Dance UK launches new Dancers' Mentoring Programme

Dance UK, with the support of Arts Council England and in a new partnership with Dancers’ Career Development, is launching a mentoring programme for 20 mid-career dancers who have been identified by their peers as future leaders of the arts. Applications from independent dancers with Dance UK membership and dancers who work for Dance UK company members are now welcome. Deadline for all applications is Friday 7 September 2012. Six independent dancers and 14 company dancers will be awarded mentorships including a paid mentor and a £300 personal bursary.

This programme recognises the huge potential for dancers to become leaders. It is designed to build capacity within the dance workforce and to ensure skills and knowledge retention in the sector, addressing problems of succession to key dance roles. The aims are to build dancers’ confidence and highlight their transferable skills, to provide guidance and to demonstrate the opportunities available to performers with perceived leadership potential in both artistic and non-artistic roles.

Over eight months they will be provided with a paid mentor who is a high profile leader from the arts world or beyond the sector. Each mentor will be individually matched to the dancers by Dance UK. Mentors who are role models within dance, and can demonstrate a similar shift from performing in their own career history may be the most useful mentors. The aim is to support the dancers to help them consider their future beyond or alongside their current performing careers.

Dance UK has designed this programme inspired by the successful dancers’ mentoring programme the organisation ran in England and Scotland in 2007. Of the 16 dancers who took part five years ago, eight have gone on to leadership positions including: Andrew Hurst, who became General Manager of Phoenix Dance and is now Company Manager of the Royal Ballet; Rachel Krische who became Head of Dance for Northern School of Contemporary Dance and is now Head of Dance for Leeds Metropolitan University; Pedro Machado and Stine Nilsen, co-Directors of Candoco Dance Company; James MacGillvray, Acting Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre; Claire Cunningham who was appointed Rehearsal Director of Sidi Larbi’s company and Michaela Polley, Rehearsal Director of Rambert Dance Company.

All of the dancers found the programme to be of great benefit. Former mentee Pedro Machado, says:
“Dance UK’s Dancers’ Mentoring Scheme is a valuable assistance in the challenging transition from dancing, onto something new...it works as a vital resource for the dance world, so in need of keeping talent, and practical understanding, within the sector.”

For more information about how to apply, just follow this link:

http://www.danceuk.org/news/article/dance-uk-launches-new-dancers-mentoring-programme/