Dance City and commercial law firm Muckle LLP are gifting free show tickets this Christmas to learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their carers to ensure that as many people as possible get the chance to enjoy a dance show this year.
The tickets are being made available for an ‘especially relaxed’ matinee performance of The Little Prince at Dance City, Newcastle on Friday 6 December at 1.15pm. Sponsored by Muckle LLP this is the first time that Dance City has put on an exclusive SEND performance which will enable more young people and their carers to watch a world class dance performance in Newcastle.
Although many of the free tickets have been snapped up by north east special education schools a few remain. Any teachers interested in bringing their SEND pupils to see The Little Prince should contact cheryl.baty@dancecity.co.uk
Dance City has staged a number of relaxed performances, which are open to all but especially those that would benefit from a relaxed performance including people with an Autism Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorders or a learning disability.
At these performances the usual theatre ‘rules’ don’t apply and the audience is enabled to explore the theatre before the show, shown where to go if they need a break out zone, given lots of information about what to expect, and sensory adjustments including lower volume of sound, and lights remaining on during the performance.
“We are passionate about making dance as inclusive as possible so we are very grateful to Muckle for their support, enabling us to offer free tickets dedicating the whole of the theatre for this performance to many people who wouldn’t ordinarily get the chance to enjoy live dance on stage,” said Caroline Greener, Head of Communications, Dance City.
“This will be an especially relaxed, world-class performance where the whole event is geared to people with additional needs, providing a wonderful free show for many children and young adults with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
“The main theme of The Little Prince is the importance of looking beneath the surface to find the real truth and meaning of a thing. It is the fox who teaches the Prince to see with his heart instead of just with his eyes. It’s a really beautiful story for all ages, but especially children. We are hoping that this will open up a new world of festive fun and cultural experience for many of the teachers, pupils and carers at the schools we already work with in our community activities.”
The Little Prince, a brand-new show from Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance, is based on the well-loved and world-famous story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One of the most-translated books in the world, The Little Prince has been voted the best book of the 20th century in France, translated into 300 languages and dialects, and sold nearly two million copies annually. It has become one of the best-selling books ever published.
Jill Donabie, partner in Muckle LLP’s education team, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting this special performance of The Little Prince. Education and equality are two issues we care very passionately about at Muckle and I think it’s fantastic that Dance City have worked with Protein Dance to make this wonderful show accessible to all children.”
Free tickets are available for learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their carers for a relaxed matinee performance of The Little Prince at Dance City, Newcastle on Friday 6 December at 1.15pm, which is being sponsored by Muckle.
Muckle is a leading North East law firm for businesses. Each year it gives 1% of its profits to the Muckle Fund at the Community Foundation and the firm has now donated over £500,000 in grants to local charitable causes since it started its fund. Everyone who works at Muckle receives two days’ annual volunteering leave to support North East community projects they care about, and the firm regularly provides its services to small North East charities for free – giving away up to £100,000 of legal advice each year.
Dance City is the North East’s leading development organisation for dance biggest dance employer in the north of England. Last year ticket sales grew by 12%, with 10,000 tickets sold for performances. There were 45,000 attendances at dance classes across the year; and it also works with 20,000 people in the community.