Big Dance was a dance initiative in the United Kingdom, which happened every three years from 2006 to 2016. It was a nine-day biennial festival of dancing, mostly taking place in non-traditional dance spaces such as museums, shopping centers, parks, bridges, stations, galleries, and libraries, with the aim of inspiring people in different ways through dance. Initiated in 2006 by the first

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office i ...

, for the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...

, the programme was delivered in partnership with

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

and delivered events and inspiration to be physically active through dance. The second ''Big Dance'' festival took place from 5–13 July 2008, following the second mayoral election in May 2008, when

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

was elected as the next Mayor of London. In 2009, the programme was selected as London's

Legacy Trust UK Legacy Trust UK was a charitable trust in the United Kingdom, established in 2007 to support a range of cultural and sporting activities in connection with the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, with the aim of creating ...

project, receiving £2.89 million to deliver the festivals in 2010 and 2012 with an ongoing development programme led by the ''Big Dance Hubs'' – five leading dance organisations in the capital. ''Big Dance 2012'' was London's Legacy Trust UK programme, delivered by Greater London Authority in partnership with Arts Council England. The national programme was delivered by the Foundation for Community Dance in partnership with the ''Big Dance Hubs''. ''Big Dance 2012'' was the largest cultural participation project of the London 2012 Festival, which was the culmination of the

Cultural Olympiad An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not until ...

for the London 2012

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

and

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

Games. ''Big Dance 2014'' was the most recent festival which centred on the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. ''Big Dance 2016'' was the final festival, bringing Big Dance to a finale after a decade. The dates were 2–10 July 2016.

Introduction

About Big Dance

From

Break Dance Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in t ...

Ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, from Jive to

Jazz Dance Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in the mid 20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular jazz about to Broadway or dramatic jazz. The two types expand on African American vernacular styles of dance ...

, from Hip Hop to Hustle, from

Polonaise The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meani ...

Paso Doble Pasodoble (Spanish language, Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military ...

, ''Big Dance'' is the largest dance initiative in the world – a biennial festival of dance initiated by the Mayor of London. ''Big Dance 2012'' was one of the keynote projects of London 2012 Festival.

History

Big Dance 2006

The first ''Big Dance'' took place over nine days, from 15–23 July 2006. Launched by Ken Livingstone, it received support from

Tessa Jowell Tessa Jane Helen Douglas Jowell, Baroness Jowell, (; 18 September 1947 – 12 May 2018) was a British Labour Party politician and life peer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dulwich and West Norwood, previously Dulwich, from 199 ...

, the then

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport The secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department f ...

. Led by the Culture team at the Greater London Authority as part of the Mayor of London's office, the programme was delivered in partnership with Arts Council England and received a commission by

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

for a 90-minute programme, ''Dancing in the Street'', which was a live broadcast from Trafalgar Square on the evening of 22 July 2006. ''Dancing in the Street'' was co-hosted by

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series ''Sunday Night ...

and

Zoë Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British radio and television presenter. She was the first female host of both ''Radio 1 Breakfast'' and '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' for the BBC, and presented the 1990s children's show ''Live & ...

and involved many of the ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

'' stars, such as

Anton du Beke Anthony Paul Beke (born 20 July 1966), known professionally as Anton Du Beke (), is a British ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dancer, and television presenter, best known for being a professional dancer and later a judge on the BBC One cele ...

Erin Boag Erin Boag (born 17 March 1975) is a professional ballroom dancer. She has danced from the age of three, originally starting ballet and later moving into ballroom dance, ballroom, Latin dance, Latin and Jazz dance, jazz. Born in Auckland, New Zeal ...

and

Camilla Dallerup Camilla Sacre-Dallerup (born 6 April 1974) is a Danish author, life coach, hypnotherapist and former ballroom dancer. Dance career Dallerup was born in Aalborg, where she started dancing at the age of two and a half when her mother took her to ...

. There were over 400 dance events in parks, on bandstands, in shop windows, tube stations, schools, museums and even at the top of

Nelson's Column Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built to commemorate Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar over the combined French and Spanish navies, during whic ...

