Overview
There are nine Rayne Fellows for Choreography. The 2006 Fellows were Adam Benjamin, Laila Diallo, Luca Silvestrini and Sue Smith. The 2007 cohort included the late David Fielding, Tamsin Fitzgerald, Kate Flatt, Jeanefer Jean-Charles, Rosie Kay and Darren Pritchard.
Each of the nine Fellows can be booked as speakers to talk about their experiences and by colleges, universities and vocational dance schools.
What the Fellowships consisted of
Each Fellow received £10,000 each and had the chance to apply for a further £5,000 for a Big Idea at the end of their secondments.
The fellows undertook a series of secondments in a range of contexts they would not normally interact with, including Dartmoor Prison; the Soil Association; Plymouth Marine Science Partnership; the Plymouth Consortium for Cultural Diversity and the Arts; the Institute of Digital and Technology (i-DAT) at Plymouth University; Dance Voice Bristol, Time Together in Bristol, Dance United (an education organisation working with young people at risk); Tate St Ives; and the Whitechapel Art Gallery, amongst others.
Rayne Fellow Adam Benjamin said of working in Dartmoor Prison:
'The secondment has been a very important one for me. It has shown me a part of the world (on my doorstep) I might never otherwise have seen.'
Rayne Fellow Sue Smith said whilst undertaking her fellowship:
'I have (or will) among other things; attend life drawing classes, go out on an ocean trawl, join young homeless people in their arts sessions and take part in a mentor scheme for recent asylum seekers. Each secondment is already taking us somewhere else, to new ideas, perspectives and to find new ways to continue to enrich and enliven each others practice.'
Rayne Fellow Laila Diallo commented on why the fellowship was important to her:
'The fellowship allows me to invest time and energy in learning about people and from them, share thoughts and ideas with them and bring some of these new findings and experiences to my work.'
How The Rayne Fellowships for Choreography came about
The Fellowships were set up to support and encourage choreographers who want to connect more strongly with society, widen their intellectual and emotional curiosity, and develop their entrepreneurial skills. By helping them experience creativity within a range of contexts, the fellowships aimed to enhance the choreographers’ careers, and stimulate choreographic approaches that are performance and audience aware, outward-looking and engaged with the wider issues of humanity. The Rayne Fellowships are a partnership between The Rayne Foundation and Arts Council England and are administered by Dance UK. A total of over £200,000 was allocated to the project.
Tim Joss, Director of the Rayne Foundation said:
'As our society becomes ever more complex and diverse, we see the growth of incomprehension, insularity and intolerance. Whilst organisations can help to heal divisions, enlarge sympathies and promote understanding, their work alone will never be enough. We need inspiring individuals to build bridges within our complex world. The Rayne Fellowships aim to help and encourage these bridge builders within the UK. In these four Fellows, we have found both choreographic quality and a powerful commitment to bridge-building'
The Rayne Foundation expanded the fellowship scheme into other areas of culture and society within the UK. Ultimately the Rayne Foundation intends to build a network of Fellows, and to enable Fellows to use their influence to find solutions to the problems and needs facing society today.
Supporters of the project
When the The Rayne Fellowships for Choreographers was launched in 2006 with an impressive list of high profile champions for the project:
- Funmi Adewole (Chair, Association of Dance of The African Diaspora)
- John Ashford CBE (Theatre Director, The Place)
- Mark Baldwin (Artistic Director, Rambert Dance Company)
- Theresa Beattie (Arts Consultant)
- Matthew Bourne OBE (Choreographer)
- Carol Brown (Choreographer)
- Julia Carruthers (Head of Dance & Performance, South Bank Centre)
- Vicki Costello (NESTA)
- Jonzi D (Choreographer)
- Celeste Dandeker MBE (Artistic Director, CandoCo)
- Kate Flatt (Choreographer)
- Robert Hylton (Choreographer)
- Stuart Hopps (Choreographer)
- Shobana Jeyasingh MBE (Director, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company)
- Ross MacGibbon (Head of Dance, BBC)
- Wayne McGregor (Choreographer)
- Royston Maldoom OBE (Choreographer & Community Dance Consultant / Director)
- David Nixon (Artistic Director, Northern Ballet Theatre)
- Eddie Nixon (Manager of Artist Development, The Place)
- Sian Prime (Creative Consultant)
- Piali Ray OBE (Director, SAMPAD)
- Alistair Spalding (Chief Executive & Artistic Director Sadler’s Wells)
- Sheron Wray (Choreographer)
- Jan Younghusband (Commissioning Editor Arts & Performance, Channel 4)
About The Rayne Foundation
The Rayne Foundation was founded by Lord Rayne in 1962 and aims to engage with the needs of UK and Israeli society and help address them. Its focus is on arts, education, health and medicine, and social welfare and development work which is nationally important or which has potential for wider than local and immediate application. It never works alone - always in partnership with organisations and individuals which share its objectives.