British DanceSport Association and Sport Excel UK Announce Strategic Partnership

The British Dance Sport Association (BDSA) and Sport Excel UK are proud to announce a landmark partnership. This partnership is aimed at working collaboratively to support the development of safe, meaningful and sustainable opportunities in Dance Sport, focusing on individuals with intellectual impairment, which includes intellectual disability, Down syndrome and autism.

This strategic collaboration will focus on awareness, confidence, accessibility and participation, enabling BDSA to build capability and understanding, enabling progress towards a structured pathway for dancers with intellectual impairment, including the potential development of classification and performance opportunities in the future.

Tracey McCillen, Chief Executive of Sport Excel UK, said:

“Dance is a powerful form of expression, identity and community, and everyone should have the opportunity to experience it.

Sport Excel UK is delighted to be working with the British DanceSport Association to support the development of inclusive opportunities for dancers with intellectual impairment.

Partnerships like this are how lasting change happens — combining expertise, shared values and a commitment to open new pathways in sport. Together we can help ensure that dancers with intellectual impairment are recognised, supported and given the opportunity to participate, progress and thrive within the dance community and in time, explore potential competitive opportunities nationally and internationally for talented dancers.”

“This partnership represents a significant step forward in our promise to promote dance for everyone across the UK. This partnership with Sport Excel UK demonstrates not only our commitment to creating a safe, inclusive, and inspiring environment for all dancers, but our passion to deliver that commitment by collaborating with organisations that are experts in their field,” said BDSA Diversity Officer, Dr Andy Harvey, “Together with Sport Excel UK, we can work on creating a sustainable future for inclusivity in Dance Sport, reach new communities and individuals and provide a welcoming and knowledgeable dance community ready to support them in dance.”

Joint Objectives of the Partnership Include:

·        Increase awareness and understanding of intellectual impairment within Dance sport.

·        To develop welcoming and appropriate participation opportunities.

·        Reach new participants and communities currently underrepresented in Dance.

·        Develop knowledge and confidence among coaches, volunteers and officials.

·        Connect to organisations, networks and expertise across the disability sport sector.

·        Establish foundations that may support future competitive pathways where appropriate.

·        Increase opportunities and enable inclusion in dance for individuals with intellectual impairment.

Sport Excel UK will provide guidance and expertise in intellectual impairment sport, including eligibility, athlete development pathways and connections to the wider national and international disability sport system.

Looking Ahead

This collaboration marks a transformative moment for dance sport in the UK for dancers with intellectual impairment. By prioritising awareness, education, appropriate networks and connections, and opportunity, the BDSA and Sport Excel UK are laying the foundation for a dynamic and inclusive future from participation through to potential future performance pathways.

-ENDS-

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For media and other enquiries, contact either

Sport Excel UK on 0203 633 6460 or email info@sportexceluk.org  www.sportexceluk.org

BDSA on  020 3150 0005 or email info@bdassociation.com  www.bdassociation.com 

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Notes:

About Sport Excel UK

Sport Excel UK is the national charity that promotes, facilitates, and supports talented athletes with intellectual impairment in the UK to train, compete and excel in national and international sport. Sport Excel UK manages the eligibility and classification system across the UK, is recognised by UK Sport, is a member of Paralympics GB and is the official Great Britain member of Virtus, the global organisation that governs, advocates, organises and promotes elite sport for athletes with intellectual impairment and is a member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

About the BDSA

The British Dance Sport Association (BDSA) is the Governing Body for dance sport in all its forms across the United Kingdom. Their mission is to unify the dance community, establish a fair and transparent regulatory framework, and ensure every dancer, from grassroots to elite, has access to the support, structure, and opportunities they need to thrive.

About Intellectual Impairment

Intellectual Impairment is the term used by Sport Excel UK and others in sport and includes intellectual disability, down syndrome and autism.

Other terms used include, learning disability which is used in the UK, with intellectual disability and intellectual impairment being used internationally in sport. Learning disability/intellectual disability is an “invisible disability”.   It inhibits how a person learns and performs everyday functions that others take for granted. It also reduces communication, understanding, social, and living skills. In elite performance sport learning disability is defined as an IQ of 75 or less; significant limitations in adaptive behaviour and age of onset of the learning disability being in the development years, i.e. 0-22 years.  This definition adopted by Virtus is from the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of learning disability (mental handicap) and is in line with other internationally recognised definitions. 

Different criteria exist for Virtus class II2 (Additional Significant Impairment, including Down syndrome) and class II3 (Autism) which requires a formal diagnosis of autism. Criteria for all three classes have been set by Virtus. More information is available under ‘classification’ on www.sportexceluk.org