: “It’s amazing to see people feel so comfortable, and be able to express themselves in a different and creative way.”
Watch the BBC video of the group
The Spirit Gymnastics Academy will be hosting the dance sessions and this has led to a new partnership between the academy, which provides its venue free of charge, and Discovery. Sophia Cursons says: “As a club that has the community at its heart, Spirit has always bent over backwards to provide a high quality service to all its members, but with a particular focus on giving an opportunity to young people who might otherwise miss out.”
Alastair Haigh, the Spirit Gymnastic Academy’s Managing Director says:”This approach is entirely consistent with Spirit’s ethos and values – we would much prefer that the Dance Ability classes can continue without trying to profit from them. Indeed, we are starting disability gymnastics classes soon so I hope our relationship with Discovery will continue to strengthen.”
The dance teacher, Moira Wright has an HND in Dance Movement Therapy 2003, and a Dance Ability Teachers Certificate. She teaches dance improvisation and creative movement to mixed ability groups. Moira is passionate about providing an outlet for creative expression through movement and for all dancers to have a positive experience.
Dance Ability is held at the Spirit Gymnastics Academy in Yeovil on a Thursday from 10.15am until 11.45am.