UK company DanceEast is on the lookout for the next generation of dance directors to attend Rural Retreat 2015: Future Leaders in Dance, taking place 2-4 January at Jerwood DanceHouse, Ipswich.
Founded by Assis Carreiro in 2003, Rural Retreat has become a key event on the dance calendar. The biennial peer-led professional development format brings leaders from across the global dance community together for four days of intensive think tanks.
Last year’s 10th anniversary retreat saw 28 artistic directors from 18 countries, including members from Australasia, North America, Europe and Asia, join forces for four days to discuss global challenges facing the dance industry.
The gathering prides itself on taking a unique approach to incorporating ideas from outside the dance world. Previous speakers include former England football manager Graham Taylor; National Theatre executive director Nicholas Hytner; Joan Duda, professor of sport and exercise psychology at University of Birmingham; and Aidy Boothroyd, manager of Northampton Town Football Club.
Topics up for discussion at the 2013 10th anniversary edition included communicating with dancers; the role of hierarchical structures; weight and health issues; long-term injury; heritage and change; and the relevance of classic art forms today.
The impressive roll call of delegates to have benefited from Rural Retreat include Stuttgart Ballet’s Reid Anderson; English National Ballet’s Tamara Rojo; Christopher Hampson, artistic director of Scottish Ballet; and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s principal dancer, now artistic director of Elmhurst School for Dance, Robert Parker.
Experienced dancers, choreographers and teachers who are seeking to make a move into an artistic leadership role are invited to submit their ideas and CVs by 1 September. Funding to support accommodation and meals will be provided.