British Dance Edition 2016

General Information
British Dance Edition is the biennial showcase and initiative of National Dance Network
hosted in different cities across the UK with the 2016 edition taking place in Cardiff and
Newport. It offers a curated programme of performances, events and presentations,
brought together to showcase quality British dance in a snapshot of an ever-expanding
industry. Firmly established within the global dance calendar, it attracts promoters from
across the UK and internationally and offers them a chance to view and do business with
a diverse range of UK companies through a hosted sector convergence dedicated to
Contemporary dance in all its forms.
Introduction
British Dance Edition is the signature UK event for the promotion of dance,
presenting a variety of styles and scales reflective of the current professional dance
sector. The four-day event provides a platform for the buying and selling of tour ready
work and is a meeting point for the UK and international dance sector. The 2016 event,
to be held in Cardiff and Newport between 15 and 18 March 2016, provides the first
opportunity for the showcase to be hosted in Wales since being established by National
Dance Network in 1998.
The UK dance sector has greatly benefited from the platform BDE provides as it
generates economic impact both directly and indirectly and actively fosters new and
existing business relationships. It is the only regular dance showcase that brings the
British dance profession together, helping to develop practice by presenting high quality
innovative work and exemplary practice. At the same time, it attracts a significant
number of national and international promoters who are interested in presenting British
dance companies and independents, and provides a platform for exchange and
networking.
As a NDN initiative, members will take an active role in the development and delivery,
advising and monitoring, shaping debate content, buddying new delegates and
supporting the wider promotion. BDE2016 provides fresh new approaches including
partnering with Dance UK's 'Business of Dance' programme to support emerging
companies, One-day passes to encourage future full delegate attendance, co-ordinated
live streaming events hosted across Britain by NDN members and a new NDN strategic
drive championing BDE artists post the event.
Hosted by a consortium of organisations
BDE2016 is being led by Chapter and its Creative Producer initiative Coreo Cymru, with
partners Wales Millennium Centre (WMC), National Dance Company Wales and The
Riverfront, Newport. The consortium members have extensive experience in devising,
promoting and delivering programmes and have strong relationships with each other and
the dance sector. They have worked very effectively on previous projects including Wales
Dance Platform in 2010 and 2014 and more recently on the 2015 Platform which
provided further opportunity to work collectively within a comparable platform format
and structure, enabling refinement of delivery methods in the run up to BDE2016.
Together they offer ten performance spaces, facilities for a large trade-fair, conference
rooms, reception spaces and rehearsal rooms offered as in kind support the to showcase.
The hub venue Wales Millennium Centre offers world-class facilities in the heart of Cardiff
Bay including the large-scale Donald Gordon Theatre, The Weston Studio, two large
rehearsal rooms, The Glanfa Foyer and numerous conference rooms, bars and
restaurants.

National Dance Company Wales offers a Studio Theatre and dance studio and is based at
WMC.
Chapter, a 20 minute coach trip from WMC, provides a Theatre, Studio Theatre, cinema
and gallery spaces, numerous rehearsal studios and conference rooms and large open
social places.
The Riverfront, Newport, a 25-35 minute coach trip from Cardiff will provide further
facilities including a main house theatre, studio theatres, gallery, basement space,
rehearsal rooms and public spaces to relax.
The consortium will collaborate with NDN, British Council and Dance UK to deliver
BDE2016, sharing knowledge, applying learning from previous editions and working
together to promote the UK dance sector both in the UK and internationally.
Create a high quality dance programme as a showcase to the industry
BDE2016 will present a diversity of work in terms of gender, scale and regional
representation in a range of genres including mainstream contemporary, dance theatre,
inclusive practice, cultural diversity, cutting-edge contemporary, digital practice and sitespecific work, and will provide strands to support emerging markets such as work for
children and families and circus/crossover.
Where possible we will present work that has not yet been presented widely and that has
the potential to engage audiences at an international level, and work that demonstrates
exemplary practice, raising industry standards and push creative boundaries.
The BDE2016 programme has provision for 27 performing companies presenting
completed works, either within mixed bills or full-length productions, 1 digital installation
and 1 film programme. In total, 30 performance slots will be presented in four venues
over the four days, with a number of companies performing more than once to offer
further viewing opportunities within the limited capacity theatres.
The proposed programme includes:

