Rural Touring Dance Initiative

Rural Touring Dance Initiative

In March 2015, Arts Council England’s ‘Rural evidence and data review’ found that only 2% of National Portfolio funded dance companies toured to rural areas in 2012/13.

In 2015 we joined forces, with the National Rural Touring Forum, The Place and Take Art to launch an innovative initiative for making and touring dance performances to rural areas.

Originally a 3 year project, the Rural Touring Dance Initiative has been extended for a further 3 years making the project live until Summer 2021. The aims of the project are to seek out great dance companies that are excited to tour rurally, and to support rural promoters and schemes to build audiences for dance in rural spaces.

Menu 5 was launched in January 2020 – click here to view the programme.

Featuring work by Altered Skin, Joan Cleville and Scottish Dance Theatre, Edifice Dance Theatre, Jo Fong & George Orange, Lila Dance, Lost Dog, Keira Martin, Mr & Mrs Clark, Joshua ‘Vendetta’ Nash, New Art Cub, Lanre Malaolu, Patfield & Trigero, Slanjayva Danza, Sonia Sabri and Spilt Milk.

Previous artists have included:

Alleyne Dance, bgroup, Corali, Curious Seed, The Hiccup Project, Panta Rei, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Protein, James Wilton Dance, Just Us Dance Theatre, Lila Dance, Nikki and JD, Uchenna Dance, Corali, Sadhana, Shane Shambhu, Tom Dale Dance, Uchenna Dance and Dan Watson.

For more information, please visit the Rural Touring Dance Initiative website.

Same Same.. But Different by Sonia Sabri Company
Photo © Simon Richardson

Trailer by filmmaker Rachel Bunce