Social, health and dance wellbeing
Meet The Team
We are a small team of highly experienced Dance Teachers and SEND specialists who deliver outstanding Dance lessons in Primary and Secondary school settings, in SEND schools, community groups, extra-curricular time and holiday clubs.
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The company are able to support your PE curriculum and not only deliver your lessons, but upskill teachers, with practical ideas, schemes of work, lesson plans, assessment ideas, exciting resources, video content, and also offer performance opportunities throughout the academic year.​
Lucy Poynton- Founder and Director
Hi I’m Lucy, the Founder and Director of Shadow Dance!I’ve been a dancer since I was 3 years old- and have lived and breathed it ever since! My main loves are in Jazz, Music Theatre, Lyrical and Contemporary Dance.
After completely my degree in Dance, specialising in Community and Education, I began working in primary schools, delivering Dance and PE. It was in this role, in 2011, that I founded Shadow Dance-A company that focused on using Dance as a tool to aid Mental Health and Wellbeing. I then completed my teacher training and got a job in a very successful PE Dept in a SEND School.
Within my role as Dance Coordinator, and Outreach teacher, I was able to gain a huge amount of experience in delivering staff CPD, and became a very knowledgeable SEND Dance practitioner, specialising in supporting children with ASC, ADHD, MLD, SLD, PMLD and SEMH.
I have a huge passion and a clear vision of what I want Shadow Dance to be- I am working on creating a company that share skills and knowledge to those non dance specialists, to be able to include it in their own work across all areas of the curriculum. We, as a team want to ensure more young people have access to the benefits of Dance and wellbeing activities which help their lives be a little brighter, and impact their overall wellbeing. We want to INNOVATE, INCLUDE and make an IMPACT as many people as possible!
I have a beautiful family who wholeheartedly support Shadow, and two children who attend and love our classes!
We are now engaging with over 700 young people and adults per week and we thrive to continue to make a difference each and every day!
Jade Lear- Head of Dance Curriculum
Hi I’m Jade, I started Dance at the age of 2 learning the different styles (Tap, Ballet, Modern and Pointe) and went on to study Dance further in school at GCSE, A-level, University and qualified with QTS as a Secondary dance teacher in July 2021.
My teaching experience to date has been varied and exciting. I have had a huge amount of opportunities to teach within SEND settings with my teacher training school being a Secondary SEND school and with Shadow for the last three years.
I have had experience in working with children across the spectrum and with a diverse range of needs. I am passionate about how dance allows everyone to be included, how it boosts their wellbeing and their opportunities to succeed.
Shadow is an inspiring company that I am extremely proud to be a part of. I thrive to deliver diverse and engaging lessons through the curriculum and also through our inclusive dance school outside of school hours. I have developed skills in writing and designing the Dance Curriculum in Primary schools, producing quality and highly effective CPD for non- specialist teachers. Dance is a significant part of life, a way of communicating and should be offered to all. I want to bring happiness and solidness to those that I teach through the art of dance and I just adore watching the children and young people enjoying it just as much as I do!
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Lauren Edwards- Dance Teacher specialising in CPD Delivery and Secondary Dance.
Hi, I'm Lauren! I began my professional dance training studying 'Performance and Choreography' at Liverpool John Moore's University', where I performed in JMUpstart Dance Company in various venues across the UK including the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Upon completing my degree, I began dance coaching in primary schools and in the health and fitness sector across the Wirral, in which time I discovered a passion for teaching. I then undertook a PGCE qualification, specialising in dance in mainstream secondary schools and colleges.
Working as Dance lead in three secondary schools and sixth form colleges gave me the opportunity to become an expert in curriculum design, dance technique and choreography and directing full school productions. In the last year, I have developed my knowledge and experience of working with children with complex health needs.
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Working for the NHS Manchester community care team, I now support and care for children across Manchester with complex care needs implementing care plans and building valuable relationships with the family of these children. I am so excited to share my knowledge and passion for dance with 'Shadow Dance Company' and cannot wait for the experiences and opportunities this will bring to both myself and the children that we work with.
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Gina MacGregor- Primary Teacher, SEND Specialist.
My name is Gina! From a young age, I loved Theatre and Performance- in particular musical theatre. Throughout school, I completed numerous performance exams and took parts in a range of shows. I studied Theatre and Performance at university where in my final year, I specified in ‘theatre in the community’ where I was able to use performance to support vulnerable children and people in a range of settings.
I then went on to complete my teacher training where I specialised in special educational needs. For the last twelve years, I have worked in a range of MLD and SLD special schools on the Wirral. I have supported children with ASC, ADHD, PDA, MLD, SPLD, PMLD, PMLD across the SEND spectrum.
PE, dance, sensory circuits and learning outside the classroom have been areas which I have specialised in and I have a strong belief in the importance of using movement and sports as a sanctuary and an essential tool for supporting children with Sen. I have worked alongside Shadow for many years now and love their focus on inclusivity, diversity and creativity.
Having the opportunity to support the SEND evenings and SEND performers is like winning the golden ticket for me and I look forward to working with Shadow each week.
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