DanceEast is to lead a three-year project to develop long-term partnerships between venues and dance agencies in the East of England. The initiative, which has received Regional Arts Lottery funding, involves DanceEast and the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds with Protein Dance; Norfolk Dance and the Norfolk and Norwich Festival with Jasmine Vardimon and Bedfordshire Dance and the Bowen West Theatre with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company. w: http://www.danceeast.co.uk
Youngchoirs.net has been awarded £600,000 by Youth Music to help deliver the Singing Communities project over the next 2 years. In conjunction with Education Extra, a series of projects designed to increase access, provide experience of singing and offer training opportunities will be organised in Cumbria, Hartlepool, Derby, Sandwell, the Dorset Coast and the Isle of Wight. e: admin@youngchoirs.net
Two new publications from the National Rural Touring Forum are now available: The Touring Scheme Toolkit aims to help local authorities and other public organisations create new schemes, and comprises both an introduction to the issues involved and a practical guide together with contact details for useful organisations; The Promoters? Don?t Panic Pack is an updated version of the guide for those interested in the promotion of professional arts in rural and small-scale venues. w: http://www.nrtf.org.uk; t: 01759 303624
A new Action for Access Guide has been launched by Arts Council England North West. The Guide provides both performing and visual arts organisations with information on how to make venues, services and products more accessible, and has been produced in a range of accessible formats. t: 01204 522481; e: anne.hornsby@btinternet.com
Street Arts: A User?s Guide has been published by King Alfred?s Winchester in collaboration with the Independent Street Arts Network. Drawing on the discussions that took place at the Restoration or Revolution symposium in 2002, it mixes analysis, context and anecdote to review the history and current practice of street arts. w: http://www.streetartsnetwork.org.uk/pages/publications.htm; t: 020 7633 9330
The results of a two-year Artworks research project investigating art education spaces in schools, galleries and museums have been published by the Clore Duffield Foundation. A handbook, Space for Art, has been developed in consultation with teachers and gallery educators and highlights both a lack of resources and understanding of the requirements of such spaces. w: http://www.art-works.org.uk
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has asked us to point out that it is leading the £1.2m three-year ?Musical Futures? project to improve musical opportunities for 11-19 year-olds (ArtsProfessional issue 53, p3), and that Youth Music is the principal partner in this project. For further information, http://www.phf.org.uk