Dance UK announces 2013-15 programme

Dance UK will expand its mentoring scheme, host two major dancers’ health conferences, and raise dancers’ profiles in the political arena, as part of its recently announced 2013-15 programme.

The British advocate for dance unveiled the programme at an event on 16 September, held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

The two-year scheme of national activities will see the group work with dance professionals at all stages of their careers, and is supported by funding from Arts Council England and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Dance UK also announced new funding from Tamara Rojo (pictured), Dance UK board member and artistic director of English National Ballet, has donated a €10,000 prize, awarded to her by Banco Santander Foundation.

The money is part of the Santander Bank Foundation Award for Anglo-Spanish Relations, which recognises the significant contribution by a British or Spanish person of eminence in bringing Britain and Spain closer together.

Highlights of Dance UK’s 2013-15 programme include: the expansion of the successful Dance UK Dancers’ Mentoring programme with the addition of a new Dance Teaching Mentoring programme; and the launch of the DanceVote 2015 advocacy campaign to raise the profile of dance with politicians in the run-up to the general election.

Dance UK will also host two major dancers’ health conferences as part of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science: ‘Beyond the Body: Psychological Tools for Performance Enhancement and Wellbeing in Dance’ on 29 November at the Birmingham Hippodrome, and a dance and aesthetic sports conference at the Royal Society of Medicine on 7 April 2014.