Prologue
Marking Dancers’ Career Development’s 50th anniversary is a poignant and pivotal moment. A time to pause, look back at where we’ve come from and consider what lies ahead. DCD has been encouraging dancers to think about ‘what’s next’ for 50 years, but what’s next for DCD? How better to consider our charity’s future, than at an event which brings together dancers, former dancers, dance sector and partner organisations, to discuss the future of dancers and their impact on society, within and beyond the creative industries.
The concept of a linear career pathway or ‘ladder’ is becoming rarer, particularly for those of us who work in the arts, or have done previously. Portfolio or ‘squiggly’ careers are the norm; dancers know only too well the art of juggling multiple jobs and priorities. Whilst we advocate for better working conditions and job security in the dance industry, the precarious nature of our sector has inadvertently created an extraordinarily gifted, agile, multi-dextrous and diverse community of dancers.
There are no limits to what dancers can achieve. For half a century we have supported and borne witness to dancers excelling in careers as diverse as pâtissier, barrister, veterinary technician and horticulturist, and championed those who have been instrumental in shaping dance education and the performing arts sector as leaders, ambassadors and changemakers.
What remains lacking, compared to other sectors who share similarly shortcareer spans such as professional sport and the armed forces, is infrastructure and financial support. Dance remains an impoverished relative, dancers an obscure yet effervescent talent pool. Funding and strategic alliances across sectors will enable dancers to have agency over their second careers, be aspirational and achieve their potential in professions that inspire and excite them.
But what will that ‘what next’ look like in 10, 20, 50 years? Artificial Intelligence is and will continue to have a huge impact on our lives, many jobs will become obsolete, new knowledge and skills demanded. Some believe a renaissance of the arts is imminent – but what type of arts? Dancers will play a crucial role in our new world economy, as creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers.
DCD is ambitious for dancers’ futures; the question for us is how to remain relevant and responsive to dancers working across the UK in this fastpaced changing environment? And additionally, what can we achieve collectively with others, to dismantle barriers to economic and social mobility, to champion longevity of careers in the arts, to empower dancers to remain authentic and be the very best version of themselves in whatever job they choose to do?
Let’s talk, unite and advocate for dancers’ futures.
Vanessa Lefrançois Executive Director, Dancers’ Career Development
About Dancers’ Career Development
Dancers’ Career Development is ambitious for dancers’ futures. Our mission is to enable and empower dancers to thrive professionally and personally leading up to and during career transition. DCD offers a continuum of support from vocational training to retirement: here for every professional dancer working across the UK, in every dance genre.
At the heart of DCD is the firm belief in the power and potential of dancers to excel in any profession they choose to pursue at the end of their performance career. Through a bespoke programme of personal and professional development programmes, retraining grants, coaching and mentoring, we remove barriers to career progression and support dancers as they move into new roles in and beyond the creative industries.
Our impact
We promote awareness of dancers’ innate qualities and transferable skills, raise aspirations and build confidence, to help nurture the remarkable talent pipeline of dance artists who will become the next generation of doctors, lawyers, CEOs, scientists, film-makers, choreographers, florists, creative leaders and so much more.
We will know we have succeeded when dancers’ career transition is normalised, dancers believe in themselves, are bold and ambitious, have agency over their career trajectory and enjoy fulfilling, sustainable careers.
Last year DCD engaged with 1,662 professional dancers and dance students across the UK, via:
Retraining & Career Exploration Grants
Personal and Professional Coaching Sessions
Dancers mentored by Senior Executives, in non-arts industries, in partnership with Moving Ahead
Dancers attended in-person and online Upskilling & Psychological Wellbeing Workshops
One to One Guidance & Support Sessions
Students attended Conservatoires & Schools Programme workshops
We care passionately about:
Providing equitable support for all dance artists
Retaining talent in the arts sector, to transform and diversify sector leadership
Opening up a broader range of career pathways and opportunities
Communicating the real value of dancers’ transferable skills to employers and society
Embedding a positive culture around dancers’ career transition
Improving the mental health and wellbeing of dancers
What to expect & timings
9:30-10:00 Registration over tea & coffee
10:00-10:20 Welcome & keynote address
10:20-11:20 Changemakers & Leadership
11:20-11:40 Morning break
11:45-12:55 Making the most of career breaks
13:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:10-15:15 Taking charge of your career
15:15-15:35 Afternoon break
15:35-16:45 Future proofing your career
16:45-17:00 Plenary
17:00-18:00 Drinks reception & networking
Complimentary lunch and refreshments will be provided during all breaks.
