‘We are so lucky to have DanceEast here in Ipswich. It is one of the things that makes me proud to live here.’ – (audience member)
As we settle into our summer season and the new financial year at the Jerwood DanceHouse, we wanted to share our successes from the past year. After the impact of the pandemic, it has been a united effort to regain momentum and continue to impact audiences and share the joy of dance with local communities and beyond, ‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting new friends… now we have this wonderful group in common.’ (Movers participant).
Three values drive us forwards: a passionate pursuit of quality, a commitment to make dance compelling, inclusive and accessible for everyone, and a determination to focus effort and investment where it has the greatest impact, ‘You (DanceEast) are an example of best practice through and through’ (Flexer & Sandiland). Read on to find out more about our programmes and impact.
“Dance is everything to me. Dance is expression, recovery, it’s a kind of beautiful art form.” (CAT student)
Over the last year, we:
- recorded over 22,000 attendances to our dance activities, projects, and performances
- engaged over 13,000 people with performances at the Jerwood DanceHouse and across Suffolk
- engaged over 5,000 children and young people with dance activity inside and outside of school-time
- provided dance provision for 330 people living with Dementia or Parkinson’s disease
- provided specialist dance activity for 160 people with a disability or additional learning needs
- Support up to 300 artists with advisory sessions and support
- announced 6 new associate artists who will be supported by DanceEast until 2025
- commissioned and co-commissioned 19 dance works
- engaged over 1,000 children in rural primary schools with Digital Primaries, with approximately 60 teachers co-delivering sessions
In 2022-23 the CAT programme:
- welcomed 98 new and returning young people to CAT intensive dance training
- said goodbye to 18 graduates, with 16 going on to conservatoire training
- commissioned 7 new pieces of work for the CAT students to perform
- worked with 48 artists and musicians
As a registered charity, we rely on the generosity of our core funders and supporters, including our loyal audience, and volunteers. Your support helps ensure we remain at the vanguard of artistic, participatory, and educational practice in dance.
We would like to say thank you to our friends and donors, who continue to support us and ensure we can provide a wealth of opportunities and deliver our programmes. Through these activities our impact is felt locally, regionally, and nationally: we give more people the chance to experience and create the highest quality dance, for the greatest benefit of all.
Find out how you can donate and support us here.
Image credits: Malachy Luckie, Alexander Ward, Lesley Van Dijk, Alicia Clarke, Camilla Greenwell
