Following a successful funding bid to Arts Council England, South East Dance is delighted to announce that it will lead the delivery of Big Dance 2012 South East England (BD12SEE), an extensive programme of free dance activity throughout the South East region.  

BD12SEE is part of national Big Dance Week from 7-15 July 2012, celebrating and raising the profile of dance across the UK. A seven-week countdown to Big Dance begins on 18 May 2012 as part of London 2012 Festival - the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, a series of cultural events celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

South East Dance successfully worked with partners across the region to lead the delivery of Big Dance South East England in July 2010, collectively engaging over 12,000 people in dance activity. We want to build on this success in 2012 by engaging even more people through an ambitious programme of exciting performances, accessible workshops and mass participation events. South East Dance and a consortium of Local Authority and dance organisation partners will work together to make Big Dance Week in 2012 an unforgettable celebration of dance.

Planned activity will take dance into community settings including performances in unusual places such as libraries and galleries, specially commissioned new dance work from established choreographers, flashmobs, a ‘schools pledge’  programme where schools pledge to deliver an extra 100 minutes of dance during Big Dance Week, dance workshops for the whole community, plus much more.

South East Dance will work with partners including Kent County Council; Woking Dance Festival; Surrey County Council; Hampshire Dance and Portsmouth City Council; Oxford City Council; Oxford Dance Forum and Pegasus Theatre; Brighton & Hove City Council and Brighton & Hove Music and Performing Arts Service; Medway Council; Cascade Dance; Jasmin Vardimon Company; Parrabbola; I Love Salsa and Hastings Borough Council; Milton Keynes Council; West Berkshire Council with Berkshire Association of Clubs for Young People. 

Watch this space for further news on BD12SEE and visit  www.southeastdance.org.uk for all the latest updates on this exciting project.