People Dancing :: People Dancing marks 30 years with 30 Honorary Life Memberships

Our 30 names for 30 years

People Dancing marks 30 years with 30 Honorary Life Memberships

Date posted: 14 December 2016

Prestigious awards made at special celebration event hosted by the English Folk Dance and Song Society...

People Dancing, the development organisation and membership body for community and participatory dance, is delighted to announce the awarding of 30 Honorary Life Memberships to mark its 30th anniversary, in 2016.

The awards, made to some of the people who have made an exceptional contribution to community dance and People Dancing, were announced at a special 30th anniversary celebration event held at Cecil Sharp House, London, home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, last night.

The 30 names for 30 years are:

1. Diane Amans
2. Sujata Bannerjee
3. Ken Bartlett
4. Carol Brown
5. Dr Susanne Burns
6. Kate Castle
7. Sanjeevini Dutta
8. Scilla Dyke MBE
9. Fergus Early OBE
10. Kiki Gale MBE
11. Karen Gallagher MBE
12. Beverley Glean
13. Gil Graystone
14. Linda Jasper MBE
15. Veronica Jobbins
16. Isabel Jones
17. Rosemary Lee
18. Prof Veronica Lewis MBE
19. Royston Maldoom OBE
20. Marie McCluskey MBE
21. Cecilia Macfarlane
22. Tamara McLorg
23. Jane Mooney
24. Judith Palmer
25. Philip Piggin
26. Bisakha Sarker MBE
27. Wolfgang Stange
28. Jayne Stevens
29. Christopher Thomson
30. Ruth Till MBE.

Picture shows: People Dancing's first 30 Honorary Life Members at the organisation's 30th anniversary celebration:
Left to right, sitting / kneeling: Kiki Gale MBE, Christopher Thomson, Fergus Early OBE, Cecilia Macfarlane, Karen Gallagher MBE, Royston Maldoom OBE, Isabel Jones, Tamara McLorg
Left to right standing: Kate Castle, Dr Susanne Burns, Sanjeevini Dutta, Marie McCluskey MBE, Carol Brown, Professor Veronica Lewis MBE, Bisakha Sarker MBE, Scilla Dyke MBE, Ken Bartlett, Veronica Jobbins, Beverley Glean, Jayne Stevens, Diane Amans, Jane Mooney, Ruth Till MBE
Photo - Richard Parr
Not present: Sujata Bannerjee, Gil Graystone, Linda Jasper MBE, Rosemary Lee, Judith Palmer, Philip Piggin, Wolfgang Stange.

Further details are available at www.communitydance.org.uk/30 The Board of People Dancing intends to announce more Honorary Life Memberships in the future.

The 30th anniversary event also saw the launch of a People Dancing fundraising campaign to creative a living archive of community dance practice. Titled The Museum of Us: Capturing community dance for future years, this joint project with researchers at De Montfort University, Leicester looks to capture and interpret community and participatory dance practices developed over the last 30 years to create an online resource.

• Anyone who would like to donate to The 30 Years’ Museum of Us appeal can do so online by visiting www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/people-dancing/museumofus or by texting PDIS30, followed by an amount they’d like to donate – eg £30 – to 70070. Also, anyone with archive material they’d like to donate, or an idea for a fundraising initiative to support the campaign, should contact Ruth Bates – on 0116 253 3453 or ruth@communitydance.org.uk

ENDS

For further information and photographs of the Honorary Life Members, please contact: Jeremy Waterfield, People Dancing on 0116 253 3453 or 07864 313455 or jeremy@communitydance.org.uk

Notes to editors:

People Dancing
People Dancing is the development organisation and membership body for community and participatory dance, working across the UK and internationally.

It is an invaluable resource for anyone who works in community dance and/or creates opportunities for people to participate in dance. It focuses on three key areas of delivery: Developing Practice, Developing Participation and Member Services.

Established in 1986, People Dancing has more than 2,300 members and reaches 4,500 dance professionals worldwide. People Dancing’s leadership of the community dance network provides a platform for exchange, critical debate and peer learning. This exposes its members to diverse dance practices and new contacts, expanding their professional horizons and strengthening their professional identity.

www.communitydance.org.uk