6 large to middle-scale companies presented in the Donald Gordon Theatre as two

triple bills.
5 middle-scale works presented in The Riverfronts main house or as site-specific
works at WMC.
4 middle to small-scale companies presented in The Weston Studio, Dance House
and site-specific.
3 small-scale works for children and their families presented in The Riverfront
Studio Theatre
9 small-scale works presented at Chapter, Dance House and The Weston Studio
Digital installation presented in the Dance House rehearsal room
Film programme screened at Chapter

9 companies will be invited to pitch their ideas and projects providing a mixture of 10-20
minute verbal and physical presentations timetabled and grouped within three sessions.
A further 24 companies, independents and organisations will be offered opportunities to
present themselves and their work with the large-scale trade-fair.
In summary a total of 63 companies will benefit through the presentation of up to 27 live
works, 2 digital presentations, 9 pitching sessions and 24 companies and organisations
within the trade-fair with an estimated 322 artists and support staff participating. On the

basis of research and programming to date, we anticipate approximately 22% of the

companies will be from Wales, 60% from England, 3% from Northern Ireland and 15%
from Scotland.
Selection of presented works
The programme curation is being carefully managed and considered by a group of six
highly experienced dance professionals including guest international promoter Samme
Raeymaekers, (Director of December Dance International Festival, Bruges), Neil Webb
(Head of Dance & Drama British Council), Eddie Nixon (The Place Theatre Director),
Jamie Watton (Director of South East Dance) and consortium members Louise MilesCrust (Head of Programming at Wales Millennium Centre) and the Project Director Carole
Blade (Coreo Cymru/Chapter).
BDE presented works will be viewed live prior to selection, ensuring quality control,
excellence and appropriateness to the UK and international touring and festival markets.
It will present completed works that are available for at least 2 years post the event from
companies and artists at a stage of development who can benefit from the exposure.
The panel will have viewed work for over a year, prior to final selection in October 2015.
To date, over 200 works have and are being considered through NDN members
recommendations in order to present diversity of work in terms of scale, gender, regional
representation and genre.
Who will attend
British Dance Edition is primarily an industry-focused showcase and will be reflected
within the delegate selection process ensuring that the industry dance and performing
arts leaders are offered places.
BDE2016 has made provision for 300 full delegate places. This includes 100 free places
offered to international bookers with 25% of them being supported through British
Council to attend the event. We will work with British Council to identify new territories,
growing economics and international promoters with established links to Britain, with a
target of attracting delegates from 36 different countries.
200 full delegates places will be sold to UK industry dance and performing arts leaders
with buying power and influence, funders and directors of development organisations.
This includes 30 NDN free member places, who will act as Buddies to new attenders.
An additional 75 One-day passes will be made available to support artists and other UK
promoters with specific targets to entice new attendees to BDE. This day pass will
include tickets to the evening performance in the Donald Gordon Theatre and after
show networking event, a choice of two afternoon performances and entry to the
large-scale trade-fair and discussion groups. The aim of the One-day pass is to
encourage new attenders to become full delegates at future BDE events. 35 of the
One-day passes will be offered to UK independent artists and producers at reduced
rates and 40 places targeted at new attenders from venues that traditionally have low
output of dance and the festival market.
Out of the 275 UK delegate places an estimated 18% will be from Wales, 67% from
English, 2% from Northern Ireland and 13% from Scotland.
A Platform for Exchange
A trade-fair will feature highly in the BDE2016 programme, supporting the buying and
selling of work with clear signposting and access to the presenting companies. All

