Dance Mapping - Arts Council England

expertise and skill could be of major significance in providing a workforce capable of inspiring
and developing the next generation of dancers as well as others for whom dance will remain
an interest rather than a career. In making a recommendation that a strategy be developed
for the workforce in dance, Tony Hall appears to recognise this and stated that the strategy
must ‘offer pathways for dancers coming to the end of their dancing career’ 65 . This is also of
interest in looking at the leadership issues raised in the environmental analysis.
The Dancer’s Career Development Fund has supported professional dance for over 30
years, helping dancers make the transition to a new career. Dance UK implemented a
mentoring scheme where dancers reaching the end of their performing careers are able to
work alongside another arts professional 66 . Individuals are given the opportunity to discover
their transferable skills and knowledge, which could potentially enable them to work in
another area of the sector. The Rayne Foundation offered choreographic fellowships and the
Paul Hamlyn Foundation has offered JADE 67 Fellowships since 2005.
Significantly, the larger companies appear to be supporting transition on a more strategic
level but there is evidence that smaller companies are adopting creative approaches to
transition. This can be evidenced through the JADE Fellowships.
Jane Attenborough Dance in Education Fellowships
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation established the Jane Attenborough Dance in Education
(JADE) Fellowships in 2005, following the death of Jane Attenborough in the 2004 Asian
Tsunami.
The JADE Fellowships recognised that, despite often relatively short careers, dancers have
valuable skills that could be transferred to dance in education and community settings.
‘The Fellowships offer an opportunity to capture and develop the skills and knowledge of a
professional dancer and to use that expertise for the wider benefit of the dance sector. The
scheme is designed to enable a dance company to create a programme of mentoring and
training for a dancer coming to the end of his or her career. The intention is that the dancer
will gain an insight into how dance can be used in a variety of education and community
settings whilst also building skills and confidence in planning, developing and delivering their
own projects in these settings. The Fellowship programme will vary according to the needs of
both the company and the individual. It is intended that both parties gain skills and knowledge
from the process – the dancer will be equipped to embark on a career as a dance animateur
and the company will have increased understanding of how it can contribute to transferring its
dancers’ skills to other areas of the sector.
65 The Dance Review: A Report to Government on Dance Education and Youth Dance in England by Tony Hall.
Online at www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/dancereview/
66 For example a venue promoter, marketing manager or a dance development officer
67 The Paul Hamlyn Foundation established the Jane Attenborough Dance in Education (JADE) Fellowships in 2005.
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