Vickie Simmonds
Liberate Dance Co-Founder
Vickie co-founded Liberate Dance with Amanda.
Vickie grew up with a passion for dance and performance until her health declined in her teens. She was later diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and in 2017, sustained a spinal cord injury, causing her to become a full-time wheelchair user.
Keeping fit was always really important to Vickie so she took up Wheelchair Basketball and Para Ice Hockey. But she always felt there was something missing: the creative outlet that dance had given her. After seeing The LA Rollettes (an all-wheelchair dance troupe founded by dancer Chelsie Hill) perform, she was overwhelmed by the desire to get dancing again.
Amanda and Vickie started spending time together in the studio. Together they explored how Vickie could begin to dance again. They wanted to use the wheelchair as a celebration of movement rather than an obstacle. They decided this was an opportunity to bring dance to all wheelchair users across the U.K in a more accessible way.
“It was so liberating, that between us we decided this was an opportunity to bring dance to all wheelchair users in a more accessible way”