Dancing a Full Circle.

Full Circle…and back again!
We all sit and reflect on things we have done, paths we have created for ourselves and others. Sometimes you start something and pass it on, and sit back with pleasure and joy as you watch it grow and take a life of its own.

This weekend, the Sport and Recreation Alliance celebrated the launch of Let's Dance 2026, and I quietly acknowledged that it has taken 10 years for that dream to come full circle.

In 2016, I attended the APPG Sport meeting when Dame Tracey Crouch spoke about the new Sport England strategy. I was privileged to ask the first question - about the value of dance within physical activity. Determined to create the evidence needed to show that Movement and Dance was not the decoration on the top, 7 years later, in 2023, we launched the Movement and Dance report at Westminster. Now, in 2026, return to the church hall floor with Let’s Dance led by Angela Rippon. 
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However, this year Angela is bringing another 25-year dream to life- that dance will be embraced within hospitals to work with patients and staff in every section of the hospital alongside the physiotherapy team. Last year, I shared my experiences with her and Alan Naismith. This is another full circle, because my initial qualification was created for those who worked alongside physiotherapists in hospitals and care homes, delivering exercise as rehab and prehab for older adults.

Everyone, wherever they live, should have access to high-quality movement and dance led by qualified teachers, instructors and practitioners.
This March, let’s celebrate the value and the joy of getting fit through dance and movement to music.