We’re proud to announce that our status as an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio (NPO) organisation will continue from 2018-22. This means that Ludus Dance is one of five dance organisations across the North West that will continue to receive financial support from ACE over their next four-year funding period. To achieve this, earlier this year, we were part of a rigorous application process for arts organisations from across the UK.
As well as looking at the quality and reach of our work, ACE considered the sustainability, diversity, management and governance of all the submissions. ACE Chief Executive Darren Henley welcomed the successful NPO organisations as a “fresh, ambitious and wide-ranging group of organisations that we believe will bring new energy to the arts and cultural sector, while reaching more people in more places than ever before.”
Di, our Chief Executive says: “I congratulate all the Ludus Dance team on this fantastic achievement. We’re delighted that this money will help us to continue our work, with community groups, schools, colleges, universities, local authorities and other arts partners, to develop high quality dance projects for hard to reach children and young people in areas of social and economic deprivation. Our work also provides support for gifted and talented young people and provides support for early career dance professionals, giving them support to kick-start their career, and to support a thriving dance and arts ecology across Lancashire and the North West.”
“As a charity, however, our funds are limited. The ACE funding is fantastic and provides a foundation for us to work with but we need more money, as other pockets of funding are cut and the competition for the pots of money that are available becomes more fierce. We appeal to people as many people as possible to support us by giving us donations, or helping us in any way they can, to extend the breadth and reach of our work.”
Ludus Dance plays a key part in Lancaster’s history and the area’s artistic legacy. Founded in 1975 by dancers, teachers, creators and political activists, the company was originally a performing and touring company and, until recently, the only professional dance company in the UK to specialise in dance education. Today, the company believes more strongly in the power of community dance to communicate, question, challenge, raise awareness and emotionally engage as well as all the health benefits that are synonymous with physical activity.
Take a look to see how you could get involved in our youth dance and education projects, as well as our dance sessions for all ages and abilities which take place weekly in our studio.