. ''Big Dance'' has also developed a reputation for both creating and breaking

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. To provide examples, nearly 9,000 people took part in the ''Big Dance Class'' world-record attempt in 37 different cities choreographed by Luca Silvestrini, Artistic Director of Protein Dance in partnership with the BBC radio network. As part of ''Dancing in the Street'', a new world record was created when 752 dancers performed 44 different dance styles, choreographed b
Jeanefer Jean-Charles
simultaneously to one music track in the culmination of an evening of dance in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

that was broadcast by BBC One to an audience of almost five million people. This also included the 'Longest Riverdance Line' attempt with 116 dancers, and the 'Most Swing Flips in One Minute' by Russell Sargeant from the Jiving Lindy Hoppers. Many dance organisations, artists, and teachers arranged open classes and workshops, performances in local public spaces. For example,

The Place The Place may refer to: * The Place (London) The Place is a dance and performance centre in Duke's Road near Euston in the London Borough of Camden. It is the home of London Contemporary Dance School and the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, and former ...

took over the forecourt of the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Pineapple Dance Studios Pineapple Dance Studios' is a dance studio complex, performing arts school, and associated dancewear, clothing, and eyewear brand, based in London, England. Origin Pineapple Studios was founded by former model Debbie Moore, who had started danc ...

opened its doors,

Siobhan Davies Dance Dame Siobhan Davies DBE (born Susan Davies; 18 September 1950 in London), often known as Sue Davies, is an English dancer and choreographer. She was a dancer with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre during the 1970s, and became one of its lead ...

hosted live streaming of dance from Australia accompanied by music from Korea and live performance in the entrance to the building.

Dance UK One Dance UK is the national body for dance in the UK, formed by the merger of Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD), Dance UK, National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA) and Youth Dance England. The organisation represents dance ...

launched its Manifesto at

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, and London Youth Dance held its first pan-London youth dance showcase in

The Scoop The Scoop is an outdoor amphitheatre situated on the south side of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in London, located next to City Hall, providing seating for approximately 800 people. Designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, it is a venue ...

– an outdoor amphitheatre at More London. The

critical success factor Critical success factor (CSF) is a management term for an element that is necessary for an organization or project to achieve its mission. To achieve their goals they need to be aware of each key success factor (KSF) and the variations between the ...

of the campaign was the simplicity of the idea and the enthusiasm of the dance community and others to engage new audiences and participants in dance. Transport for London were a key partner in providing promotional opportunities through the tube network. With a high-profile PR campaign, and the production of the ''Big Dance

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

Guide'', the pan-London campaign was well supported through a wide range of marketing outlets including londondance.com, and crucially the website invited schools, professional and voluntary groups to get involved, upload their information and be part of the first high-profile celebration of the diversity, innovation and enjoyment of dance that ''Big Dance'' celebrated.

Big Dance 2008

More than 500,000 people were involved in Big Dance 2008 in London, which was delivered with funding from the Greater London Authority and Arts Council England from 5–13 July 2008. ''Big Dance'' is a key element of the Cultural Strategy. The festival was launched on

Millennium Bridge Several bridges are known as the Millennium Bridge: * in the United Kingdom **Gateshead Millennium Bridge ** Lune Millennium Bridge, Lancaster ** Millennium Bridge, Glasgow ** Millennium Bridge, London ** Millennium Bridge (Salford Quays) ** Teesqua ...

, with the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Erin Boag and

Bruno Tonioli Bruno Tonioli (; born 25 November 1955) is an Italian choreographer, ballroom and Latin dancer, and Television personality. He has appeared as a judge on the British television dance competition ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and American adaptation ...

from (''Strictly Come Dancing'') surrounded by over 50 dancers ranging from jive and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

enthusiasts, to

Flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

dancers and representatives from the

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish ...

and the

Society of London Theatre The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an umbrella organisation for West End theatre in London. Founded in 1908, as Society of West End Theatre Managers, then Society of West End Theatre in 1975, changing to its current name in 1994, the (SOLT) ...

