Animated Magazine Spring / Summer 2026

"40 years of People Dancing... has helped establish community dance as a vital and respected field. Now the task is not simpy to celebrate that history but build on it"

40 YEARS ON, SHAPING UP FOR THE FUTURE

Chris Stenton, our Chief Executive sets the scene for People Dancing’s 40th Anniversary.

DANCE MOVES PEOPLE

Paul Russ, Artistic Director of FABRIC, the Midlands strategic dance organisation, outlines a new ten-year strategy positioning participatory dance as key to innovation and social connection.

AT THE HEART OF PRACTICE

Nicola Curry, Artistic Director of Maiden Voyage Dance, takes us through the company’s 25 years expanding access to contemporary dance in Northern Ireland by placing participation at its core.

BACK TO THE PEOPLE

Marcus Jarrell Willis and Jennifer Coleman-Peers of Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre discuss the personal, professional and strategic impact of a refreshed approach to the company’s long- standing commitment to community engagement.

THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE, THE DANCE

Tracey Brown, Diane Hebb and Simon Morris of Wales’ Rubicon Dance celebrate half a century of innovation and support for dancers local to international.

JUST LEAPS, NO BOUNDS

Viv Slayford, Artistic Director of Swindon Dance in Wiltshire reflects on over forty years of people- first initiatives and creative risk-taking benefiting generations of dancers.

CHANGING WORLDS

Emily Jackson, Director of Leicester-based Moving Together shares how this award-winning community dance organisation grew from a university experience through to their latest impactful eco-focussed education project.

OUT OF THE BOX

Adam Holloway, Director and Jane McLean, Creative Director of Cheshire Dance mark the organisation’s 50th birthday with a call for renewed investment in artists and long term sector support.

NYB ALL IN! PROGRESS

Jo Meredith, Creative Director of National Youth Ballet demonstrates its commitment to a more equitable future in the artform with a programme expanding access and developing leadership for young disabled dancers.

BACK & FOWARD INTO A FAR FUTURE

Annie Pui Ling Lok and Kat Bridge Co-directors of Siobhan Davies Studios frame 2026, the organisation’s 20th Anniversary, as a year of transition and renewal.

COMMUNITY CENTRAL

Artistic director Liv Lorent MBE and four participants give their perspectives on the contribution and legacy of the community casts so key to the Newcastle-based company’s aesthetic and ethos.

KEEPING THE FAITH

Brendan Keaney OBE traces the evolution of UK community dance acknowledging key figures, noting current challenges and ultimately calling us to optimism about dance’s lasting transformative power.

MEMORY IN MOTION

Andy Henry, Lecturer in Performing Arts at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, opens up his project documenting 40 years of Scottish Dance Theatre, revealing the company’s longstanding commitment to community engagement alongside artistic achievement.