Stopgap Dance Company

Dance has the power to connect, challenge, and create real social change. We’ve seen it. We live it. We’re advocating for more. Beyond our stage and studios, Stopgap offers training and consultancy to help organisations embed access, equity, and inclusion into everything they do. We champion Disabled artists and equitable pathways into the industry, including through our Future Leaders programme. And we work in alliance with others pushing for better representation on and off stage, including the Inclusive Dance Working Group and the Access Ballet Collective. We share what we learn, we keep evolving, and we believe the sector can too. Discover more about our training, consultancy and partnerships 👉 stopgapdance.com/access-advocacy/ 📷 Chris Parkes Image Description: The tagline ‘Reinvent the Wheel’ in bold blue text weaves around an atmospheric shot of Disabled dancer Monique glowing with golden light. Monique, a short-statured Black woman, stands and leans forwards onto the seat of her small manual wheelchair, she lightly lifts her right leg so her toe just grazes the floor. She gazes forward with a focussed pride, beams of golden light stream out from behind her and through the spokes of her chair. #StopgapDance #ReinventTheWheel #DisabilityArts #ArtsSectorChange #ChampioningDisabledArtists

We believe dance belongs to everyone, and we build our practice to prove it. For nearly three decades, we’ve developed a teaching practice that addresses the imbalance between opportunities for Disabled and non-disabled dancers. Dismantling barriers to dance participation and training, unpicking ableist assumptions ingrained in technique, and challenging the attitudes that have long decided who gets to call themselves a dancer. We know the value that diversity brings, so we invest in building a community of inclusive dancers and dance leaders, through our Seedbed Teacher Training and IRIS Syllabus. Explore our youth and community companies, our IRIS Syllabus, and a range of learning opportunities 👉stopgapdance.com/learn-and-practice 📷 Chris Parkes Image Description: The tagline ‘Inclusion Elevates All’ in bold blue text weaves around a photo of a young learning disabled dancer as they freely throw their arms wide. They are a white person with Down syndrome, they wear a bright yellow jumper. Against a black background they stand side on to the camera and look along their hand as they stretch their arms. #InclusionElevatesAll #CreativeLearning #InclusiveDance #DanceEducation #InclusionMatters

We recognise the power of difference and use it as the catalyst for everything we create. Our productions bring together Disabled and non-disabled artists to make bold, physical, perception-shifting work. We believe stages, and beyond, should reflect the full diversity of society. This means dismantling inequities that have long shaped who gets to perform, what stories get told, and who has access to culture. This approach is what enables difference to be present and celebrated. It's what drives us to keep finding new ways to make and experience dance. Delve into our work, including award-winning Lived Fiction and new outdoor work Ro-Tes រទេះ 👉 stopgapdance.com/productions 📷 Chris Parkes Image Description: The tagline ‘Diversity in Motion’ in bold blue text weaves around a dynamic photo of two dancers from Stopgap’s outdoor show Ro-Tes. In the image, Nadenh, a British-Cambodian man with light brown skin, leans back in his adapted manual wheelchair; it has thick off-road wheels, extra metal bars that protrude near his front castor wheels, and a curving metal tail that connects to the back of his chair. Emily, an East-Asian non-disabled woman, takes hold of a small handle at the point of the tail and leans forward, lifting a leg behind her and twisting to look to the right. Nadenh wears a bright red jacket, jeans and a patterned headscarf. Emily wears a blue patterned top and cornflower blue trousers, her black hair is cut short in a pixie cut. They dance on a light grey paved surface that fills the background around them. #DiversityInMotion #DisabledArtists #InclusiveDance #ContemporaryDance #DanceForEveryone

Ready to move, explore, and create? Join us at @_independentdance for morning class: 8-12 June, 10am-12pm. What to expect: - A warm welcome and check-in - Focused mobilisation sequences - Playful, guided improvisations - A shared movement phrase Classes are £10 each and bookable via Independent Dance's website. [Image description: Stopgap in the studio, a mixture of Disabled and non-disabled dancers, reaching arms up and around each other as they move in a close group at different levels.]

Tickets on sale now! Lived Fiction is a glorious representation of what culture can be when diversity is not just accepted but cherished. 📍@sadlerswells_east 🗓29-30 January, 2027 🕢7.30pm Book now via the link in our bio. #RosePrize #InclusiveDance #InclusionElevatesAll [Image description: Nadenh Poan, a Cambodian male wheelchair dancer caught in a gravity defying headstand. A haze of golden light spills around him as he throws his left arm forwards to the camera, balancing only on the side of his head and right arm, his lightweight black manual chair lifted above him. Photo by Chris Parkes.]

