People Dancing

Variety attracts me in almost any form, and that includes travel. Both personally and professionally I've been all over the place this autumn - Sardinia (on holiday), Korea and China (by invitation as a journalist) and Cuba (on assignment). I tend to work hard on these business trips, but I'm also acutely aware of what a privileged existence I lead to have such opportunities.

There's a similarly wide-ranging spirit afoot in community dance, something that I trust this issue of Animated might well reflect. We've opted to hang it all on the thematic peg of Personal Viewpoints. To that end we've got Jo Verrent examining Caroline Bowditch's role as Dance Artist for Change at Scottish Dance Theatre, but doing so within the context of artistic director Janet Smith's expanded vision of how she and the company can broaden the art form's possibilities. Rachel Elliott, in her article on English folk dance, references the historical achievements of a couple of key players in that field without neglecting what's happening today. Then there's Niki Pollard asking community dance practitioners of all stripes if they're... Read more