. Other events in the festival included performances in shop windows on

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...

and

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

, alfresco dancing in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

, and performances on the steps of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

by students from London's dance schools, choreographed by Shobhana Jeyasingh. The ''Big Chair Dance'' was a feature of 2008 presented by Capital Age Festival at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

and involved more than 200 older Londoners in seven localities, around the capital, working with choreographers: Maresa von Stockert, Jonzi D and Gauri Sharma Tripathi. ''Breaking Records'' was an event presented by ''Big Dance'' and BBC Blast that took place in Trafalgar Square, where five world dance records were attempted in one afternoon. This day was led by ''Strictly Come Dancings Erin Boag, and BBC London were the media partners. Presenters

Lesley Joseph Lesley Diana Joseph (born 14 October 1945) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits incl ...

and

Christopher Biggins Christopher Kenneth Biggins (born 16 December 1948) is an English actor and television presenter. Early life Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of William and Pamela Biggins. He was brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, attended St P ...

were also in attendance, and the day culminated with a 'silent rave' to a DJ set by BBC London 94.9's very own

Jazzie B Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE, (born 26 January 1963) better known as Jazzie B, is a British DJ and music producer. He is the founder of Soul II Soul. Life and career Jazzie was born in London UK to parents of Antiguan descent in Hornsey, Londo ...

. The record attempts were: # Largest

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Dance by Sapnay School of Dance # Most Ballet Dancers on Pointe # Most Kip-Ups in One Minute The penultimate moment of the festival was marked by a mass choreographed dance event, with 2,008 people dancing a routine choreographed by Aletta Collins in Trafalgar Square London at 5 pm on 12 July 2008. This was a Guinness World Record attempt – ''the Largest Dance Class in the World Learnt Remotely'' - supported by a viral web campaign of ‘Sign up, Warm Up, Turn Up... and Dance!’ People of all ages were encouraged to watch and learn an online video of the dance in preparation for the event, so that they could turn up on the day and perform it as a mass performance. In 2008, ''Big Dance'' was proposed by the London Cultural Strategy Group as the regional programme that best met the aims of

, as the programme that offers significant potential to reach new participants and unite communities through dance activities. The programme offered a natural link between the arts and sport as part of the cultural programme in the lead up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Legacy Trust UK is a charitable trust in the United Kingdom, established in 2007 to support a range of cultural and sporting activities in connection with 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in London. The aim of this trust is to provide a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the Games across the UK. There are 12 regional programmes across the UK. Legacy Trust UK provided funding of £2.89million, which was agreed in June 2008 to deliver the festivals in 2010 and 2012, as well as an ongoing programme of development.

Big Dance 2010

Big Dance 2010 took place between 3–11 July 2010. The programme was launched on 20 January 2010 at

Spitalfields Market Spitalfields Market is a traders' market as well as a food and art market located in Spitalfields, Central London. Traders began operating around 1666, after the Great Fire of London, where the market stands today. The Spitalfields regeneration p ...

with The ''Big Dance Trailer'', a piece of choreography by Jeanefer Jean-Charles with sound compilation by Mikey J of Boy Blue, that involved the five London Hubs and other community dance groups. The artists featured were: Avant Garde Dance, soloists from the English National Ballet, London Swing Dance Society,

Jasmin Vardimon Jasmin Vardimon (born 1971) is an Israeli-born, UK-based choreographer, dancer and artistic director of the Jasmin Vardimon Company, which she formed in 1998 in the UK. Vardimon is an associate artist at Sadler's Wells Theatre, since 2006.Sadlers ...

and Siobhan Davies Dance. The third ''Big Dance'' festival was officially launched at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson on 1 July 2010 to 2,000 people with

Jerry Mitchell Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer. Early life and education Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Mitchell later moved to St. Louis where he pursued his acting, dancing and directing career in theatre. Although he did not g ...

Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as ''The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints o ...

and Camilla Dallerup. This exclusive performance was choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, whose work includes '' Love Never Dies'' and ''

Legally Blonde the Musical ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2007 musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach. It is based on the novel ''Legally Blonde'' by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. The show tells th ...

