Propel Dance, the UK’s only professional all wheelchair-user dance company, is getting its wheels spinning once again, as the creative team and six talented dancers have been working to create a suite of new short works.

The company secured a grant of £32,485 from Arts Council England to create new works which can be performed at festivals and events, helping to put the company in front of wider audiences.

Led by an all-female leadership team, the company was instigated and founded by Helen Mason, a Birmingham-based dance artist with a track record of making dance for and with disabled people for over twenty years.

Propel Dance creates ambitious, joyful, and high-quality dance theatre that places wheelchair users centre stage – blending contemporary dance with para dance sport technique. Since launching in 2023 with support from Arts Council England, the company has grown rapidly – producing its debut touring production The Snow Queen, developing international partners and delivering inclusive participation projects across the country.

In August 2024, Propel Dance travelled to the USA, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, to develop international partnerships with a range of world-class para dance coaches. The following month, the company was commissioned to perform at the Paralympics GB Athletes Homecoming concert at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena, broadcast on Channel 4, telling the story of the Paralympics history. And in March this year, Propel Dance won an award for that performance when they picked up ‘Best Dance Performance of the Year’ at the inaugural ‘We Are Creative Awards’.

The company exists to challenge inequality, raise visibility, and create meaningful progression routes for disabled dancers. Rooted in equity, compassion, and representation, everything the company does – on stage, in studios, and in the community – is about propelling change in who gets to dance, and how.

During June and July, the six exceptional wheelchair dancers have been rehearsing at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) and FABRIC in Birmingham, creating new short pieces to perform at indoor and outdoor festivals and events. There is a demand for this kind of work from the Company, which previously only had a full-length production of The Snow Queen in its repertoire. The company features artists from around the UK and Europe, including Becky Whitaker, Lauren Russell, Ayuna Berbidaeva, Rebecca Fowler, Milly Best, and Piotr Iwanicki.

Musician and composer Kris Halpin, of Dyskinetic, has specially composed the music for these new works as part of an ongoing creative partnership. The Company has also collaborated with some of the UK’s leading choreographic mentors such as Nicola Burt (Reset Dance Co), Kate Flatt OBE (the original production of Les Misérables West End and worldwide) and Benoit Swan-Pouffer (Rambert).

Propel Dance is now available for bookings- from performances to workshops and beyond. To enquire about booking the company, please contact: info.propeldance@gmail.com. To find out more: propeldance.uk