TALENTED dancers with learning difficulties performed contemporary routines they helped to choreograph themselves.

Moving Tide, a dance group that includes people from County Durham Care's Empower day Centre at Chester-le-Street and the Durham Centre at Aykley Heads, staged the performance at New College Durham's Garland Theatre.

The 15 dancers, aged 18 to 53, have been dancing under the tuition of Cassop-based community dance group Tin Productions, and have all completed a dance access course. They performed to an audience of family and friends along with a group of dancers from Bridlington.

Tess Chaytor, of Tin Productions, said: "A lot of them are really good dancers.

"The scheme is geared towards empowering them and giving them skills and confidence. They don't just come along and dance, they are given teaching skills so they can go into the community and teach at dance workshops."