It was hard for the choreographers to let go at first when they decided to do something quite different from their usual rehearsals. "Just trust them," they reassured one another when one butted in to give a prompt to a performer. This new dance company was unique- all the performers had learning disabilities and they were due to perform at an international dance show without any support workers on stage to help them.
Choreographer and dance tutor Carol Brown was inspired to form Dragon's Heart and Dragon's Soul in 2014 by another group many miles away from their rehearsal space in Swansea. It was while watching a performance by a Spanish dance company with learning-disabled dancers, Asi Somos, that she realised it was possible to create performances with a difference. "They were the only company I'd ever seen who did half hour pieces with no volunteers, just on their own on stage"
As the person who is often on stage helping performers during shows, Carol's assistant choreographer Cathy Coombes, who also runs her own open-access dance group Agility, said it was difficult to let go at first. "It was hard letting them go on their own," said Cathy.
