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dance - Synergy Dance Outreach

CorporateLiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards 2021

CorporateLiveWire Innovation and Excellence Awards 2021

CorporateLiveWire Innovation and Excellence Awards 2021

Synergy Dance Outreach are excited to announce that yesterday, we won the CorporateLiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards 2021 within the Specialist Dance School of the Year Category.

The Innovation & Excellence Awards celebrate and recognise businesses on a global level. Who have excelled in the last 12 months whilst showing that they have been able to adapt and innovate.

Judges consider whether the individual or business is providing the best product/service in their particular sector or industry. These considerations are determined by the quality, efficiency and delivery of the product/service provided. Decisions are made based on service excellence, industry recognition, employee satisfaction, marketing & branding, ethical practice and of course customer feedback.

These past 12-months have been like no other, and no one could have predicted COVID and the current state of the world. But, here at Synergy Dance® Outreach, we refused to give up. So, throughout lockdown we pivoted the business model and went online. Keeping our staff in work, and all of our service users active. This not only allowed us to reach our current customer base, but it also enabled us to go global introducing dance and yoga to an entire new audience. Making a real difference to those in need, and those feeling isolated.

Find out more about CorporateLiveWire here.

This award comes shortly after Synergy Dance received an award for National Inclusion, which you can read more about here.

National Inclusion Award – what it means to us.

Diversity and Inclusion Award

You may have seen our post earlier in the year, where we were overjoyed to announce that we had won the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Sport and Recreational Alliance annual awards ceremony sponsored by Active IQ.

Here you can see our founder Rachael Hurton speak about what the award meant to the Synergy team and how the award money will enable us to expand and continue to do great things.

“For me personally, it’s been absolutely wonderful. It’s recognition for all the hard work that we’ve done as a team this year and, as a charity, it’s recognition that we are standing for diversity and inclusion and, it’s wonderful to know that our mission is resonating with other people in the community and we’re very proud to be alongside other such wonderful candidates” – Rachael Hurton

We want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you who has continued to support us throughout lockdown and beyond. Either by attending our online Zoom classes or by signing up to our free and paid inclusive online platforms.

We hope that now restrictions are easing that you will continue to take advantage of our free online platform to exercise, stay fit and increase your overall wellbeing.

If you’re feeling adventurous, we would also love to encourage you to attend one of our in-person classes. We have a wide array of inclusive and mainstream dance and yoga lessons held at several different venues across Surrey and beyond – find out more.

In the meantime, stay safe and if you have any questions or queries please email us at; admin@synergydance.co.uk or call us on 07713 254260.

 

You can find out more about the Sport and Recreation Alliance Diversity and Inclusion Award ceremony by visiting their website here.

We’re always keen to partner, and expand so if you feel we could work together on the next big project email; rachael.swann@gmail.com 

Christmas Dance Party with Synergy Dance Outreach and Challengers

Want to keep fit and have fun?

On Saturday 12th December Synergy Dance Outreach is joining Challengers to host a one-hour long fundraising Christmas Dance Party from 11 am until 12 pm and we would love to invite everyone –  young or elderly, whatever your ability to join in, have fun, take part and help us raise vital funds during what has been an incredibly difficult year.

The suggested donation to gain entry is £10, with all funds raised going to support the incredible work of both Synergy Dance Outreach and Challengers. Donations will be split equally between the two charities. If you cannot make the event but would still like to support two amazing charities, please feel free to make a donation on this page.

Due to COVID this event will be held via Zoom, and entry will be open from 10.45 am. It will be an hour filled with fun, and easy to follow dance routines by our wonderful, talented and highly qualified instructor Erin who will provide options and moves for all abilities. What are you waiting for? Sign up today, and be part of the biggest danceathon of 2020!

Please ensure when taking part that you wear loose, comfortable clothing and have a bottle of water nearby. Due to the routines please also make sure you have enough space to move around. This is a Christmas themed Dance Party so feel free to DRESS UP!

To join in, or to donate please go here

 

Don’t forget to share with your friends, family and colleagues on social media too!

VI & SEND Classes

Send Children

There is a lot of debate around sport and Special Educational Needs children in addition to children with Visual Impairments, and oftentimes they can feel excluded, which can lead to a new range of issues such as poor mental health and even obesity.

