London 2012 blog

Wow! In a way I am glad I didn't know too much beforehand about the Handover press conference on Monday. From the moment I arrived it hit me just how big being a part of this once in a lifetime opportunity was going to be.

I was quickly informed that I was going to be needed to say a few words in the press conference to represent CandoCo Dance Company and its involvement in both the Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremony in Beijing this Summer.

The way that the London 2012 team has chosen to have the same performers in both ceremonies is ground breaking. To have an opportunity as a contemporary dancer with a disability to be a part of an eclectic artistic team performing alongside the Royal Ballet and Zoo Nation - merging very different disciplines of dance to find one common voice to represent London and the UK - shows how diversity in the English culture is our strength as a nation. I am proud and honoured to be a part of this.

CandoCo Dance Company exists to make great art – even though we have disabled and non-disabled dancers in the company we are definitely not a 'disability company' or a 'disabled dance company' as we have been called in the press coverage recently!

It's all about just making great art that will entertain people, and CandoCo believes that a range of bodies, with different physicalities and experiences, contributes more to the art-making process. The company is right in the middle of making a new piece for its UK tour in the Autumn this year. CandoCo tours the UK and the world with its own choreography and I have performed to tens of thousands of people over the last 4 years with the company.

But to say that I was nervous entering the press conference and seeing a seated theatre full of press delegates at the ICA is an understatement. It made me realise how much interest there is in the 2012 Olympics and how important it is for London, the UK, and for sports and the arts. The rest of the world will be watching in anticipation and we will be performing in the hand over ceremony with exhilaration.

To then be told after the photo shoot with the likes of London 2012 Chair Sebastian Coe, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell and Mayor of London Boris Johnson that this is a small taste of what it will be like when we arrive in Beijing summed up the reality of the grand scale experience yet to come and how exciting it is as a dancer to be a part of this unique and memorable opportunity. It's the largest event in my profession - at the moment I'm nervously excited!