A series of free seminars & social evenings by dance professionals
Join Leeds Dance Partnership every month to enjoy a series of free talks by dance and arts industry experts designed to help develop your dance career. Whether you’re a professional or enthusiast, everyone is welcome. You can attend in person at Yorkshire Dance in central Leeds or join us online via the livestream.
Each seminar focuses on key themes across a range of subject areas such as building and demystifying networks and partnerships, knowing your practice and working with other artists/artforms. Our speakers are all experts in their field and include Gary Clarke (Gary Clarke Company), Rachel Fullegar (Gracefool), freelance fundraiser Pam Johnson, digital innovator Sean Clarke (Test Card).
Find out more about the speakers
Seminar 2: Demystifying Funding
Hosted by Pamela Johnson,
Fundraiser and audience development specialist
Wednesday 28 July, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
With a new round of Arts Council England funding for Developing your Creative Practice about to launch, experienced independent fundraiser Pamela Johnson will take us through the process of funding applications, using this grant as an example of how to approach applications. She is one of the best fundraisers in the region, so come and get top tips in this group session and share any advice you have to help assist others.
Seminar 3: Demystifying Networks & Partnerships
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Mercier
Choreographer, Performance Maker and Lecturer at Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Wednesday 25 August, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
What is my practice? What do I offer? How do I see my practice evolving in the coming two, three, five years and as a longer career? We talk with established northern dance professionals Joanne Bernard, Rehearsal Director for Phoenix Dance Theatre and Rachel Fullegar, founder of Gracefool Collective and ProDanceLeeds.
Seminar 4: Making work Work!
Knowing your Practice and articulating your aims and objectives
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Mercier
Wednesday 29 September, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
(Re-scheduled from June)
How do you communicate to audiences and other creative professionals what you do? In this seminar speakers Gary Clarke and Julia White, Marketing and Communications Manager at Yorkshire Dance, take an honest look at getting your message out there, adapting it to different audiences and recognising how to best promote your work.
Seminar 5: The Digital Dancer
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Mercier
Wednesday 27 October, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
We speak with Kenneth Tindall, Artistic Director of Digital at Northern Ballet and Sean Clarke, founder of Test Card to discuss how working in film/digital and for online has changed and informed approaches to their work. What has been learnt and what can we all take forward in creative practice when thinking about the digital online space?
Seminar 6: Performance outdoors & at festivals
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Mercier
Wednesday 24 November, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
We hear from Abbe Robinson, Festival Director at Light Night Leeds and Victoria Firth, Performer, Theatre Maker and Director, who between them move between venue, outdoor and festival presentations. They share their experience and question us to look at how we create and communicate to these expanding areas of performance opportunity with thoughts on site specific, festival networks, place making and the new normal for outdoor art.