''. He created a choreographed version of ''You Can't Stop The Beat'' from ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' for a cast that included the Dance Captains of the West End musicals and students from all the dance schools part of the

Council for Dance Education and Training The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT), formerly known as the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET), is the quality assurance and membership body for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre industries in the ...

network. The 2010 programme also featured 850 events such as workshops, photography exhibitions and various performances around London in heritage sites such as

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...

, an underground bunker in

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...

, many shopping centres and included projects such as the ''Big Dance Schools Pledge'', an international partnership project with the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

which aims to: encourage schools in the UK and across the world to do an extra 20 minutes of dance a day during ''Big Dance Week'' and join in a world-record attempt. In 2010, over 650 schools took the pledge to offer 100 minutes of dance during ''Big Dance'' week, and to take part in an attempt to break the world record for the ''Largest Multi-venue Dance Class''. The choreography was created by Hakeem Onibudo, Artistic Director of Impact Dance and the music was composed by Mikey J, Boy Blue Entertainment. The ''Big Dance Bus'', an adapted Routemaster bus, made its debut with a tour of 19 stops in 16 London boroughs reaching an estimated 98,960 members of the public and delivered 74 workshops. In addition, the Bus made an appearance on the beachside in Hove, Brighton to launch ''Big Dance South-East''. The ''Big Dance Bubble'' was a fully portable special event space known as ROSY. Designed by raumlaborberlin and produced by Up Projects, this Portavilion Bubble made five stops in London parks each one commissioned by the ''Big Dance Hubs''. In addition, 50 x £1,000 Micro-Grants were awarded for inspiring projects across the capital. The ''Big Dance Older People's programme'', Dancing stAGE saw 150 older people perform choreography by Natasha Gilmore on the Clore Ballroom at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

, as the focus of Capital Age Festival and was produced by East London Dance. The ''Big Dance Pop-Up Cinema'' also made its debut with its inflatable screen which displayed ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy wh ...

'' in

Walpole Park Walpole Park is a Grade II municipal park, situated in Ealing (West London). Currently governed by Ealing Council, it was initially the grounds of Pitzhanger Manor, the early 19th-century country home of Sir John Soane. It was acquired by Ealing ...

, Ealing, ''

Strictly Ballroom ''Strictly Ballroom'' is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann in his feature directorial debut. The film is the first in his "Red Curtain Trilogy" of theatre-motif-related films; it was followed by 1996 ...

'' in

Potter's Field A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pu ...

by the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

with a workshop by ''Strictly Dancing'' star,

Karen Hardy Karen Hardy (born 14 July 1970) is a British professional ballroom dancer, coach, teacher and adjudicator. In 1998 she won the professional International Latin American Dance Championship with Bryan Watson. She also won the United Kingdom Open ...

and ''Hairspray'' in

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...

, Havering. The ''Largest Tea Dance'' world-record attempt by the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

was successful with 254 couples, although this record has now been overtaken. The finale of ''Big Dance 2010'' was marked by a massive dance performance called the ''Big World Dance'' directed by Luca Silvestrini of Protein Dance and choreographed using inspiration from the Southbank Centre's Dance Atlas, an interactive online map where people posted their own signature moves. Thousands of people were invited to transform central London into a giant open-air stage for a show stopping dance on a gigantic scale, with the start line at Southbank Centre and the finishing line at Trafalgar Square. ''Big Dance'' received sponsorship from

T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic (T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland (T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobile ...

for the 2010 programme which included a weekend of dance events at Westfield London Shopping Centre, a pan-London tour by the ''Big Dance Bus'', a competition by

Louie Spence Louie Spence (born 6 April 1969) is an English dancer, choreographer and television personality, best known for the TV show ''Pineapple Dance Studios''. He was a professional dancer in his youth, performing in West End musicals including ''Miss ...

and an outdoor screening and workshop of ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'' in Trafalgar Square.

Big Dance 2012

The Big Dance 2012 festival took place on 7–15 July 2012. It was the Olympic Edition of Big Dance. The 2012 plans were announced to the press on 4 May 2011 at the Royal Opera House and included an interview of

Wayne McGregor Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Commander of the ...

