Celebrating and promoting wheelchair dancing in the UK
Return to front page - About the Concordes
Concordes in the Media - UK Wheelchair Dance Directory
Celebrating and promoting wheelchair dancing in the UK
Return to front page - About the Concordes
Concordes in the Media - UK Wheelchair Dance Directory
About the Concorde Wheelchair Dancers
Hilary, our dance tutor, has over 10 years experience teaching wheelchair dancing. Despite some testing times, she's retained her sense of humour throughout! |
The Concordes represent wheelchair users across many disabilities and all ages - we're interested in what you can do, regardless of disability. Our youngest member is just nine years old, and our oldest won't publically admit their age (but we have it on good authority that this means "late 70s" at least!). As long as you're interested in dancing, working in a team and having fun, you are very welcome to join. We currently have 12 wheelchair dancers, and are always looking to expand. We also treat our dedicated carers, families and supporters as part of the team - they keep turning up, waving the flag for the Concordes week after week. All carers and supporters are welcome. Be warned, though, you may be roped into some of the dances! |
The Concordes meet for practice every Monday night (excluding Bank Holidays) between 7.30pm and 9.30pm at Page Hall, Staple Hill, Bristol (click here for a map and directions). Our members travel from all over the region, with access just 15 minutes from the M32 and Ring Road. Page Hall benefits from a subsidised bar (membership charges apply - see below), fully accessible and with disabled toilets. |
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We dance in a variety of ballroom styles, using music
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On Wednesday nights, some of the team meet at Downend Day Centre for a kind of wheelchair dancing we imported from Europe - PHAB, or Physically Handicapped and Able-Bodied. This form of dance sees wheelchair users each with an able-bodied partner (or "Seats and Feets", as we like to call them), dancing in team formation. If you have an able-bodied partner who you'd like to dance with, this may be the ideal opportunity for you - contact us for further information, and we can arrange for you to pop in and see what we do! |
We are a charity, and as such we are self-funding - to cover the cost of venue hire, we have to charge a small fee to all members. Annual membership to Page Hall is £12.00 for the first year, then £8 for each subsequent year. This fee includes the use of the bar and all of Page Hall's leisure facilities at any time. In addition, each dancer pays £2.50 each Monday they attend. We have a tea break half way through Monday evening, and an optional 20p will cover the cost of tea and biscuits. That's got to be better than Monday night television, hasn't it? We want to ease you in gently, so come along and see what we do with no obligation to join. All-comers are welcome. |
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The Concorde Wheelchair Dancers are a registered charity, number 287029
All content on this website including photography © 2007 Rob Chilcott and the Concorde Wheelchair Dancers
Many people wonder why we call ourselves
the Concorde Wheelchair Dancers. Well, the
now sadly-retired Concorde aircraft was manufactured
at the nearby town of Filton, and we have strong
links to the area. (One of our founding members back
in the 1970s, Derek,
used to be a Concorde engineer.)
And, if you'll forgive the pun, we thought it would
be an "uplifting" name for a dance team!