Are you a regular attender at DanceEast, and are you passionate about dance performance? Would you be interested in sharing your love of dance with others, and encouraging them to come and see a show or try a class for the first time?
Contemporary dance is for everyone, but it’s often the case that people don’t consider watching a dance performance in the same way they might do a play, panto, musical, or even a football match.
There is so much moving, exciting, joyful, and surprising dance on offer at the Jerwood
DanceHouse, for people of all ages, right here in Ipswich, and we need your help bringing it to a wider audience.
We are looking for three enthusiastic individuals to join us as Audience Ambassadors as part of our Future Dance Audiences project, funded by Foyle Foundation. There are three audience groups in particular that are most underrepresented amongst our current attenders; families, 18- to 35year-olds, and people of the Global Majority – this group includes people who define as being of African, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Latin American, Black/African/Caribbean backgrounds, and other mixed ethnic backgrounds. We would like each Audience Ambassador to focus on, and work with, one of these three audience groups.
What is a DanceEast Audience Ambassador?
An Audience Ambassador acts as a passionate advocate for DanceEast, working with us to connect, network and introduce new people to the organisation. You will identify as belonging to at least one of the three priority audience groups mentioned above and draw on your personal experience as a regular DanceEast audience member to help us improve our public profile, demystify dance, and encourage people to try dance performance for the first time.
You will work with DanceEast staff, and an external Audience Development Specialist, to support the delivery of various aspects of the Future Dance Audiences project. For example, recruiting participants for consultations and focus groups (to help us understand what people think of DanceEast and what we can do to appeal to a wider range of people), identifying and attending local and regional events to network and advocate for DanceEast, and attending performances in our building during the Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025 seasons to welcome newcomers.
How do I get involved?
Please download the Audience Ambassador Brief for an overview of this opportunity and the Information Sheet that feels most relevant to you to find out more about the Future Dance Audiences project and how the Audience Ambassadors role fits within this:
- Audience Ambassadors Brief
- Information Sheet for Audience Ambassadors – 18-35s
- Information Sheet for Audience Ambassadors – Families
- Information Sheet for Audience Ambassadors – Global Majority
If you think you could be an Audience Ambassador for DanceEast and would love to help us and support this project, we want to hear from you! Get in touch with us by emailing amy.falla@danceeast.co.uk and tell us a little bit about yourself and why you would like to get involved.
We will then get back to you after the closing date, Wednesday 22 May, to invite you to come in and have an informal chat with us about how we might work together.
Before contacting us, we would encourage you to read more about the Future Dance Audiences project and how the Audience Ambassador role fits within this, by downloading the relevant ‘Further Information’ document from our Careers webpage. There is a separate document for each priority audience group, so please download the one which feels most relevant to you.
Project Timeline and Remuneration
The project has already commenced and will conclude in May 2025. We are aiming for the Audience Ambassadors to start in June 2024.
In recognition of the time and work involved in undertaking this role, remuneration of up to £4,OOO is offered for each Audience Ambassador and will be paid in instalments throughout the project.