, Artistic Director of Wayne McGregor / Random Dance and also Resident Choreographer at the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

, by Jacqueline Rose, Director of ''Big Dance''. The programme aims are to be fully accessible and open to all age ranges and communities i.e. under 5's, schools, students, young and older people. The strands of the programme include: * Performances – small and massive in usual and unusual spaces and locations * Photography – dance is the inspiration for exhibitions in all spaces * Film competitions/screenings – dance-led content in all genres * Fashion – designs inspired by/and for dance * Libraries engagement programme – reading about dance * Archives programme – revealing the history of dance and dance companies * Debates – choreographers/critics * Big Dance Bus Tour * International Schools Pledge with the British Council * World Record attempts – in dance The key dates for the campaign, which included a 7-week countdown period to the 9-day festival, were: * ''Big Dance Trail'' – 18 May 2012 * ''Big Dance Week'' – 7–15 July 2012

Leading up to 2012

A number of ''Big Dance'' projects took place in the year leading up to 2012. Most recently, dance students from the

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

performed the ''Big Dance Royal Flash Mob'' outside

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. What appeared to be a spontaneous dance performance (

flash mob A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform for a brief time, then quickly disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. Flash mobs may be organized via t ...

) had been a few months in the planning and had formal permission from the Palace to stage the event to celebrate The

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's and The

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

's patronage of the Performing Arts for young people in the United Kingdom. The students performed Anna Buonomo's choreography to a mix by Michael Floyd of M.O Creatives Ltd. Additional dancers were brought in from Creative Academy,

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

London Contemporary Dance School London Contemporary Dance School (informally LCDS) is a contemporary dance school located in London, England and a part of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. It was founded by Robin Howard in 1966 to train new dancers for his company, Londo ...

Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, London ...

Schools, The Turbelles and Ultimate Dance NRG making a total of 130 dancers. They danced to

's ''We Will Rock You'' blasting on the steps of the Queen

Victoria Memorial The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building on the Maidan in Central Kolkata, built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria, Empress of India from 1876 to 1901. The largest monument to a monarch anywhere ...

. ''Dance to Work'' was a programme led by the London Big Dance Hubs that took place with 10 employers across the commercial, local authorities, charity and health sectors across London in 2011. The aim of this programme was to explore the benefit of creative dance projects taking place in or through the workplace which improves the physical, mental and emotional health of employees. The projects involved up to 10 hours of dance activity, with an experienced dance artist, to create a dance work for live performance and/or film. Groups also had opportunities to attend performances and take part in other activities. A celebratory event at the Lilian Baylis Studios,

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

, brought participants together from across the projects to perform their dance works, watch the films and socialise.