Here at Synergy Dance Outreach, we believe that #TogetherWeCan and we run several inclusive courses in Dance and Yoga for students with Special Educational Needs and Visual Impairments. Our courses are held in and around the South East and usually take place in schools and leisure centres – our online classes have National reach and global interest.

If your child hasn’t been to a dance class before, there is no need to worry because our classes are suitable for complete beginners in addition to those who already have dance knowledge. You can also rest assured that they will be in good hands with our amazing and fully qualified dance teachers.

Dance whilst a great, fun activity also has many benefits such as:

  • Physical Fitness – individuals can get to and maintain a healthy body weight
  • Dance can improve flexibility, strength and motor skills
  • An increase in confidence and self-esteem
  • Having an outlet for creativity and imagination
  • It’s a great stress relief and can help diminish depression

Dance can also become a lifelong passion for your child into adulthood and beyond giving them a focus outside of their additional needs.

If you’d like to book onto one of our courses you can do so below –

Woking Leisure Centre – VI & SEN Teen Dance Class 11+ years

Woking Leisure Centre – VI & SEN Dance and Movement 5+ years

Additional courses will be available in due course at Guildford Spectrum, to be placed on a waiting list please contact kathryn@synergydance.co.uk

Alternatively, we also have some online classes if you and your child would like to try those first.

Junior & Teen Dance at Home for SEND Students

Audio Dance with Ren and Jennifer for Visually Impaired and Blind Students

Thank you for stopping by, we hope to see you at one of our classes soon!

Thank you for stopping by, we hope to see you at one of our classes soon!

Our latest timetable can be seen here.

 

National Lottery and Sport England Funding in Partnership with EMD UK

National Lottery Funding

Synergy Dance Outreach is an inclusive dance, yoga and fitness charity in the UK.

Our mission is to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing for people experiencing disadvantage, marginalisation and isolation, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and other disadvantaged children, young people, adults and seniors through accessible and innovative dance, fitness, yoga and singing related activities.

We believe that #TogetherWeCan and we provide activities to keep everyone moving.

Since COVID 19 we have adapted our style of delivery to target those groups who need it most, including the Special Needs and Disability Community, and those with Long Term Health Conditions. Our goal is to create an inclusive platform so that everyone can learn new skills, stay active and improve their overall physical and mental wellbeing.

We’ve been working hard to expand our online platform of classes for all and we are very excited to announce that we have been extremely fortunate to receive National Lottery funding from Sport England to take our platform National, in partnership with EMD UK.  This funding is from the Tackling Inequalities Fund which exists to help reduce the negative impact of the coronavirus and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity. The fund aims to target under-represented groups, with its main focus being on:

  • Lower socio-economic groups
  • Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities
  • Disabled people
  • People with long-term health conditions

As a result of this funding and support, Synergy Dance® is now able to expand our online delivery to create a new National platform, providing online access to dance and yoga activities so that we can reach everyone who will benefit from keeping fit and active.

#DanceAtHome and #YogaAtHome can support all families who want to keep fit -improving well-being and fitness!

We will be reaching autistic children who are struggling with isolation; people with a physical disability; the blind and visually impaired community who might be living alone, the elderly community and those with long term illness – who can enjoy our audio and seated delivery.

These classes can take place at home, in outreach centres, residential settings, care homes or virtual community cafes – whatever works for you.

Our new platform will be home to over 170 easily accessible courses that will focus on the following areas:

  • Seated Yoga for Children, Teens, Adults and Seniors
  • Seated Dance for Children, Teens, Adults and Seniors
  • Yoga for Children and Teens with Autism and Cerebral Palsy
  • Yoga and Dance for Adults with Learning Difficulties
  • Audio Dance for the Visually Impaired and Blind Community with Classes for Children, Teens and Adults
  • Audio Yoga for the Visually Impaired and Blind Community with Classes for Children, Teens, Adults and Seniors.
  • Audio Meditation for Visually Impaired and Blind Children, Teens, Adults and Seniors
  • Dance and Yoga for Mainstream Children and Adults

In the light of COVID-19 and the major decline in available resources, in addition to less access to socioeconomic resources and supportive networks – obesity, isolation and poor mental health are on the rise.

It is proven that daily exercise and the calming effects of yoga can help reduce the effects of poor mental health, stress and anxiety. Our fully inclusive and cutting-edge provision of dance and yoga will contribute to improving both physical and mental well-being.

We believe that with the introduction of our National platform, we can help improve fitness, reduce obesity, decrease isolation and increase well-being and activity levels.

