Scottish Ballet has recently been awarded £150,000 by the Life Changes Trust to enable the company to become dementia-friendly, setting up a programme of dementia-friendly dance-based activities for people living with dementia, their carers and families across Scotland. The funding will also help the company raise awareness about the condition, with activities taking take place in Glasgow, where Scottish Ballet is based. Activities will also be taken to cities where the company tours, including Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. Continue reading Dementia-friendly moves for Scottish Ballet
It is not often that an iconic musical theatre production is reintroduced to a new tour circuit, but that is what was recently announced. There will be a new UK tour of Cabaret, which will star Will Young and recent Strictly Come Dancing finalist Louise Redknapp.
Plans for an immersive pop-up Mamma Mia! spin-off production have been announced, following ABBA veteran Björn Ulvaeus and producer Ingrid Sutej applying for planning permission for a location on the South Bank in London. The process has begun for a new temporary space in London for Mamma Mia! spin-off, ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’.
London theatres have joined forces in order to support creative artists recently, collectively known as STAMP (Supporting Theatre and Makers of Performance). The new network aims to improve working practices for artists who make new theatre and performance by sharing knowledge and increasing conversations between member organisations and artists.
Shirley Ballas, the British-born Ballroom and Latin dancer and international coach, has been confirmed as the new judge on Strictly Come Dancing. Originally from Wallasey, Shirley is a former ‘British Open to the World’ Champion, European, German, United Kingdom, United States and International Latin American Champion. Shirley is now a coach to many of the top professional and amateur dancers as well as a highly renowned sought-after adjudicator for Ballroom and Latin American competitions.
Northern School of Contemporary Dance has awarded Honorary Fellowships for 2017 to Wayne McGregor CBE and Gary Clarke, representing the highest award the School can bestow. The prestigious titles were awarded earlier this month to the pair in recognition of their exceptional contribution to the school, contemporary dance as a whole, and to the current cultural landscape.
Some exciting projects are afoot in London over the next few years, with new theatres popping up all over the capital. Most recently, the newly rebranded The Other Palace (formerly the St James) opened its doors to the public, with others including the return of Southwark Playhouse to the vaults at London Bridge. 
Running from 8 – 12 August 2017 at Sadler’s Wells, Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company’s Flamencura works to reconnect with flamenco’s roots, stripping away theatricality and narrative, and providing a platform for the company to present and express their deepest emotions. The company is led by acclaimed flamenco guitarist, composer, dramatist and producer Paco Peña. 
An inspiring 10-day residency is taking place at The Isadora & Raymond Duncan Dance Research in Athens, Greece this July, with modern dancers invited to join artistic director Lori Belilove to experience a week of dance enlightenment.
National Youth Dance Company, the country’s flagship organisation for young dancers which is run by Sadler’s Wells, will work with renowned choreographer Sharon Eyal as the next Guest Artistic Director of the company. NYDC continues its search for the next intake of 30 young dancers to join the company for 2017-18, and work with Eyal to create a new dance production, with Experience Workshops taking place across England throughout July.