Live performances, screenings and a VR experience will be interwoven into the programme. To enjoy the Angel VR experience please book a timeslot at the registration desk.
A Marketplace full of industry experts will be open for information and networking in all breaks.
Please note there will be a two-minute silence to mark Remembrance Day at 11:00, to remember those who lost their lives or their loved ones in conflict.
What will I need to participate?
Yourself, an open mind and willingness to engage in whatever way is right for you. We hope you will enjoy participating throughout the day, but it’s also completely ok if you’d rather just listen and observe. There will be opportunities for you to respond to and ask questions, and join the conversation. We also invite you to use our Inspiration Window (between The Studio & The Mix) to leave comments, or feel free to seek out the DCD team, wearing grey t-shirts.
Who are the contributors, and
can I contact them?
Below you will find a list of the Inspiration Day speakers, contributors and performers, alongside their photo or organisation logo. To read their biography, performance credits or link to their website and social media accounts, click here.
Session One: Changemakers & Leadership
Keynote Speaker
Nandita Shankardass Dance Artist & Choreographer, Clore Emerging Leader Alumni
Vanessa Lefrançois
Executive Director, Dancers’ Career Development
Session Two: Making the most of career breaks
Hilary Carty OBE
Executive Director, Clore Leadership
Laura Jones
Co-Artistic Director, Stopgap Dance Company
Niquelle LaTouche Head of Academy Breakin’ Convention
Anthony Missen Co-Artistic Director, Company Chameleon
Isabel Mortimer Director of Coaching, Dancers’ Career Development
Professor Angela Pickard
Professor of Dance Education, Canterbury Christ Church University
Avatâra Ayuso
Artistic Director, Ava Dance Company
Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE
Joint Assistant Director of Culture and Creativity, London Borough of Haringey & Freelance Creative Consultant
Jon Beney Co-Artistic Director, Tenfoot Dance Company
Session Three: Taking charge of your career
Session Four: Future proofing your career
Jamie Body Journalist, Presenter & Content Creator
Leigh Thomas Global Marketing & Technology Executive
Joel Gläfke Sport & Performance Psychology Lecturer / Consultant
Judy Leering Financial Consultant, Dancers’ Career Development Trustee
Brandon O’Dell Director, Omscholing Dansers
Neil Skidmore Director, JSO Productions
Hannah Osmond Support & Programmes Manager, Dancers’ Career Development
Emma Crighton Programmes Manager, Skills Builder Partnership
Steve White-Cooper CEO & Founder, add-victor
Liz Dimmock CEO & Founder, Moving Ahead
Plenary
Akeim Toussaint Buck Artistic Director, Toussaint To Move
Akeim Toussaint Buck
Reckoning (film)
Ava Dance Company
Avatâra Ayuso ANGEL VR (book your timeslot for this experience on the day)
Francesca Miles
It Is What It Is (performance) & DJ set (during drinks reception)
Kavya Iyer Ramalingam
An Autumn of Bharatanatyam (performance)
Lunch is provided by Oitij-jo Kitchen, a ground-breaking, women-led project of the Oitij-jo Collective arts and training charity. www.oitij-jo.org
Upcoming events The Future
Find out about DCD’s upcoming programmes and services, including the grant application process and deadlines:
Book a confidential session with one of DCD’s Support and Programmes Managers
Apply for a Retraining Grant
Access Personal & Professional Coaching for Dancers
Find out about our Beyond Dance Mentoring Programme
Learn about SHIFT, a bespoke programme for Hip Hop Dancers
Get in touch
Join our mailing list, keep up to date with DCD’s programmes, events and the stories of those we work with, by signing up to our mailing list to receive our quarterly newsletter: sign up here.
Dancers considering ‘What Next?’ please get in touch and book a oneto-one with our team, by emailing dancers@thedcd.org.uk
Organisations interested in working with DCD in partnership, or on a project to support dancers’ career development, please contact our Executive Director: Vanessa.Lefrancois@thedcd.org.uk
Schools & Conservatoires learn about the range of workshops, talks and services we offer to dance students preparing to enter the profession, by contacting: Crystal.Nicholls@thedcd.org.uk
Dancers’ Career Development is excited for its future, and the development of its programmes.
