Andrew had such a wonderful residential week at the BYMT Summer camp!
Caring, professional, staff who ensure everyone is included for the most amazing musical theatre experience 🎭🎶
The company created Rumple - based on the Fairy tale Rumplestiltskin during the week then shared it with parents/carers on Saturday - brilliant!
Here's Andrew's solo in rehearsal - he also performed a duet with a lovely young lady
and made a lot of friends with these passionate, talented, generous young people 😃
@britymt@dulwichcollege
#bymt #musicaltheatre #performance #dance #sing #act #performers
Such an AMAZING night watching the absolutely incredible @balletboyz - emotional, funny and such talent!!!
We have followed Balletboyz for a long time and Andrew regularly took part in their classes in Kingston as well as some workshops with Harry & Matt - they do such inclusive work and have encouraged lots of dancers (especially boys!) to follow their passion including Andrew - wonderful company! 💖🕺🏼💖
@michaelnunn@j1mmypiper@sadlers_wells@blytheindahood@matthewsandiford91
#balletboyz #stillpointless #dancer #downsyndrome #boysdancetoo
Such a wonderful day with amazing people!!!
Thank you so much @thisnewgrounduk for inviting Andrew to dance at #PivotFest
You are doing a great job and Andrew had a ball 🕺💖🕺
Three costumes @vickygilldesign 😄
@aspexportsmouth@gabyroslin
#portsmouth #learningdisability #dancer #downsyndrome
Raise your glass to an incredible end to #PivotFest 🥂✨
We’re completely full of joy after the most brilliant Celebration Party to close the festival.
Tonight, our incredible TNG artists transformed the space with immersive live soundscaping, bringing to life the oral histories of people with a learning disability in Portsmouth through a powerful and innovative performance experience supported by @lifesize_cic
And then came Andrew Self @andrewdancer97 … 🕺💥
Andrew lit up the room with a beautiful, joyful dance performance full of energy, movement and celebration, with the whole room cheering, dancing and celebrating together. There wasn’t a dry on the room during Andrew’s beautiful emotional and powerful performance to Rise Up 😭❤️ Truly the perfect way to end an unforgettable three days.
A huge thank you to everyone who performed, supported, attended and celebrated with us, what a festival ❤️
Photo credit @joe_watson_photography@thisnewground
#pivotfest #ArtsFestival @acegrams@TNLUK #ACEsupported #NationalLottery LetsCreate
We don't often talk about Andrew's deafness because, like his Down's syndrome, it doesn't define the person he is BUT...this week is Deaf Awareness Week! 🦻🏻🦻🏻
Andrew is classed as moderately/severely deaf and has worn bilateral hearing aids since he was three months old when he was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss.
A few years ago it was also found that he had a cholesteatoma (a non cancerous growth that develops in the middle ear attaching itself to the bones) - probably due to all the infections over the years in the right ear and now the left ear for which he has already had three operations. They have to be cut out or they can do serious damage to the surrounding bone and ultimately affect brain function.
Each operation could also affect balance long term - bit worrying for a dancer!
Considering all this I think you’ll agree that Andrew is pretty amazing to have achieved and continues to achieve all that he has although Mum is very biased!!! 😄
#dancer #downsyndrome #deaf #deafawarenessweek #hearingaids
Such a wonderful evening watching the hilarious and amazingly talented @lesballetstrockadero !!!
@sadlers_wells
#lesballetstrockadero #ballet #dancer #downsyndrome
Andrew heard this on the radio just now (@romeshranga ) and wanted to dance to it - Usher kind of Saturday!
@usher
#usher #yeah #saturday #dancer #downsyndrome
