The JADE Fellowship

In 2004, Jane Attenborough, arts manager for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, tragically lost her life in the Asian Tsunami. Jane, a founding director of Dance UK, was passionate about dance, having previously worked for the Royal Academy of Dance, Arts Council England, and Ballet Rambert. The Jane Attenborough Dance in Education (JADE) Fellowship has been set up by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation in Jane’s memory. It is an award of £50,000 given to a dance company to fund two years’ training for a dancer coming to the end of his or her performing career. Because of Jane’s connection with the company, Rambert was chosen to be the first recipient of the award, and Simon Cooper, the scheme’s first fellow. Alison Kirkman spoke first to Kate Scanlon, Rambert’s director of education, and then to Simon, who will take his major project into vocational schools around the country this autumn and complete his training this December