Funding boost from the Health Lottery Foundation enables new dance project for members of The Twisting Ducks The Twisting Ducks Theatre Company has been awarded a grant from The Health Lottery Foundation to enable people with a learning disability and autistic people to work with a professional choreographer to develop dance and movement skills for two new performances. The funding will enable members of The Twisting Ducks’ Newcastle Performing Arts Academy (who meet weekly at Theatre Royal Newcastle) and Morpeth Performing Arts Academy (who meet weekly at Morpeth Methodist church) to work with a dance choreographer to develop their movement skills and explore story-telling through dance. Each group will create an original movement and dance routine to be performed live at Newcastle Theatre Royal and Morpeth Methodist Church in 2027. The project has been funded by The Health Lottery Foundation, who distribute money raised from players of The Health Lottery to projects that unite people to improve health, wellbeing and happiness. The Twisting Ducks Theatre Company is a charity that works with people with a learning disability and autistic people to tackle inequalities and drive social change through performing arts and issue-based theatre. Based across Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, The Twisting Ducks supports over 800 people a year to express themselves creatively, build skills and social connections, and achieve aspirations as performers, musicians, and DJs. Jay Hare, CEO at The Twisting Ducks Theatre Company, said: "We are so pleased to have been awarded this grant from the Health Lottery Foundation. It will enable us to work with our performers with a learning disability to help them develop their movement skills and to explore story-telling through dance. What's more, by coming together each week to create performance work, our group members will develop lasting social connections and improved wellbeing. We’re grateful to players of The Health Lottery for supporting our work." Becky, a member of The Twisting Ducks' Newcastle Performing Arts Academy, said: "It's going to be really good to give us a new experience. We already do a lot of dance in this group, so it's going to be nice to learn new things, from a new person. It's going to be good for the show." Rachel, a member of The Twisting Ducks' Morpeth Performing Arts Academy, said: “It will be a really great opportunity for everyone in the group to get some good dance tips and to teach us some moves! Especially Jamie who loves to work on his street dance!” Find out more about joining our Performing Arts Academies here