We will continue to build partnerships both inside and outside the performing arts sector, work on a one-to-one basis with dancers approaching retirement to help enable them to realise the longterm careers they want, and develop our online platform of resources for dancers to access 24/7 from anywhere in the world.
Find out more: thedcd.org.uk
Contact us: dancers@thedcd.org.uk
Follow us on social media: @dcd_dancers
@DancersCareerDevelopment
DancersCareerDevelopment
You are encouraged to post on social media about the event, please tag us and use #Inspired
Support us
Neither this event, nor the 50 years of enabling dancers to progress in their careers, could have been achieved without charitable giving and the generosity of supporters. Dancers’ Career Development relies on fundraising to deliver ALL of its services to freelance artists, no matter their dance genre or background. Without the support of loyal Trusts and Foundations and individuals, we would not be in a position to continue this vital work, and we are inviting you to be part of our future journey, in any way possible.
Five reasons to invest in dancers’ futures:
1 Dancers add extraordinary and unique value to organisations and society; they excel in professions both within and outside of the creative industries, due to their varied and transferable skillsets and qualities.
2 Freelance dancers face unique barriers to career progression –a lack of infrastructure, professional development programmes, and financial stability, can stifle ambition and potential.
3 Statistically, dancers have a higher than average prevalence of poor mental health, and can have a self-limiting concept of who they are and what they are capable of.
4 There is a retention crisis in the creative sector, with a talent drain which in particular negatively impacts the equitable representation of diverse leaders and changemakers.
5 94% of work presented on UK stages is reliant on the freelance workforce; yet job insecurity, relatively low pay and work intensity restrains socialmobility and sustained careers.
Every gift to DCD is an investment in a dancer’s life; it is simply a gift that keeps on giving.
Be inspired by reading about former dancers featured in 50 Stories for 50 Years – as we look back at just some of the former dancers DCD has supported, and their personal stories of career transformation.
Search #50Storiesfor50Years or #WhatNextWednesdays on our socials.
Ways you can offer support:
Make a one-off donation today via: https://thedcd.enthuse.com/cp/52e4e/#!/
Pledge to support DCD’s Big Give Christmas Appeal and your donation, taken between 3rd-10th December, will be doubled.
Make a regular monthly donation to DCD, just £10 a month can really make a difference.
Leave a legacy to the charity.
To undertake any of these, please contact Head of Development, Brett Fegan, at: brett.fegan@thedcd.org.uk
If you are unable to provide financial support but still wish to support Dancers’ Career Development in other ways, such as through volunteering, supporting our fundraising efforts or becoming a mentor, contact: dancers@thedcd.org.uk
Thank you
DCD would like to thank:
Chris Stenton and Louise Katerega from People Dancing and Andrew Hurst and Erin Sanchez from One Dance UK, for their advice and support.
All of the Inspiration Day speakers, performers and contributors, our Partner Companies and REACH Ambassadors, Partner Schools and other sector partners, DCD staff, our Board of Trustees, EDI Working Group, Grants Committee, freelance coaches & facilitators, all those who helped promote this event across the dance sector and the staff at Rich Mix and Oitijjo Collective.
The Trusts & Foundations and individuals who make it possible for us to continue to deliver our services to around 1000 dancers, and award retraining and entrepreneurial grants, every year – for the last 50 years, without fail. We wish to thank:
Royal Opera House Benevolent Fund
The Linbury Trust
Equity Charitable Trust
Acting For Others
Theatre Development Trust
The Garfield Weston Foundation
Maria Björnson Memorial Fund
The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation
The Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement
The Adrian Swire Charitable Trust
Garrick Charitable Trust
Special thanks to Arts Council England, as this Event is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Sherisse Bisram, Independent Dancer and former DCD Equity, Diversity & Inclusion working group member (cohort 1). Photography: Michelangelo Siracusa.
We appreciate feedback
We really want to know what you think. Please take 5 minutes (or less) to fill out this quick feedback survey to help us improve our offer to dancers. We value your ideas. Thank you. Fill out form here.
Dancers’ Career Development, is a registered charity (No. 1168958) and company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales (No. 10137622) International House, 61 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ.
Photos from DCD’s 50th anniversary events in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Swindon.
Photography: Andre Uspenski, Devika Rao, Sophie Bradbury.
