Vision
In working together, One Dance UK and People Dancing aim to better support dance artists, teachers and organisations to make dance and its health, social and creative benefits more accessible and inclusive, including reducing health inequalities and tackling physical inactivity. We will do this by building strong strategic relationships with the health and wellbeing sector, advocating the diverse benefits of dance, and strengthening the evidence and knowledge base through research and resources.
Who we are
One Dance UK
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One Dance UK is the lead industry body formed of the merger in April 2016 of four key
dance organisations: Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD), Dance UK,
National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA) and Youth Dance England (YDE).
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This new organisation was formed as a result of a three-year commissioned grant by Arts
Council England to create a ground-breaking organisation, a unified “go-to” industry body
for dance and dance education, recognising the demand for radical transformation of its
workforce and talent support.
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One Dance UK combines more than 100 years of expertise in a simplified, strengthened
and specialist body nurturing and developing talent and delivering excellence in:
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- Education
- Youth dance
- Dance of the African Diaspora
- Performance
- Health and well-being
- Management
- Leadership and career development
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People Dancing
People Dancing is the development organisation and membership body for
community and participatory dance, working across the UK and internationally.
It creates and develops opportunities for people to experience dance in all its
diversity, and drives forward excellence in community and participatory dance
practices.
Its vision is for a world where dance makes a positive difference. Its mission is
to make engagement with dance important and relevant to individuals,
communities and society. Its values champion equality, diversity and inclusion.
People Dancing’s membership represents more than 4,500 dance professionals
worldwide.
Programmes and activities take a strategic overview and have UK-wide and
international reach, acting as a driving force in developing excellence, nurturing
talent and strengthening resilience, and ensuring provision and practice is networked
and fit for purpose. Though developing and sustaining strategic alliances and partnerships
we help to create new opportunities for individuals and communities to participate.
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Jan Burkhardt
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Jan Burkhardt provides strategic leadership for the Dance in Health & Wellbeing programme.
She has 25 years of experience working in the dance sector and 10 years experience in the
NHS and Leeds City Council as a Health Improvement Specialist and public health
commissioner. She developed and directed DAZL (Dance Action Zone Leeds), an award
winning dance and health programme commissioned by public health. Jan has a Masters
in Public Health, has produced guidance on Commissioning Dance for Health and Wellbeing
and undertaken research on the health effects of dance. Most recently she has led a strategic
development programme successfully bringing the dance and public health sectors together
across London and North England and influencing national policy.
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Photo credit: Brian Slater 2016, Oak Field School