თანამედროვე ცეკვისა და ქორეოგრაფიის კვლევა ინკლუზიური პრაქტიკების გამოყენებით. შემოუერთიდით 5-დღიან ინტენსიურ ვორქშოფს Stopgap-ისა და InForm-ის წამყვან არტისტებთან ერთად, რომელიც სწავლობს მოძრაობას, ქორეოგრაფიასა და პერფორმანსს განსხვავებული და უნიკალური შესაძლებლობების პერსპექტივიდან. 28 მაისი – 1 ივნისი მონაწილეობა უფასოა რეგისტრაცია 17 მაისამდე | ლინკი ბიოში Bodies in Motion Exploring contemporary dance & choreography through inclusive and diverse experiences. Join a 5-day intensive workshop led by inspiring artists from Stopgap & InForm, exploring movement, choreography & performance through diverse bodies and abilities. 28 May – 01 June Free participation Apply by May 17 | Link in bio This project is supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture Programme and @thesupportingactfoundation . Special thanks to Hilton Garden Inn Tbilisi Chavchavadze #connectionthroughculture Photo credits - Chris Parkes, Design - @ruska.shanidze

Bodies in Motion - ვორქშოფი ახლოვდება. მოუთმენლად ველოდებით Stopgap ცეკვის კომპანიის არტისტების, ლუსი ბენეტის და ნადენ პოანის ვიზიტს თბილისში. გაატარეთ ჩვენთან ერთად მოძრაობის, აღმოჩენისა და გაზიარების ხუთი დღე. 28 მაისი – 1 ივნისი მონაწილეობა უფასოა რეგისტრაცია 17 მაისამდე | ლინკი ბიოში Bodies in Motion is getting closer, and we’re excited to welcome Stopgap Dance Company artists Lucy Bennett & Nadenh Poan to Tbilisi. Join us for five days of shared movement, exploration, connection. Don’t miss it. 28.05 - 01.06 Free participation Limited spots Apply by May 17 Link in bio This project is supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture Programme and @thesupportingactfoundation . Special thanks to Hilton Garden Inn Tbilisi Chavchavadze #connectionthroughculture Video Credits - StopGap dance company

Our inclusive dance teacher course is in full swing, but there's still a chance for you to join us and begin evolving a more inclusive way of teaching... We have limited spaces available for stand-alone sessions - get in touch to book or find out more about them on our website (Link in bio). The interactive webinars are led by expert artists and dance teachers with a range of different lived experiences: - Movement Translation - Sensory Moves - Inclusive Approach: Open language & IRIS intro - Exploring inclusive dance practice from a deaf perspective - Neurodiversity in dance - Inclusive Approach: Finding a balance - Exploring inclusive dance practice from a Deaf perspective - Connecting with ‘hard to reach’ young people through dance [Image description: our youth dance company participants, teachers and volunteers move together in a tight group, all reaching into the centre towards each other at differences levels. They wear different bright tops, in yellow, red and blue.]

Happy to announce that I will be part of @stopgapdance ’s Open Dialogo 2026 Residency Spotlight in Italy. I’ll extend my practice of NOVO, reimagining it into a neurodivergent-led workshop model, collaborating with local Disabled artists and treating access as a creative force. 18–23 June, Versiliadanza, Florence 🌥️ Collaborators @nefairy @maria_chiara_argiro @tam_matsu Sound @lirandonin Film @gracebnicol

We can't wait to perform Lived Fiction at @sadlerswells_east on 29 and 30 January 2027. Being a finalist for @sadlers_wells Rose Prize celebrates access as a vital part of creativity – and also advocates for the vital contribution Disabled Artists make to wider society. Tickets go on general sale next week, 12 May! Set your reminders ⏰ #RosePrize #InclusiveDance #InclusionElevatesAll [Image description: Hannah and Jannick in a duet. Bathed in an orange/yellow glow from behind, the dancers overlap in the beam of light. Hannah faces the left, front arm raised high and a majestic gaze into the distance. Distorted and slightly hidden in the low light haze, Jannick leans across Hannah, bending forward he twists his body and looks to the ceiling, arm extending behind. Photography by Chris Parkes]

Join us for morning class at @_independentdance to explore new movement textures, dynamics, and expressive possibilities. Led by Senior Artists, Christian Brinklow and Nadenh Poan, expect structured exercises with multiple access points, supporting a range of physicalities and learning styles. Dates: 8 June – 12 June Time: 10am–12pm Location: @siobhandaviesstudios , London Book your place and find out more via Independent Dance. [Image description: Stopgap Senior Dance Artists Nadenh Poan and Christian Brinklow in a studio with a shiny wooden floor and a back wall that’s white with a section of exposed brickwork at the top. They’re in a moment of connected movement, with Nadenh balancing on one wheel of his wheelchair towards Christian, who is stepping forward and holding Nadenh's outstretched arm in both hands. Photo: Chris Parkes.

鈴木ユキオ×Stopgap Dance Company 【Peace & Quiet】無事終演しました。時間をかけ、少しずつ積み上げていった時間と思考が、静岡の空の下、形になりました。ここまでのプロセスを支えてくださった方々に感謝いたします。そして、まだまだこの旅が続くことを願っています。 We are truly happy that we’ve come together as one. Thank you, Stopgap Dance Company!!!! #鈴木ユキオ #yukiosuzuki #ストレンジシード静岡 #stopgapdancecompany