Because together we can achieve anything.

To be the first to hear about our launch sign up here. Or for additional information about the project please contact admin@synergydance.co.uk

#TogetherWeCan.

Additional Information and Resources:

 

National Lottery Funding

Virtual Fitness Festival 2020

Virtual Fitness Festival

We’re so excited here at Synergy Dance® to announce that we are taking part in this year’s Group Exercise Festival with EMD UK and classfinder. 

There are so many fantastic classes available, for all ages and abilities and we’re inviting YOU, your friends and your family members to take part and help us make this the biggest and best virtual fitness festival of 2020!

The EX Festival kicks off at 6:15 pm on Friday 25th of September with viBeatz Teens and runs throughout the weekend until finishing with HulaFit at 6:15 pm on Sunday the 27th of September.

Synergy Dance® will be holding two 45 minute classes for the classfinder Group Ex Festival which includes Synergy Dance® Kids™ with Jessie at 11.00 am on Saturday 26th of September and Synergy Family Yoga™ with Jessie at 2.30 pm on Sunday 27th of September.

The tickets are priced at £5 per class, or £15.00 for a weekend ticket, giving unlimited class access. Tickets can be purchased from Bookwhen here: https://bookwhen.com/classfinderfestival

This event is an important one for everyone involved and has been created to raise funds for the Get Yer Kit On project. Get Yer Kit On, powered by The Community Fitness Network, works to support young women around the UK to access physical activity. The initiative provides group exercise opportunities and sports clothes, as well as accessible training to increase employability and promote positive mental health and we are delighted to be taking part.

Please note, that each ticket sold will be entered into a raffle to win a £2,000 Virgin Holidays voucher, courtesy of Raffolux. With a two-year timeframe in which to use the voucher in the UK or abroad, you can rest assured your future plans are safe. Terms and conditions apply. See Raffolus website here: https://raffolux.com/tcs/

Obesity – A Rising Concern

Obese Lady Exercising

Obesity is a rising concern throughout the UK, and with the country having been in lockdown for several months as a result of the pandemic health professionals believe this will contribute to the ever-growing issue.

A publication issued by the NHS released the following statistics: 

  • 11, 117 hospital admissions directly attributable to obesity which is an increase of 4% on 2017/18 where there were 10,660 admissions
  • 876 thousand hospital admissions were obesity was a factor again, an increase of 23% on 2017/18, where there were 711 thousand admissions
  • The majority of adults were overweight or obese; 67% of men and 60% of women this included 26% of men and 29% of women who were obese
  • 20% of year 6 children were classified as obese – prevalence was over twice as high in the most deprived areas than the least deprived areas

Research and multiple studies have revealed that 26% of children of obese mothers were also obese. Compared with 16% of children whose mothers were overweight but not obese. And 7% of children whose mothers were neither overweight nor obese.

In the light of the above findings, we’re joining the fight against obesity. And are creating an affordable dance, yoga, and meditation platform. Where you and the entire family can get active, stay fit, healthy and improve your wellbeing both physically and mentally. 

Our platform is completely inclusive, meaning there are no excuses!

We will have mainstream courses for juniors and teens. SEN courses for juniors and teens. Audio courses for the blind and visually impaired, and even seated yoga and dance for adults, teens, juniors, and seniors.

So what are you waiting for? Remember exercise isn’t just about losing weight and staying fit it’s also about having fun, feeling connected and learning something new. It can greatly improve your overall mental wellbeing too.

We look forward to seeing you on the other side…

Sign up to our newsletter here to be the first to receive a notification of when our platform goes live in October!

We have been nominated for a Community Fitness Award

GREAT NEWS!
The National Community Fitness Awards is a yearly event by Community Fitness Network, with the final being held in Preston on 10th of October 2020. We are very pleased to have been nominated for the following awards:

  • Inspiring Young People and Children 2020
  • Social Inclusion Award 2020

In this time of uncertainty and worry, it’s such a reward to be recognised for our contribution to the community and we are incredibly proud.

Synergy Dance Synergy start the 2.6 Challenge with a 26 minute Yoga session

Thanks to everyone who took part in the lunchtime Yoga class to help start the 2.6 Challenge Live with #SynergyDanceLtd and #BritishBlindSport yesterday.

If you can, please also donate a pound or more towards this session, so we can raise vital funds to #savetheukcharities!