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Dance organisations to merge

Stacey MacNaught |

Earlier this year it was announced that Arts Council England had awarded a major grant for a new strategic dance body, through merging the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD), Dance UK, National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA) and Youth Dance England (YDE). These imperative organisations for dance in the UK are now hoped to be stronger than before, as individuals, providing the ultimate service for everything dance. The three year commissioned grant for what has been described as a ground-breaking consortium will bring the four leading dance organisations together to create a unified industry body, somewhere people can approach for dance regardless of their need. This transformation is a response to industry demand, and the combined impact of the organisations will be much greater than as stand-alone bodies. GDC_onlywayaroundADAD, Dance UK, NDTA and YDE will accumulate expertise to form a strong specialist partnership which will deliver excellence in education (at its heart); youth dance; dance of the African diaspora; performance, health and well-being; and management, leadership and career development. As a result, children and young people’s dance will be central to the work of the new organisation in supporting them throughout their dancing lives. The new organisation will also create more exciting and progressive opportunities for young people and dance professionals. Conclusively, the consortium will support a national approach to the delivery of dance services and will encourage development across the industry, from children and young people’s dance to professional dance practice. This new working model will directly benefit the 40,000 plus dance workforce and correctly represent diversity, as well as children dancing in and outside school. In promoting best practice and nurturing talent for dance, the new body will provide a single voice for dance and centralise a hub for dance knowledge. In turn this will be used to converse with policy makers and politicians regarding the developing arts sector.