DanceEast, one of the UK’s leading dance organisations, based at the Jerwood DanceHouse in Ipswich, is delighted to announce that it has been successful in its National Portfolio funding application to Arts Council England (ACE) and will receive £3.24 million from 2018 to 2022.
DanceEast is one of 831 organisations that received the news this morning and the organisation will receive £810,153 per annum for four years. ACE has commented on the ‘outstanding range of classes and workshops and other activities which reach beyond their base to a range of audiences’.
Hedley Swain, Area Director, South East, Arts Council England, said: “DanceEast has an excellent reputation, not just for its wonderful contribution to the arts infrastructure in Ipswich, but also its support for dance nationally, and we’re very pleased to include them to the 2018-22 National Portfolio. This is an exceptionally strong portfolio of organisations delivering great arts and cultural experiences to audiences throughout the East and South East of England. It will reach into more places than ever before, providing more people of all ages and backgrounds with the opportunity to participate in the arts – inspiring them as artists, as audiences, or as a mix of both.”
Being a recipient of National portfolio funding ensures that DanceEast can deliver its ambitious plans for the future.
Brendan Keaney, Artistic Director & Chief Executive of DanceEast said “This is fantastic news for DanceEast, Ipswich and the region, NPO investment will enable us to continue with our mission to bring great dance to everyone in the East of England. Whilst this is a great decision for us, it will be a bittersweet day, ACE has had to make very difficult decisions and our hearts go out to colleagues across the country who will have worked incredibly hard but have failed to secure a place in the “National Portfolio”.
We are particularly pleased to hear about dance companies receiving NPO for the first time, including longstanding friend Russell Maliphant – who will shortly be relocating his company to DanceEast in Ipswich – and Avant Garde Dance, who returns to the Jerwood DanceHouse in November with their hit show Fagin’s Twist, which received its world premiere at DanceEast in April 2016.
It is also great news for our We Are Ipswich partners; Eastern Angles, New Wolsey Theatre, Pacitti Company, Gecko Theatre and Eastern Angles, demonstrating that Arts Council England recognises the cultural significance of our town not only as the creative heart of Suffolk but also as a centre for driving economic growth and cultural tourism.”
