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11 Million Reasons to Dance is a photography exhibition and short film programme that was conceptualised and launched in 2014 through funding from Unlimited Impact and Arts Council England. Since its launch, the exhibition has been touring the UK and overseas, featuring Sean Goldthorpe’s 20 commissioned images of iconic dance moments from film, all reimagined with Deaf, sight impaired and disabled dancers.

The original work has since inspired a number of developments that have expanded the name, including our 11 Million Reasons to Dance - strategic touring programme (2016-2018). The project worked in partnership with six venues across the Midlands and North of England to deliver a strategic programme of performance, training and engagement, all focused around the current exhibition. The aim of the tour was to support diversity programmes and to help organisations embed inclusivity at the heart of what they do.

The exhibition has toured extensively across the UK and internationally, including London’s Southbank Centre, Tramway, Glasgow, Helsinki and Hong Kong and has been experienced by over half a million people worldwide This innovative exhibition has been the inspiration behind a number of participation projects and programmes and continues to be referenced and experienced many years on.

A digital version of the 11 Million Reasons to Dance exhibition is available to view below.

Audio descriptions

If you are visually impaired or blind and would like to experience the 11 Million Reasons exhibition in full, please access our audio description files on this page below. There is a file describing each of the 20 images, along with an introduction and conclusion about the project.

Audio descriptions are written, recorded and spoken by Isabel Jones, Artistic Director, Salamanda Tandem. She has over 30 years audio description experience, particularly in performance and the arts sector.

Access the audio descriptions though Soundcloud

Funded by

The 11 Million Reasons to Dance photography exhibition is a People Dancing commission, supported by Unlimited Impact, Arts Council England and private contributors through our Sponsume campaign, launched in 2014.

People Dancing gratefully acknowledges the support of everyone who gave generously to our crowd funding campaign to support the development of this exhibition, including: David Leventhal, Chris Stenton, Jane Ralls, Rachel Emmett, Helen Angove, Ken Bartlett, Catherine Middleton, Maria Koripas, Emma Hayes, James Riley @Effect Digital, Sara Houston and Koo Bhangra at The Unloved.

People Dancing is an Unlimited Ally; celebrating the work of disabled artists as part of the Unlimited programme.www.weareunlimited.org.uk

11 Million Reasons to Dance Resources

11 Million Reasons to Dance Networking Event online 24 Nov 2020.

This video is a recording of the People Dancing 11 Million Reasons to Dance Networking event held on zoom on 24th November 2020. The network is for disabled dance artists, disability led dance organisations and organisations who work with disabled dancers. Please note this recording is poor quality due to wifi dropout and the screen is on speaker view to support the pining of the BSL interpreters for access requirements of participants involved.

Invisible Difference conference

If you have ever wondered how the concept of the 11 Million Reasons to Dance exhibition came about or the logistics of creating the work, here, Louise Wildish (Director of Engagement) and Vanessa Oxspring (Associate Director 2016-2018) talk about the 11 Million Reasons to Dance projects conceptualisation and its aims and future vision.

Recorded in 2016 at the Invisible Difference Conference at Coventry University.

Watch the discussion here

Strategic touring evaluation report in partnership with Coventry University

11 Million Reasons to Dance Evaluation Report

Download file (14MB)