Big Dance Trail

The Big Dance Trail started on Friday 18, May 2012, with a world record attempt with schools across the world for the : ''Largest Simultaneous Dance Routine – Multi Venue)''. 1,500 locations and 265,000 people is the target. The choreography was devised by Wayne McGregor and launched in January 2012. This event was followed by a weekend of ‘Warm Up events for the Nation’. The ''Big Dance Bus'', with its pop-up dance floor, set off on its tour of London. The ''Big Dance Schools Pledge'' is an international partnership project with the British Council. It was an 'Inspire' project and part of the Get Set + programme. The project had two aims: # Encourage schools in the UK and across the world to do an extra 20 minutes of dance a day during ''Big Dance Week'' (7–15 July 2012) # Encourage schools in the UK and across the world to take part in a world-record attempt for the 'Largest Simultaneous Dance Routine – Multi Venue)' on 18 May 2012. The aim of the programme was to encourage schools to use dance as a fun and creative way to increase physical activity in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The British Council's Schools Online programme promoted the ''Big Dance Schools Pledge'' to schools around the world. This project forms part of its work to support lasting partnerships between schools in the UK and other countries. with the aim of increasing young people's capacity in the skills, understanding and outlook required to live and work in a global society. The choreography was available for download from the ''Big Dance'' website in January 2012. Participants were invited to learn the choreography in their schools and take part in a World Record attempt on their school sites at 1 pm on 18 May 2012. Schools were encouraged to undertake to provide an extra 100 minutes of dance during ''Big Dance Week'': 7–15 July 2012. A total of 121,000 young people took part in this world record attempt across 25 nations. The ''Big Dance Bus'' is an adapted double-decker Routemaster London bus, touring to locations to host a day of dance with its own special bus stop and pop-up dance floor. The aim of this programme is to take dance to areas that do not have any other cultural infrastructure or to areas where people do not traditionally engage with the arts. Each individual bus stop is programmed to include a mixture of any or all of the following: * Workshops that cover a range of dance styles * Local performance showcases * Dance competitions * Flash Mob events * Provide an open stage for freestyling * Tea Dances The Big Dance Bus has toured in 2010, 2012 and 2014. The ''Big Dance Pop-Up Cinema'', with the giant inflatable screen, screened a range of films in outdoor locations. The events took place in the evening at sundown following a day of activity in the space in front of the Pop-Up Cinema. ''Big Dance Library Events'', took place in local libraries to promote the wealth of resources on offer to encourage interest in dance and people involved in dance. This involved readings of a selection of titles, and having dance performances in or around the library buildings.

Big Dance Week

In ''Big Dance Week'', 7–15 July 2012, there were hundreds of performances and events of all types in all corners of the UK coordinated by the ''Big Dance Hubs'' and many other individuals and organisations. The ''Big Street Dance Day'', took place on Saturday 14 July 2012, was the UK moment for the celebration of dance in public squares across the country. The aim was to encourage as many organisations as possible to take over a public space whether it be a street, square, park or sports stadium and provide as many opportunities as possible for people to dance together against the backdrop of the Olympic & Paralympic Games. International partners were also encouraged to organise events locally. ''Big Dance Trafalgar Square 2012'' took place in London. Wayne McGregor as the Creative Director for Trafalgar Square created a large-scale dance piece for 1000 participants from across London who performed alongside professional dancers from Wayne McGregor , Random Dance, English National Ballet, community groups and vocational schools across the capital. Channel 4 commissioned Leopard Films to make a film 'Big Dance 2012' which was broadcast on Sunday 15 July. Big Dance 2014 Big Dance 2014 was the Commonwealth Edition with the backdrop of the XX Commonwealth Games which was held in Glasgow. The Big Dance Festival Week took place from 7–13 July 2014. The Big Dance Pledge took place on 16 May 2014. The choreography was produced by Scottish Ballet. Nearly 70,000 people performed this dance across 24 nations. The Big Dance Bus toured for its third time making 17 stops which included:

Function

The function of the Big Dance programme is to use the 'power of dance to mobilise communities' and generate a legacy of change.

Structure

''Big Dance'' became London's Legacy Trust UK programme led by the Mayor of London in partnership with Arts Council England in 2009. The fourth ''Big Dance'' took place from 7–15 July 2012, as part of London Festival 2012 – the finale of the Cultural Olympiad with a national programme that ‘wrapped around’ ''Big Dance'' in London. ''Big Dance 2012'' became a national programme led by Foundation for Community Dance in collaboration with the Greater London Authority, the Council for Dance Education and Training, the Dance Champions Group,

Sport and Recreation Alliance The Sport and Recreation Alliance, formerly known as the Central Council of Physical Recreation, is the representative body for national sports organisations in the United Kingdom. The Sport and Recreation Alliance is the main body for sport an ...

, and Youth Dance England on behalf of the consortium ''Dance Takes the Lead'' – a UK-wide alliance of dance organisations brought together to maximise the opportunities of London 2012 for community and participatory dance. The members of Dance Takes the Lead were: The London programme received support from a range of other organisations including:

Sport England Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded par ...

NHS London NHS London (or "London Strategic Health Authority") was a strategic health authority of the National Health Service in England. It operated in the London region, which is coterminous with the local government office region. The authority closed ...

