Get Dancin’ as your New Year’s resolution
Free taster dance classes available across Scotland
from Sunday 19 – Sunday 26 January 2014
Register for a free dance class here: www.getdancin.org
DANCE providers across Scotland are offering free taster Get Dancin’ dance classes in January, as part of the nationwide Get Scotland Dancing campaign to inspire more people to get active and participate in dance.
Get Dancin’ offers opportunities for people to try a free class at local dance centres across Scotland as a great way to be creative, get fit and meet new people in 2014. People who have never been to a dance class before, or haven’t been to one in the last few years, are encouraged to register for a free dance class online at: www.getdancin.org.
Leonie Bell, acting director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, said: “Dancing is creative, expressive, fun and good exercise. Young or old, male or female, dance has the ability to enhance and even transform people’s lives. Whatever your New Year’s resolution – to get active or to meet new people – we encourage you to Get Dancin’.”
On retiring at the end of last year, Rona Simpson was keen to keep active and decided to start attending classes at Citymoves Dance Agency in Aberdeen.
Here’s what Rona had to say: “As it was a performance class, I knew that I would have to be committed but I was inspired to get involved having heard about how the group creates and performs new pieces of dance. This was something that I wanted to do for me and I am so glad that I did.
“I now go to class every week and I am so motivated. Not only do I feel healthier but my confidence and self-belief have improved as well. I feel completely exhilarated every time I leave the class and I also have a whole new group of friends to share my passion of dance with. It’s incredible!”
Find out more about Rona’s story and why other people across Scotland decided to take up dancing: http://getscotlanddancing.org/why-dance/people-who-dance
Get Dancin’ is part of the nationwide Get Scotland Dancing campaign to inspire more people to get active and participate in dance, and is part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.
Get Dancin’ is being run in partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance.
Matthew Cunningham, director of Fundraising and Development at the Royal Academy of Dance, said:
“From young people performing at the Genée, to adults embarking on their first dance class during Get Dancin’ Week, we passionately believe that dance can be part of everyone’s life. Join us in January and make 2014 the year that you ‘get dancin’.”
January 2014 is the test campaign for the initiative which will then go on to run from 10 March 2014 – 30 November 2014 in conjunction with the rest of the Get Scotland Dancing campaign and events programme.
Notes to editors:
- Get Dancin’ is part of Get Scotland Dancing campaign which aims to encourage more people to get active and participate in dance. The 2014 Commonwealth Games provides an unparalleled opportunity to raise the profile of dance as a creative, participative and physical artform. In support of this Scottish Government policy, Creative Scotland will commit £1.5 million across a four-year period, creating an inclusive celebration of dance across Scotland, linking into the wider UK and marking Scotland’s place in the world.
- For more information on Get Scotland Dancing and how you can get involved, visit www.getscotlanddancing.org. Follow @GetDancin and www.facebook.com/GetScotlandDancing
- The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is a national celebration. Culture 2014 will showcase dance, theatre, music, visual arts, comedy and much more in the run up to and after the Commonwealth Games, with Festival 2014 transforming the Host City at Games time. The Cultural Programme is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life and Creative Scotland. www.glasgow2014.com/culture
- Creative Scotland is the national organisation that funds and supports the development of Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries. Creative Scotland has four objectives: to develop and sustain a thriving environment for the arts, screen and creative industries; to support excellence in artistic and creative practice; to improve access to and participation in, arts and creative activity; and to deliver our services efficiently and effectively. In 2013/14 we will distribute over £100m in funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information on Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
- Get Dancin’ is being run in partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance as part of the legacy of the Genée International Ballet Competition, which took place in Glasgow in September 2013. With over 13,000 members spread across 79 countries, the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. Established in the 1920s to improve standards and re-invigorate dance training initially within the UK, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students. There are currently over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the Academy and each year, the examination syllabus is taught to more than a quarter of a million students worldwide. http://www.rad.org.uk/
Media contact
Sophie Bambrough
Media Relations Officer, Creative Scotland
E: sophie.bambrough@creativescotland.com
T: 0330 333 2000
D: 0131 523 0015
M: 07747 606 146
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Contact: Sophie Bambrough
Phone: 07747606146
Email: sophie.bambrough@creativescotland.com
Website: http://www.creativescotland.com