presenting companies and artists will be represented at the trade-fair and offered stalls
within their contracts. This is to ensure that promoters have access to the company
producers and the important initial contact made viable. A further 24 places will be made
available to companies, organisations and artists not presented as part of the main
programme, with a selection process taking place to ensure a balanced representation of
the current sector. The 63 stalls will be housed within the two large rooms at Wales
Millennium Centre on Thursday 17th March 2016 to coincide with the One-day pass
event.
Hosts including NDN will actively facilitate networking between companies and promoters
including acting as matchmakers to maximise bookings, commissions, residencies,
teaching work and support dialogue between artists and promoters. The Project
Managers contract will support the brokering of business deals up to six months after the
event to ensure interest in the work is followed up and potential bookings are secured.
This role provides a centralised point of contact for presenters and artists to continue a
dialogue and adds an extra layer of resources to the UK sector.
A strategic addition for BDE2016 will be a co-ordinated UK presence at Tanzmesse 2016,
the worlds largest trade-fair and platform for dance, with the promotion of BDE2016
artists at the heart of the strategic development campaign.
Engagement with the wider public
The curated showcase provides a number of opportunities for the wider public to engage
with BDE. Nine performances will provide 3,243 tickets with 15% offered free to local
communities groups. These include two large-scale triple bills in WMCs Donald Gordon
Theatre, two small-scale performances in The Weston Studio, two middle-scale
performances at The Riverfront and three performances in the Riverfront Studio for the
childrens work strand. BDE Performers and 30 student/graduate BDE volunteers will also
be offered access to selected performances.
Public performances will be advertised through the presenting venues at their own
expense covered by the additional ticket income which will be retained by the host
venue/consortium member.
Live streaming of selected BDE performances will play a major role in engaging the
wider public, and aims to strengthen links within the UK dance sector enabling artists
to feel more connected to the showcase. Eleven organisations within the National
Dance Network membership have agreed to host a number of coordinated events in
their own venue which will include viewing the live stream of BDE work, structured
discussions and networking opportunities and will take place in the following cities;
Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Swindon, Nottingham,
Ipswich, Bournemouth and Brighton. A dedicated space within Wales Millennium Centre
will provide local and BDE performers with opportunity to view the work and encourage
further networking between artists.
Professional Development Opportunities
BDE2016 will team up with Dance UK to support 8 emerging companies whose work will
be programmed at BDE or highlighted by the selection panel as potential international
touring companies. 8 artists and 8 producers will be offered BDE bursaries to attend
Dance UKs adapted Business of Dance programme, developed to provide effective
models of practice supporting their entry onto international market and their inclusion in
BDE.

The programme includes bespoke workshops by Dance UK and British Council to

maximise companys marketing and business strategies and enable them to take full
advantage of opportunities provided by BDE either through the live programme and/or
inclusion within the trade-fair.
Each of the 8 artists and their producers will be funded to undertake the full six part
Agile Fundraising Training programme accessible online to make it easily available to all
participants and cut down on unnecessary travel costs. This will culminate in a live
training and networking day in Cardiff for all the participants.
Following the training day and prior to BDE2016, the artists/producers will be provided
with up to 1700 per company (eight) to create marketing and promotional materials to
support their international profile.
Further support includes the 8 artists and 8 producers being matched with a company or
experienced international producer to spend time with that artist and/or producer to help
develop their skills in the area of international touring. The host company or producer will
receive a bursary to cover their own or staff time and the beneficiaries will receive small
bursaries to cover their travel expenses.
We anticipate 4 out of the 16 places being offered to Scottish based artists and producers
within the Business of Dance programme.
BDE objectives are to:
Build awareness and raise the profile of British dance amongst promoters in the UK and
international arts community.
Create a more sustainable and successful UK dance community by increasing UK
bookings and International exports.
Increase engagement with UK and international promoters, develop relationships and
increase the percentage of new attenders by 20%
Support business strategies for emerging companies
Increase awareness and engagement with the general public.
Achieve by:
Curating a high quality dance programme of excellence as a showcase to the industry
Providing a platform for sharing practice, exchanges and business opportunities
Delivering development programmes supporting emerging companies
Promoting the UK as a great place to visit and enjoy world-class talent