– Change4Life,

London Councils London Councils is the local government association for Greater London, England. It is a cross-party organisation that represents London's 32 borough councils and the City of London. It was formed in 1995 as a merger of the London Boroughs As ...

, Museums, Libraries and Archives, Interactive and Shape. Big Dance is highlighted within London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Health Legacy Compendium reported by NHS London.

Partners

Greater London Authority (GLA) is a unique form of strategic citywide government for London. It is made up of a directly elected mayor and a separately elected assembly. The mayor is London's spokesman who leads the preparation of statutory strategies on transport, spatial development, economic development, culture and the environment. The mayor also controls the budgets for the GLA, Transport for London (TFL), the

London Development Agency The London Development Agency (LDA) was from July 2000 until 2012 the regional development agency for the London region in England. A functional body of the Greater London Authority, its purpose was to drive sustainable economic growth within ...

(LDA), the

Metropolitan Police Authority The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) (2000–2012) was the local police authority responsible for scrutinising and supporting the work of the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London (excluding the City of London Police ...

(MPA) and

London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) was a functional body of the Greater London Authority (GLA), established under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Its principal purpose was to run the London Fire Brigade. The 17 members ...

. The ''Big Dance'' programme is led by the Greater London Authority, who provide access to networks, media, marketing and funding opportunities and support many areas of the programme. Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people's lives. They support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts. Arts Council England's 'Achieving Great Art For Everyone', a 10-year strategic framework for the arts, shares many of the key strategic aims with ''Big Dance''. It also has the independence, legal, financial and administrative structures needed to support the programme, to ensure it operates with transparency and fairness, and that it complies with the responsibilities of public funding. Arts Council England was a key partner in initiating the pilot ''Big Dance'' celebrations across England, with the London office having funding and development involvement in major events in London.

had programmes in each English region and in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well as four national programmes. It is registered as a charity in England and Wales, and its aim is "to make awards of money to individuals or organisations for charitable purposes including, without limitation, cultural, educational, healthy sporting and other charitable activities for the benefit of the community in any approved territory."''Legacy Trust UK''
Charity Commission, Registered Number 1118809 As the major funder of the ''Big Dance'' programme, Legacy Trust UK offered the opportunity to help create lasting and life-changing benefits from London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. Big Dance London was one of the 12 regional programmes supported by the LTUK. The Trust's funding will act as a catalyst to link grassroots activities into the lead up to the Games on the basis on the three fundamental objectives: * To unite culture, sport and education, in line with the values and vision of the Olympics * To make a difference to all those involved * To support grassroots projects, often small in scale, and uniting communities of interest at local and regional level

Big Dance Hubs

The Big Dance Hubs have been crucial to the delivery of the programme across the nation and will continue provide a network and legacy for the programme. The ''Big Dance Hubs'' are leading dance development organisations with an appropriate level of stability, expertise, and have the aspiration to facilitate the uniting of cultural and physical activity across the range of partners through dance. All organisations, whilst different have experience in working with local authorities and other partners, and expertise in learning and participation, possibly providing pathways for progression from initial encounter to high-level performance, participatory programmes for particular groups, or host youth dance companies and outreach activities. The Big Dance Hubs plans for ''Big Dance'' build on existing expertise and experience, and together the organisations provide a network of diverse strengths and specialisms in a range of dance genres. In London, there are five ''Big Dance Hubs'', and they are as follows: Each of the five hubs are responsible for coordinating the activity of a number of local authorities in the area that they are based in. There are a total of 33 local authorities (the

London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...

s and the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

) which make up the Greater London area. These local authorities are coordinated by London Councils. Allowing for participation between the major events in the ''Big Dance'' celebratory weeks and some repeat involvement, it is estimated that between 1.2 and 1.8 million people were involved over the four years as part of the ongoing programmes in London. This would represent around one quarter of the population of London. Across the UK, 3.2 million people were involved in ''Big Dance 2012''. The success of the ''London Big Dance Hub'' network has provided a suitable structure to build upon for a national programme. The national programme is coordinated through eight Big Dance Hubs across the English region, and they are:

References

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