Jerwood Foundation awards grant to DanceEast

Jerwood Foundation has awarded a total grant of £50,159 over two years to support DanceEast’s world class commissioning programme. This funding will enable the creation of two new dance pieces by some of the UK’s foremost dancemakers: choreographic duo Jess and Morgs and Dickson Mbi. Through this programme DanceEast will provide these artists access to Jerwood DanceHouse’s world class facilities, including its state-of-the art digital studios, commissioning fees and wraparound support from its sector-leading creative team to help bring these new works to fruition to inspire new and existing audiences.

Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee, Jerwood Foundation said:

Jerwood Foundation has a longstanding and valued relationship with DanceEast and this new grant of £50,159 will enable the creation of two new dance pieces by some of the UK’s foremost dancemakers. Supporting DanceEast’s world class commissioning programme aligns with Jerwood’s ongoing commitment to support artistic excellence and emerging talent in the UK.

Brendan Keaney OBE, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of DanceEast, said:

Thanks to Jerwood Foundation’s support as both a key investor in the creation of our home, the Jerwood DanceHouse, and in our state-of-the-art Digital Playground, through grants made in 2007, 2008, and 2020, we now have one of the UK’s best facilities for creating work that brings together dance and technology. In a difficult climate where it is hard for organisations and artists to invest in new work creation, Jerwood Foundation’s funding of two new commissions, and the associated costs, allows us to ensure outstanding new dance performances are created for new and existing audiences in the UK. The Jerwood name is synonymous with quality and excellence, and we understand that DanceEast has a particular responsibility for ensuring that the creative programme it presents at the DanceHouse meets these standards. In enabling these two new commissions, Jerwood Foundation’s investment allows us to maintain the standards of our artistic programme, and the associated support we can provide to dance artists.

DanceEast is one of the UK’s leading dance organisations and a national leader in digital dance innovation and has been at the forefront of identifying outstanding new dancemakers, providing commissioning and premiere opportunities to some of the most exciting new choreographic voices that have emerged in recent years.

 

For further information please visit DanceEast

September 13, 2024
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