In the UK, blind dancers have competed in an international ballroom competition, a 96-year-old care-home resident danced her first seated Charleston, and a wheelchair dancer performed onstage, having thought her dancing days were over. Most dancers who have physical or intellectual disabilities don’t get the chance to perform or compete, but thanks to Rashmi Becker, founder of London’s Step Change Studios, disabled children and adults are stepping into the spotlight.
Becker became guardian to her older brother with severe autism and sight loss in 2011 and began noticing how activities like music and movement “massively changed his life.” With a PhD in psychiatry from the University of Cambridge and having previously worked in disability policy, Becker set out to find more opportunities for her brother but had little success. “You hear ‘no’ a lot,” she says. “Everyday there are a dozen obstacles.”
With over 16 million people living with a disability in the UK and many with autism, dementia, sight loss, paralyzation, and other challenges being denied access to mainstream dance studios and organizations, Becker knew someone needed to advocate for her brother and others in similar circumstances.
In her quest to make dance accessible for all ages and abilities, Becker founded Step Change Studios in 2017, and now, in 2024, the studio has around 20 different pan-disability programs with anywhere from 10 to 30 students ages 3 to 101 in each one. Along with 20-plus staff members, Becker travels around the UK, bringing dance to the students—whether that’s in community centers, hospitals, or schools.
Together with her team, Becker aims to not only teach students how to dance but to help them develop confidence, communication skills, and learn to advocate for themselves. When the studio made history with the first ever blind students to compete in an international ballroom competition in Blackpool, Becker encouraged students to be interviewed by BBC and share their story. “One blind student said [to Becker], ‘You hear your whole life what you can’t do and you start to believe it. It’s really nice to hear what you can do.’ ”
Dance Teacher spoke with Becker to hear her advice on applying for grants and hiring teachers who can work with disabled dancers.
What advice do you have for fundraising as a nonprofit?
[When applying for grants], be clear on your mission, what you’re about, and why you want to do something. A mistake people often make is they try to adapt to fit a funding opportunity. Make sure the grant is the right fit—look at what they fund and projects they’ve funded before. Don’t waste your time trying to go for something when you know you don’t fit the criteria.
Secondly, be very clear on the impact you’re going to make and how you’ll measure it. That needs to be specific. Some people think an activity is an outcome, but it’s not. [An outcome is] behavior change, or improved quality of life, or dance helping someone get a job. How are you going to sustain it? What ways will you provide pathways for people to carry on or develop that funding into something more sustainable?
You have an impressive staff, some who have performed with the Bolshoi Ballet and on the West End. What criteria do you look for when hiring instructors?
I’ve seen teachers with no background whatsoever do really amazing things and it’s to do with psychological barriers versus real barriers that people have. We have two types of teachers—those who have been here a long time and are dedicated. They build connections and understand their own impact. Students get really attached to their teachers, and some of my best teachers understand that and are really empathetic.
On the other side, you have teachers who like the idea of being an inclusive dance practitioner, but they bring structured training or a certain idea of what good looks like and they can struggle. They think “If someone is in a wheelchair, how can they turn out?” They fixate on technicalities. It is less about being an expert on autism or sight loss and more about certain qualities, like empathy and interpersonal skills.
What goals do you have for Step Change Studios?
I would like to be in a position where Step Change Studios doesn’t have to exist. I want all dance organizations and studios to have opportunities [for disabled people], so they don’t have to come to an organization specializing in disability.
Five years ago, Becker began a “Dancing with the Stars”–style community event where disabled students with a range of abilities compete, complete with professional dance partners and a judging panel.
In 2024, students from Step Change Studios participated in the UK’s first ever ballroom competition that included blind and partially sighted dancers.
