Dance Blast founders are twin sisters Sally and Emma Carlson. Both were keen dancers from an early age. Born in the Gwent Valleys, at the age of 17 they moved to London to study dance: Sally at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance; Emma at London Contemporary Dance School. Although their careers were to take different directions for a while, it seems the sisters were destined to pursue their love of dance together. Due serious injury, Sally was unable to continue as a professional dance and so retrained in theatre design at Central St Martin’s School of Art, moving to Berlin to work as a theatre designer/artist. Meanwhile Emma returned to Wales to become a performer, choreographer, teacher, mentor and arts manager. However, in 1992, Sally returned to Wales and the sisters decided to form their own dance company, with – the sisters came together in 1992 to form Carlson Dance Company.