Thursday 17 November 2011

A taste of some of our projects - and a chance to learn a step or two!

My two left feet are already getting better coordination thanks to my role within Plymouth Dance.

As part of my role within the organisation I have taken on our Lunchtime Salsa project which is a partnership between the NHS Plymouth and Plymouth Dance. Aside from the administrative and project management responsibility's that come with this particular project, I also have the enviable task of registering participants for the regular sessions which means infectious music, quick footwork and a fantastic group of participants are now part of my regular Wednesday lunchtime too!

The salsa classes are fantastic for all levels of experience and are a great excuse to get out of the office and keep healthy whilst dusting off your dancing shoes!

Another exciting project that I am involved within is the Professional Development strand of Plymouth Dance's work. In particular this means supporting the delivery of master-classes by practitioners of national and international standard. With master-classes led by Rosemary Lee and Rambert all due before Christmas - and with further professional development opportunities in the pipe line for 2012 - Plymouth is becoming recognised as a fantastic place to be for dancers, teachers and choreographers alike.

Friday 11 November 2011

An exciting few days in London

Last week I had the pleasure of travelling to London on Plymouth Dance business -

On Tuesday all of the Fellows (Choreographers/Dancers/Producers) supported by the BBC Performing Arts Fund were invited to an introduction day with their host organisation at BBC Broadcasting House.

It was fantastic to hear about the other organisations who will benefit from the fund and how each fellow's time will be spent with their organisation. Before we knew it it was time for lunch and a chance to chat to the other organisations representatives and their fellows. From dancing boys to dancing pensioners, professional development classes to international touring; the projects that the organisations have in the pipeline are exciting and innovative and I can't wait to hear how they will develop.
It was clear that the fellows will be benefiting from high calibre support from some of the best dance organisations across the country and to be a part of that is very exciting indeed.


48 hours later I was taking part in my first training course as a Producer Fellow. As part of my fellowship I have become a member of IDMN (Independent Dance Management Network) which runs regular training courses for dance managers. The course, 'How to Create and Write a Business Plan', did exactly what it said and provided a clear and concise artist led approach to writing a business plan. The course left me inspired to begin my first projects business plan - I now can't wait to get started!

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome!

My name is Chloe Hughes and supported by the BBC Performing Arts Fund I am the Producer Fellow for Plymouth Dance.

I will be supporting the many and varied projects of Plymouth Dance for twelve months and will be developing my skills, knowledge and experience as a Producer through this professional development programme.

Throughout my time with Plymouth Dance I will be blogging about my role as a Producer Fellow, my experiences and the projects I am working on so do check back regularly to see what I have been up to!

To find out more about Plymouth Dance and the work that we do please visit www.plymouthdance.org.uk
For more information on the BBC Performing Arts Fund please visit www.bbc.co.uk/performingartsfund