People Dancing :: Home :: Foundation for Community Dance

People Dancing is the development and membership organisation for community and participatory dance, driving forward inclusion and excellence through professional development, resources & safeguarding services, specialist programmes & networks. It supports a UK-wide network of members - dance artists, practitioners and organisations - who make great dance happen in all its diversity.

People Dancing offers a range of memberships for individual dance artists, teachers and leaders, and for organisations of all sizes.

COVID-19 Government guidance and risk assessment considerations

To assist dance artists, practitioners and teachers in preparing for a return to in-person practical work during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve outlined some areas to consider when undertaking a risk assessment of your work in respect of COVID-19.

Tango in lockdown

The Tango Effect: Parkinson’s and the Healing Power of Dance was published during the COVID-19 pandemic, shortly after the country went into lockdown. Here, we are pleased to share recordings with you that were made by the author, Kate Swindlehurst, from March - July 2020.

Listen here

On a mission

On a mission

Listen to dance artist Tamar Dixon talking about her Podcast series, ‘INSiGHTZ: An insight into your dance journey’: a series of interviews, personal stories, experiences and hot topics about dance.

Listen here

Individual artists toolkit

A resource for artists to help them demonstrate the value and impact of participatory arts and develop partnerships for funding work - including a Marketing & Communications pack and a set of Case Studies.

Find out more

Parkinson's discussion

Dance with Parkinson’s roundtable discussion

Cheryl McChesney and Kiki Gale in conversation with artists, producers and dancers bringing together a range of perspectives on dance with people with lived experience of Parkinson's during lockdown.

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Marcia's story

Knocking on doors with biscuits

People Dancing Associate Artist Louise Katerega in conversation with dancer and choreographer Marcia Edwards about her transition from dancer to setting up her own community dance company.

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New skills, new normal?

Moving, in and out of lockdown

Arts participation specialist Peter Laycock offers some thoughts around our new ability to deliver digitally and asks us to imagine what we could achieve in the future without the restrictions of lockdown

Read Peter's blog

Artistic courage

Maria da Luz Ghoumrassi. Photo: Foteini Christofilopolous.

Artistic courage under lockdown

Associate Artist Louise Katerega in conversation with artists and People Dancing Members Jorja Follina and Maria da Luz Ghoumrassi talking about the benefits of a one to one with People Dancing and their very different experiences of dealing with lockdown at such short notice.

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Additional tips

10 things I've learnt over the past five years

Creative Director and artist Kwesi Johnson on mindset, methodology and our ability to transition to teaching dance and movement online.

Read Kwesi's blog

Dance delivery online

Dance and digital participation

In this vlog for People Dancing Tom Hobden reflects on his experiences of developing participatory dance delivery online, using digital tools and the art of making a human connection.

Watch Tom's vlog

Being together

Dancers Yi Kwek, Stella Mcauly, Maria Evans and Kiera Sanderson. Photo: Sophie Jane Hughes

Love letter to a lost dance

Dr Ruth Pethybridge, Senior Lecturer, Dance, University of Falmouth and People Dancing Board member invites us, in a bid to articulate the value of our shared practice of dancing, to write a love letter to a lost dance

Read Ruth's blog

Early Years work

Why Men in Early Years Dance aren't just here for fun!

George Fellows, dance artist and Co-Artistic Director of Four Hands talks to Liz Clark, Associate Artist for Early Years, about maleness, nurturing and mental and physical health.

Read George's blog

Disabled dance artists

Five disabled dance artists on issues being faced amid COVID-19

Professional disabled dance artists and practitioners: Kimberley Harvey, Joseph Issac Powell, Kate Stanforth, Kitty Fedorec and Laura Dajao talk about some of the issues being faced amid COVID-19

Access the discussion