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Posted on October 29, 2012
Twenty dancers have been chosen to take part in Dance UK’s leadership mentoring scheme. The programme offers workforce development for mid-career dancers who have been nominated by their peers as future leaders. It is organised by by Dance UK in partnership with Dancers’ Career Development, with the support of Arts Council England. Over eight months, each dancer will be provided with a paid mentor who is a high-profile leader from the arts world or beyond.
Demand for the scheme was particularly high. Dance UK plans to respond by seeking further funding, hoping to extend the programme to Scotland and to repeat it in 2013 and 2014 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The dancers selected to take part this year are:
Kate Coyne, dancer, Michael Clark Company
Shane Shambhu, dancer, actor and artistic director of Shane Shambhu Company
Neil Westmoreland, resident director for Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures
Kit Holder, first artist, Birmingham Royal Ballet
Jonathan Goddard, independent dancer
Laura Jones, dancer for Stopgap Dance Company
Lee T Johnston, dancer, National Dance Company Wales
Henrietta Hale, independent dance artist
Sonia Sabri, artistic director of Sonia Sabri Company and independent dancer, choreographer and teacher
Malgorzata Dzierzon , dancer, Rambert Dance Company
Jonathan Payn, first soloist, Birmingham Royal Ballet
Hannah Bateman, leading soloist, Northern Ballet
Angela Towler, dancer, Rambert Dance Company
Catarina Carvalho, dancer, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance
Anusha Subramanyam, artistic director of Beeja, performer and choreographer
Emma Dunn, independent dance artist
Naomi Cook, Springs Dance Company, freelance dancer, teacher, rehearsal director
Catherine Bennett, independent dance artist
Dena Lague, independent dance artist
Nicole Watson, dancer and creative director at Surface Area Dance Theatre
The selection panel included Pedro Machado, co-artistic director of Candoco Dance Company (who was in the mentoring scheme of 2006); Marie McCluskey, founder and director of Swindon Dance; arts manager and dance company leader Sue Wyatt; Benjamin Dunks, artistic director of Attik Dance; Dr Scilla Dyke, senior lecturer at the Royal Academy of Dance and trustee of Dancers’ Career Development; Monique Deletant, administrative director of Akademi South Asian Dance UK and Jan De Schynkel, former dancer, teacher, choreographer and Arts Council England relationship manager.
Picture: Kit Holder. Photograph: Tim Cross