From the editor
Chris Stenton, Development Director, Foundation for Community Dance
Following the success of the London 2012 bid to host the Olympics and Paralympics, the emerging debate about how the dance profession might engage with 'the greatest show on earth' is beginning to build momentum. Some of this debate has been positive, some not: for most of us this is new territory, so this isn't really surprising. In an attempt to raise the stakes for community dance,and in a change to our usual interview format, Scilla Dyke reveals four critical perspectives on the potential of the Games for community dance and the dance profession as a whole.
Kiki Gale and Anthony Peppiatt of East London Dance look at the potential for regeneration - in the widest sense of the word - from the perspective of a dance organisation based within the geographic focus of the Games. Hilary Carty, director of culture and education for the London 2012 bid team, urges us to 'select in' to the cultural journey. Sue Harrison, Chair of the Foundation for Community Dance and former director of arts at the British Council, calls for us to agree some common values and ambitions to use the opportunities surrounding the Olympics to create a lasting legacy for community dance. Paddy Masefield considers the contrast in public perception between disabled artists and disabled sports people, and the need to address this before the staging of the London Paralympics.
As hinted at in the last issue of Animated,we're also pleased to feature here some of the proceedings of the Country Dancing? Symposium held in Somerset in May 2005. Kate Castle sets the scene to the Symposium, and François Matarasso, in an adaptation of his keynote speech, examines some of the issues faced by the arts and dance in rural or non-urban places.
Elsewhere in the magazine life coach and arts management consultant June Gamble looks at whether relocation might be a good idea, Deborah Ashby looks at testing the impact of professional development opportunities for artists on the dance infrastructure of the North West, whilst Suzannah Broughton tells us about Dance United's Berlin-blockbuster film Rhythm is It!
As Sue Harrison states,we really want to hear your ideas and thoughts about how community dance might engage with the Olympics. 2012 sounds like a very long way away... but it'll be here before we know it, so get in touch and tell us what you think. And let's think big.
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Animated: Autumn 2005