Our team
Our team is made up of a unique combination of dancers, social workers, personal advisors and other trauma-informed specialists. This means we not only hold a wealth of dance knowledge and expertise, from hip hop and contemporary dance to ballet and barre, with which we teach our young people, we also always take a trauma-informed approach rooted in our social work expertise and evidence-based techniques.
Beth Vecchione
Founder and CEO Beth qualified as a Social Worker in 2017 and since then has worked as a social worker in a range of teams, including Locality Protection and Assessment. Most recently she worked as a Senior Practitioner within a Children in Care Team. In 2025 Beth will be starting a PhD with Newcastle University researching the impact of dance on care experienced young people, and will draw on her findings to improve and better support young people who come to Care to Dance. Beth is passionate about improving the wellbeing and lives of children and families and strongly believes in the therapeutic benefits that dance can bring to a young person. Beth has danced since she was a child and aspires to ensure every young person has a platform to creatively express themselves whilst building meaningful relationships. Beth also supports young people as a voluntary Independent Visitor.
Amelia Channon
Artistic Director Amelia has worked with children and families as a qualified social worker for the last five years. Having danced from a young age, Amelia trained in ballet, and continued to learn a range of other dance styles beyond this. Care to Dance combines her love for dance with her drive for promoting children’s wellbeing; she is a true believer that dance is a powerful means of allowing children to express their inner feelings, thoughts and experiences.
Ana Raquel Azevedo
Programme Coordinator Ana is a Midlands-based artist. Originally from Portugal, she underwent conservatoire training and holds her Master's in Dance and Choreography at the University of Derby. That allowed the opportunity to develop a number of projects in partnership with Deda that were performed at Derby Feste and Big Deda Dance Party.
Delivery Team
Our Delivery team, formed by a variety of professional dance artists and experienced social workers, combines artistic excellence with a deep understanding of young people’s wellbeing. With their backgrounds, they bring together expertise from both the dance industry and social settings. They are highly skilled in trauma-informed practice, ensuring that every space is safe, inclusive, and empowering. Driven by a commitment to creativity, care, and opportunity, they work collaboratively to make sure all young people can participate, express themselves, and thrive.
Trustees
Our Trustees bring a variety of experiences from diverse professional backgrounds, including education, social care, community development, and the arts. They share a deep commitment to our mission and a dedication to creating opportunities for young people to thrive.
Ellie Foreman
Trustee Bio coming soon
Nafisah Baba
Trustee Since winning BBC Young Dancer in 2017, Nafisah (Tring Park School for the Performing Arts & West London School of dance alumni), has worked with companies & renowned choreographers, performing through the UK and internationally, whilst also continuing to dive into the freelance, TV & Film world. Starting with Tap, Ballet, Jazz and Modern, with extensive Classical & Contemporary Dance training and inspired by different Hip Hop qualities, Nafisah’s hybrid way of movement encompasses many elements, as well as her teaching style & methods. After finishing with the UK tour of Message in a Bottle with Zoonation, after being with the company for 7 years, as an original cast member & creator, with a leading role, Nafisah has since been welcoming in new, exciting and fulfilling creative opportunities and sharing her Art. She is currently working on Kim Brandstrup’s ‘Breaking Bach’, performing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe whilst continuing to work with The Place’s CAT programme, teaching weekly Creative sessions. Nafisah is also a Ballet Futures Facilitator with English National Ballet and will be teaching Contemporary at Laine Theatre Arts in the Autumn. She continues to deepen her Art form, training, teaching and inspiring the next generations. Credits include: The Brit Awards 2024, Mobo awards 2021, Beyoncé’s Black is King (Brown Skin Girl music video), Ellie Goulding’s ‘Brightest Blue Experience’, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Disney’s new Snow White and most recently featured in Olivia Dean’s new music video ‘Lady Lady’.
Matt Clayton
Trustee Matt has led and developed a number of services within Coventry primarily around children in care and care leavers. Matt has a reputation for innovative practice with young people at the center. This has included leading on the BAFTA nominated documentary Superkids and follow up Channel 4 show Kids, piloting the first automatic water bill discount to care leavers and the rollout Lifelong Links in Coventry. Matt is passionate about the importance of maintaining and promoting loving relationships for children in care and has had strategic oversight of Coventry’s reunification work as part of this. This work has seen over 50 children successfully returned to the care of their parents and delivered annual savings of over £3 million. Matt was recently invited to write the foreword to the NSPCC and Action for Children joint national report: Home again: reunification practice in England and give evidence to the Education Select Committee. Matt is Chair of the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum steering group and is the ADCS member of the Family Justice Council. Matt is also co-host of The Relational Social Work Podcast which has been shortlisted for several awards.
Stuart Sharp
Trustee Stuart has been a foster carer since 2021. He and his wife Samantha have two biological and two foster daughters. Both foster daughters are involved in Care to Dance with the oldest being a Care to Dance Ambassador. His foster daughters have been part of their family since mid 2021 and as a family they have been able to see the positive effect Care to Dance has had, the opportunities it has given his daughters and the inclusivity it brings. It is always a pleasure to go and watch the CTD showcases and see the progression and increased confidence that the children who attend have made. Stuart works as an accountant at a local accountancy practise in Leicestershire and is also the treasurer for a local Scout group. His work has given him a broad spectrum of experience in finance, and he deals with various size businesses and charities.
Marie Powell
Trustee As someone with personal experience of the care system, Marie is passionate about creating opportunities and safe spaces where young people feel they belong. From the age of eight, Marie was involved in youth panels helping shape services and funding for young people, and that passion for advocacy has stayed with her ever since. Marie's background in performing arts naturally led her into youth engagement, where she's combined creativity with mentoring and community work. Through Care to Dance, Marie has built trusted relationships with care-experienced young people, supporting them through workshops, performances and trips, while being someone they know will always show up, cheer them on and make them feel safe, valued and confident. Marie feels that seeing their confidence grow and knowing they have someone they can rely on is the most rewarding part of what she does. Alongside this, Marie has built a career across television, production, education and the performing arts, using creativity to engage and empower young people. From September, Marie will also be joining the London Violence Reduction Unit, working alongside the Mayor of London and partners across the capital to help reduce youth violence and violence affecting communities through creativity, education, training and meaningful youth engagement. "Everything I do is driven by a commitment to ensuring care-experienced young people feel heard, represented and empowered to reach their full potential. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring both my lived experience and professional perspective to the Care to Dance Board of Trustees and continue supporting the incredible work of the charity."