Young people with learning disabilities take their dance show on the road

A pioneering project which employs young people with learning disabilities as professional dancers and dance teachers, has embarked on a mini tour of Scotland.

The performance of Seed, part of the Beyond Horizons project for YDance, will visit schools in Aberdeen between October 6 and 10 and travel to Inverness early next year.

Four dancers, three with learning disabilities themselves, have created the piece in conjunction with choreographers Lesley Howard and Clare Adam.

For Zac McMillan, aged 25, from Glasgow, the work with Beyond Horizons has been life-changing. “I started dancing when I was in High School. It makes me happy and I think it makes people watching happy. I love it so much.”

His mother Donna McMillan says: “It has been life changing for us. He has a job. He performs. He works and he gets paid. He absolutely thrives with it.

“He started when he was 15 – he was trying to find his place in the world. He got interested in dancing and he loves it. He used to shy away from talking to people and now he’s so much more confident.”

Zac went through a training programme with YDance which trained him as a performer and a teacher. He now teaches other young people and goes into his old school to run workshops. Zac has performed on tour in Germany and Spain and has also directed his love of music to DJing.

Anna Kenrick – Artistic Director of YDance, Scotland’s dance organisation for young people said: “This programme is something we have been working on for a long time. What we find is a lot of young people got to 16 or 18 and were interested in going into dance education – but faced many barriers and challenges taking their training further.

“A lot of parents were asking us: ‘What’s next?’

“We are the only arts organisation funded by Inspiring Scotland. This has been a hugely exciting journey.

“Learning Disability Support Fund and the Scottish Government saw there was a gap.”

Dancers from Beyond Horizons will perform Seed in Aberdeen between October 6 and October 10. Performances will take place at Orchard Brae School on October 6, Linn Moor School on October 7, St Machar Academy on October 8, Bucksburn Academy on October 9 and at City Moves Dance Academy on October 10 in a performance for invited groups.

Seed has previously been performed in South and North Lanarkshire and Glasgow and will be travelling to Inverness in Spring 2027.

Choreographers Lesley Howard and Clare Adam, of Just Us, said Seed was an allegory for how co-operation and working together can create a better world. Lesley Howard is an autistic artist, while Clare Adam is deaf. Their work blends contemporary dance and British Sign Language.

Howard and Adam say: “The aim of this work was to create a shared score of empowerment and autonomy between us as choreographers and the dancers. Throughout the process, we explored what hope means to us individually and collectively, using games and creative tasks to generate movement, build trust and encourage collaboration. Together, we began to imagine and physically build the world we would like to see — one rooted in connection, support and possibility.

“Our favourite moment of the performance is watching the audience shift into almost an tranquil pause as the final piece of music begins. This moment is drawn from the energy of Zac’s gentle air movement, creating a sense of stillness and calm. It becomes a moment of quiet within a busy, fast-paced world — inviting both the dancers and the audience to simply pause, breathe and be present.”

The young dancers performing in Seed in Aberdeen are: Zac McMillan, Chloe Edgar, Grace Moultrie and Rebecca McBride, all from Glasgow. As well as performing, they will also talk to pupils and teachers about the piece and about their training and experience as dancers.

Clare Russell, Executive Head Teacher of Orchard Brae School said: “We're very excited to be welcoming YDance into school. Part of our vision for learners is to be included in a community that respects diversity, and this is a great opportunity for them to see others with similar life experiences in successful paid employment.”

Claire Murphy, Head of Education at Linn Moor School said: “We are delighted to welcome YDance to VSA for this exciting performance. Creative activities like these give our students the opportunity to express themselves, build confidence and enjoy new experiences in a fun and engaging way. We are grateful to YDance for providing these performances and know our students are looking forward to being part of what promises to be a memorable day.”

Angelina Lombardo Park, who is the fund manager for Inspiring Scotland, which supports people with learning disabilities said she had been impressed by the dedication and the talent of the young dancers.

“The dance is beautiful, with joyful calming flowing movements. But what impresses me the most is how professional the dancers are. They are so invested in what they are doing. They have discipline, ambition. You can see it is something they love doing and they take seriously.

“It really is an example of inclusion in action.”

Laura McLaughlin, head of the inclusion programme at YDance said: “The idea is to give training and employment to disabled dancers. The response we have had from audiences has been very open and enthusiastic. Often people may have had no idea that training and careers in dance are open to them.

“Young people have told us they feel inspired by seeing people like themselves taking part in a performance.”