Surf the Wave – countdown to the first UK Dance Showcase
Mon 30 July 2018
Surf the Wave is the major project led by Pavilion Dance South West (PDSW), on behalf of the National Dance Network (NDN) and supported by DanceXchange, South East Dance, The Place and Yorkshire Dance.
The UK Dance Showcase will take place from 16 – 19 May 2019 in Bournemouth and Poole, and will focus on UK promoters and touring dance for the small-mid-scale in different contexts such as outdoors, libraries and museums.
This Showcase is replacing British Dance Edition which had an international focus. This shift in focus is designed to strengthen the UK dance economy, extend UK touring for more companies and nurture more promoters to programme dance.
Surf the Wave core costs are supported by Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence fund, Jerwood Charitable Foundation and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Eddie Nixon – Director, Theatre & Artist Development at The Place said, “This is such an important moment, not just for the dance economy in the UK but for the development of dance artists in this country. Through this platform, many artists and companies will get the chance to tour to venues and perform to audiences who would not normally get the opportunity to see them. This is a real step forward for the industry”.
There will be a series of announcements about how the event will be delivered. PDSW’s Head of Performance Sheila Creevey is seconded full-time as Project Director for a year. The Curatorial Committee has been selected, and the open call out to artists and companies to participate has now closed with 187 entries.
Commenting on her vision as Director for the Showcase, Sheila said, “Surf the Wave is a three-year project that affords us an opportunity to radically re-think how we showcase and tour dance productions in the UK. The UK Dance Showcase will be the highlight moment, drawing together artists, promoters and audiences to celebrate British dance. Our vision is for an event that is inclusive and inspiring, that will shine a light on the spaces and places that can be animated by dance.”
The newly selected Curatorial Committee will be chaired by Eckhard Thiemann, who brings with him a legacy of experience in the curation of dance showcases.
The other members of the Committee are:
- Zannah Doan, Chief Executive, PDSW
- Cath James, South East Dance
- Freddie Opoku-Addaie, independent artist and programmer
- Helen Dawson, Dance East
- Chris Ricketts, Cardiff Dance Festival
- Kate Wood, Activate Performing Arts
- Phil Hargreaves, Déda
- Oliver Carruthers, Gulbenkian
- Lucie Mirkova, DanceXchange
- Dan Daw, Independent artist
- Hakeem Onibudo, Independent artist and Changemaker at The Place, London
This committee will review all of the work submitted through the open call out and support the final decision on the work that will be performed at the showcase.
Nottingham based Dance4 are leading on ensuring UK dance is promoted to presenters internationally and will ensure that the UK Dance Showcase dovetails with their work.