About us

Formed in 1986, People Dancing supports a UK-wide and international network of members - dancers, teaching artists, community practitioners and organisations - who make great dance happen in all its diversity.

Our membership reaches more than 4,500 dance professionals worldwide. We are inspired by a firm belief that everyone has a right to experience dance.

Our organisational values

The way we work at People Dancing is defined by our organisational values. These are to strive for:

Excellence – in participation and progression in dance for all
Inclusion – always at the heart of what we do and why we do it
Collaboration – where actions give greater strength and voice to all involved
Openness – in all our working practices.

Our artistic values

These underpin our activities and the way we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. Our artistic values call on us:

To place people, their aspirations, rights and choices at the centre in providing opportunities for individuals and communities to operate creatively and artistically
To respect everyone’s right of equal access to quality experiences in dance of all kinds
Not to be limited by form, style or convention and to embrace digital possibilities
To contribute positively to people’s health and wellbeing, resilience, social relationships and creative learning
To develop dance as an artform, working with highly skilled and professionally developed dance artists and practitioners.

In this section:

Who we are

What is community dance?

Disabled People Dancing

Early Years Dance

Global Majority Heritage Activity & Activism

Live Well & Dance with Parkinson's

Jobs and opportunities in dance

Sociable Dancing workshop: Wed 23 July

Social folk dancing at Steps for Success conference, Cecil Sharp House 2018. ©EFDSS. Photo: Roswitha

This workshop with English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS) expands your knowledge of folk dances to enhance your toolbox?of dance stimuli, build a shared sense of place, and discover the joys of moving together in sociable dancing!

Inclusive practice workshop: Thu 24 July

< Insert title here >. Photo: Paul Fuller.

Inclusive Practice: Collective Rhythms, Individual Stories Performance and participatory practice intertwine at SLiDE Dance. This has been developed with people with moderate access needs including autism and learning disabilities in non-traditional venues with ways for audiences to engage and interact.

Dance in Education workshop: Tue 22 July

Akademi, Plastic Drastic Fantastic, Harrow Arts Centre. Photo: Brian Hartley.

Join Suba Subramaniam, choreographer and Akademi’s Artistic Director for a one-day workshop, designed for dance artists, leaders, students, and teachers. Dive into the dynamic world of South Asian dance and explore its power to address critical issues of today, especially environmental crisis.

Movement in infants workshop: Tue 22 July

From the moment of birth, movement becomes a shared language between parent and child. This workshop, with Mafê Toledo, invites dance artists, students and facilitators to investigate the role of movement in early attachment and development.

Dancing with Parkinson’s workshop: 22 & 23 July

Live Well & Dance with Parkinson's - North Carlisle 2024. Photographer: Rachel Cherry.

This advanced training workshop with Jen Cunningham and Julie Symmonds, for teaching artists with a keen interest in deepening their practice across and within the field of dancing with Parkinson’s offers intensive experiential and practical sessions in the studio.

Dance with Older People workshop: Wed 23 July

People Dancing Summer Intensive 2024. Photographer: Mark Anderson.

An introductory workshop with Diane Amans in the studio for dancers, teaching artists and community practitioners who want to gain skills, knowledge and experience in leading creative dance with older people.

Writing effectively about your work: Tue 22 July

Words to Move: Writing effectively about your work From funding applications to academic writing to social media posts - is it challenging to find the right words? Are you looking to connect with your audience, or write a crucial funding application? Then this workshop with Dr. Funmi Adewole Elliott is for you!

Take charge of your dance career: Wed 23 July

Do you need more of a life/work balance? Is a career decision on the cards? Or are you looking to make a major life change? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then join June Gamble to take charge of your dance career!

Dance and Consent Event: Thu 24 July

People Dancing Summer Intensive. Photo: Rachel Cherry.

A unique event where practitioners and researchers from dance and law come together to explore the current complexities of working with consent. Members of the Network including Heni Hale, Anna Macdonald and Jo Fong, and legal scholars including Marie Jacob and Amanda Keeling.

Gain key teaching skills: Tue 22 & Wed 23 July

Yik Sau Chung, To Fly Before We Fall. (c) Andy Day.

Join Alister O’Loughlin of The Urban Playground team - Cornwall’s award-winning physical theatre & performance-parkour company - to gain key skills and knowledge to improve your teaching skills for community and participatory dance.

Join Dr. Eline Kieft for a mini retreat: Thu 24 July

After a year of teaching, holding space and giving to others, it's essential to take time to replenish before the summer break. Join Dr. Eline Kieft for a mini retreat that blends movement, nature awareness and creative reflection.

It’s the little things…

People Dancing Summer School 2024. Photo: Mark Anderson.

If you are contemplating attending this year's Summer Intensive 2025, perhaps independent dance artist and educator Claire Pring - who has both delivered and participated in it - can offer some food for thought. Here, writing fresh from a workshop last year, Claire has a moment of realisation about what she values about ‘continuing professional development'.

Company details

People Dancing is the trading name of the Foundation for Community Dance
Registered Charity no. 328392
Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales no. 2415458
VAT no. 109056137
Registered office: LCB Depot, 31 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1RE.

Our organisational values

Our artistic values

Company details

Our funders