About us
Development of our approach
Practice in relation to dance and disability has made great strides over the past 40 or so years as notions of who dances, who makes dance and how that dance looks have been challenged and re-imagined.
Less well explored, documented and articulated is movement practice with people with PMLD. Inquiry in this field opens a myriad of questions concerning consent, inclusion, access and ownership in relation to methodologies, policy and practice.
We take a research-based approach to our practice, continually questioning, exploring and learning with and from the people with PMLD who we dance with. People with PMLD are non-verbal, sensory specialists with idiosyncratic communication styles. As dance artists and creatives we have much to learn from them on presence, sensory being, intention and communication.
Our practice
We believe that everyone has the right to dance and creatively express themselves.
As dance practitioners working in education and community settings, person-centered approaches are deeply embedded in our practice. Somatically informed improvisational practice at the core of our creative work. As movers, performers, facilitators and creators, this practice enables us to meet each person in the moment, responding to the unique movement possibilities we each bring.
Our dance practice supports:
- Non-verbal communication
- Attunement and sensitivity to movement in self and others
- Seeing movement through a ‘dancer’s lens’ - noticing, valuing and celebrating the creativity, potential and importance in the smallest of moments and movements.
Our work draws upon this and on the work of other specialist practitioners to create an approach whereby an individual with PMLD can engage in a dance experience that is personal, meets their unique needs and creates an opportunity for their creative expression to be witnessed, amplified and shared.
We prioritise one to one dancing through artist-in-residency programmes, creative projects and training.
Artists and Collaborators
Jane McLean
Ruth Spencer
Ruth Spencer
Jane McLean is a dance artist and Creative Director of Cheshire Dance.
In this role she champions the importance of embodied knowledge and of valuing, celebrating and amplifying the creative expression of people from underrepresented communities.
Jane is passionate about inspiring people from all walks of life to create, learn and experience dance. She enjoys working collaboratively with other artists and organisations to enable the development of innovative dance practices across Cheshire and beyond. Jane’s enquiries into anatomy, performance presence, attention to sensation, use of energy and focus support all of her work. Jane uses improvisation to explore, connect and create dances with people of all ages and abilities.
Ruth Spencer
Ruth Spencer
Ruth Spencer
Ruth Spencer is an independent dance artist and part-time university lecturer.
Ruth's work, developed over 30 years, is deeply rooted in dance in education and community settings. As an educator, trainer, performer, project manager and artistic director, working in partnership with organisations across the UK and abroad, Ruth is committed to the potential of physical creativity as a means of expression for all.
Through person-centred improvisational approaches Ruth works to debunk myths that surround dance and creative practice, developing opportunities for anyone to dance whatever their age, gender or need.
Sam Ryley
Gary Lloyd
Gary Lloyd
Sam Ryley is a photographer/filmmaker who for the past 20 years has worked in the commercial space with a wide range of clients and subjects, including theatre. In 2018, he had a solo exhibition of his work at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester. For the last decade he has developed as a filmmaker, in documentary, advertising and artistic capacities. His work is recognisable through his ability for empathy and sensitive understanding of his subject, creating pieces that authentically and emotionally connect to their audience.
Sam created the Wanna Dance? Film (2023), When we Meet... 5 dances (2025) and continues to collaborate on Wanna Dance? creative projects.
To find out more about Sam and his work see his website.
Gary Lloyd
Gary Lloyd
Gary Lloyd
Gary Lloyd is a Canadian-born British composer, producer, & co-director of Company Carpi dance theatre company.
Gary regularly lectures in music, the arts, and creativity with a particular focus on the arts within a health context. He co-devises & delivers a multiple award-winning arts module for Manchester Medical School.
Gary has composed music in across many different contexts/settings and media – working with distinguished creators such as: choreographers Marc Brew, Paula Hampson, Lauren Tucker & Claire Henderson Davis; authors Mary Talbot, Iain Banks,Alan Moore & Neil Gaiman; conductors Ben Cox, Adam Robinson & Keith Slade, musicians from orchestras such as The Hallé, LSO, RLPO & RSNO; theatrical directors Colin McFarlane & Eric Jarvis; and wildlife film-maker Marianne Wilding.
Gary created the music for the the Wanna Dance? Film (2023) and for When we Meet... 5 dances (2025) and continues to collaborate on Wanna Dance? creative projects.
For more information on Gary/Company Carpi’s work visit: Company Carpi.
Our Partners
