People Dancing

11 Million Reasons Photography Exhibition from People Dancing on Vimeo.

About the Network and how to get involved 

The 11 Million Reasons to Dance Network is for anyone who currently works, or aims to work, with access and inclusion embedded into their dance practice, ensuring that there are sustained opportunities for disabled people to participate in dance.

The network is made up of organisations, artists and practitioners who have been involved in People Dancing's disability programmes, including the 11 Million Reasons to Dance photography exhibition and strategic tour, our ongoing annual networking events, and previous strategic networks including the former Dance for Change.

The network provides annual gatherings in partnership with Para Dance UK and Attenborough Arts Centre, and biannual newsletters which provide a national overview of current issues, support and opportunities.

 

Join the 11 Million Reasons to Dance Network mailing list here

We are delighted that through funding from Arts Council Wales, People Dancing will be taking the 11 Million Reasons to Dance exhibition and bespoke programme of activity to Wales. Working alongside partners Artis Community, Ballet Cymru, New Dance, Impelo, Dawns i Bawb, Disability Arts Cymru and a range of partners, we will be touring the exhibition and supporting and developing dance practitioners to deliver dance activity with D/deaf, sight impaired and disabled people across communities. The two year programme includes creation of a new Welsh exhibition, and a national networking event in Cardiff in 2021. The aim of the work is to change perceptions and support disabled people to participate in dance.

The exhibition is available for hire in the UK and overseas. The exhibition portfolio comes with six short films on dance and disability and audio description files.

The digital version comes in a file that is transfered to the hirer and the films are available to download to all hirers. The standard hire agreement is for up to one month, periods that go beyond that are negotiable. More hirers information can be found in the documents below. 

For all hire enquiries please email with preferred dates for hire to Louise Wildish: louise@communitydance.org.uk

The photographer

Sean Goldthorpe is a Leicester-based photographer having studied a Masters degree at De Montfort University, Sean has worked on a number of high profile commissions, including the world premiere of Aakash Odedra's 'Echoes and I Imagine' at Leicester's Curve; To see more of Sean's work visit sean-goldthorpe.squarespace.com

The participants

The participants involved in the photography exhibition were predominately Deaf and disabled people for whom dance is a large part of their life, either professionally or vocationally. We worked with people of all ages, from local schools and youth groups to adults who dance in their local communities, through to some of the leading disabled choreographers and professional dancers in the UK. Please see photography exhibition for list of names.

Set Dresser: Nicky Moorhouse, Producer: Louise Wildish, Hair and Make up: Kristie Matthiae, Photographer’s Assistant: Oscar Henton.

Thanks also to the following people for their help in making 11 Million Reasons to Dance happen:

Nicola Chambers, Louise Katerega, Richard Kimbell and Furniture Barn, Market Harborough, staff at Curve, Richard at Sheehans Music Shop, Estelle at 19Gale, Alaistair Read at Leicester City Council, Jess and Becky at Dance4, staff at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Drew Gardner and Lucinda Marland, Bhavna at the Peepul Centre, staff at The Core at Corby Cube, Para Dance UK, Jo Verrent and staff at Unlimited and everyone at People Dancing.

You may also be interested in looking at our:

Useful contacts: Dance and disabled people