EADA Projects
As well as helping provide couples for demonstrations around the country at a variety of events, EADA has been involved with several initiatives to raise the profile of dance and encourage more people to start dancing. If you have a project you think EADA can help with please contact the publicity [at] eada [dot] org [dot] uk">Publicity Officer.
We are proud to have been associated with:
- Born to Dance: a scheme designed to get dance teachers in schools or train school teachers to teach ballroom and latin as part of the dance curriculum. Over 100,000 children have learnt to dance through this scheme.
- London Big Dance Week & associated world record breaking attempts – held in 06 and 08 Big Dance is a chance to showcase all types of dance in the public spaces of our capital city; as well as dance schools opening their doors for shows and classes there are initiatives to encourage more people into dance. EADA couples have performed at Trafalgar Square as part of a world record attempt, in Leicester Square and Regents' Park. Big Dance Week 2010 will take place from 3-11 July. This year to celebrate Big Dance Week and our 25th anniversary year EADA are working with Professionals at certain studios around the country to offer free taster sessions in Ballroom & Latin to adults and children. A timetable of the taster sessions is to follow shortly.
- Move it Dance Convention – the UK’s largest dance convention held annually in London’s Olympia. EADA provides couples for the main stage performances.
- Bingolotto – we have currently been granted £1,000, which we are using to fund the instruction of school teachers in the basic dance syllabus to enable them to teach ballroom and Latin to pupils within school hours. We intend to run at least 5 training sessions with a minimum of 12 school teachers in each session. On average they have 16 pupils in each class so we hope to bring dance to 200 children in this way. By buying a Bingolotto ticket you are helping support the future of English dancing. Bingo Lotto will be launched again on 13th September 2009.
- Eurovision Dance Contest - our advice was sought in 2007 and 2008 when the competition was held in the UK.
- The EADA Showcase – from 1997 to 2006 EADA organised a group of its Amateur couples into the Showcase which has demonstrated at many major events across the country. It was designed to promote EADA and Amateur dancing as well as give couples the benefit of further performance experience, The first showcase was performed at the Hammersmith Palais Nightclub for Elton John’s 50th birthday party, where 12 couples performed a 20 minute Ballroom & Latin routine. Since then the Showcase has performed at: the Blackpool Winter Gardens for the IDTA Medallist of the Year Finals; at the Victoria & Albert Museum for the launch of their jewellery show; at the Royal Albert Hall, twice for the CCPR “on show” performance and once for the finals of the Masters Tennis Championship televised by the BBC.
The show case was originally created to help raise funds for EADA and the travel fund and from 2001-4 the fund raised paid for the National Training Course.
Many members of the showcase have gone on to have success as professionals and many have appeared on Strictly Come dancing. Former members include: Hazel Newberry MBE, Jonathan Crossley, Kylie Jones, Alan & Donna Shinglar, Matthew & Nicole Cutler, Anton Du Beck & Erin Boag; Darren Bennett & Lilia Kopylova; Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace, James & Claire Taplin; Michael & Valerie Reilly; Alex Ivanets & Lisa Bellinger-Ivanets; Andrew Cuerden & Hanna Haarala. Hazel Newberry, James & Claire Taplin, Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace went on to help choreograph routines for the showcase from 2005-6.
Unfortunately a lack of funding and the increased demands on our couples' time and money meant that the Showcase has not been revived since 2006.
