A new dance agency has been launched in Plymouth to enable the public to find out more about dance and extend opportunities for the artform across the city. Plymouth Dance will collaborate with the key dance developers in the city, such as the Theatre Royal, Barbican Theatre and Plymouth University, with the hope of facilitating strategic and effective partnerships.
http://www.plymouthdance.org.uk
UK outdoor arts company Walk the Plank has won the contract to produce the opening show at Turku (Finland) when it becomes European Capital of Culture in January 2011. This follows the company’s success producing the opening and closing ceremonies for Liverpool 08. It will create a large-scale, site-specific event on the banks and water of the River Aurajoki, involving 2000 local people.
PLASA, the lead body for those working in the live events, entertainment and communication industries worldwide and ESTA, the principal trade association for the entertainment services and technology industries in North America, have voted to merge their two organisations and unite under the PLASA name. The merger will create the first international industry-wide membership body of over 1200 manufacturers, installers, dealers, service providers and consultants working across the entertainment and installation industries. This includes members of PERA – the former Production Equipment Rental Association – which recently merged with ESTA.
Kristine Landon-Smith and Sudha Bhuchar, Joint Artistic Directors of Tamasha theatre company, have won this year’s First Women Award in the Tourism and Leisure category. The awards were established in 2005 to celebrate pioneering women in a number of fields. Also shortlisted in the category was Deborah Bull, Creative Director of the Royal Opera House.
http://www.fwa.realbusiness.co.uk
The strikes by staff at Culture and Sport Glasgow (now known as Glasgow Life) have entered a new phase, as they now aim to cause targeted disruption to major artistic and sporting events (AP217). The new strikes will hit exhibitions at the Kelvingrove, the Gallery of Modern Art and the People’s Palace Museum, as well as the Super8 UK Athletics event.
The new government has halted the controversial Vetting and Barring Scheme, just before the first phase of registration was due to begin on 26 July. ‘The Coalition: Our programme for government’, states its aim of scaling back the scheme to common sense levels. However, although the scheme has been halted, new safeguarding regulations introduced in October 2009 continue to apply, including regulations about who can work with children and vulnerable adults and who needs enhanced CRB checks.
http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/default.aspx
The Gold Arts Award has been formally recognised as a qualification by UCAS, the university admissions system. Students applying for a place at university for the 2011/12 academic year will be able to include their Gold Arts Award as they would do other subjects when completing their UCAS application form. The award will be worth 35 UCAS points. For comparison, a grade ‘C’ at AS level carries 40 points and a distinction in a grade 8 practical music exam is worth 75 points.
http://www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff/tarifftables; http://www.artsaward.org.uk
The three finalists in the Best Arts Project category at this year’s National Lottery Awards have been announced: Beacon Hill Film Project, which allows young people in North Tyneside with severe learning difficulties and autism to create and produce their own films; Kidz R Us, a theatre and performing arts group for children; and Streetwise Opera, which uses music as a tool to help homeless people move forward in their lives. All three projects receive funding from the lottery for their work. The winner will be decided by public vote. Voting opens on 26 July and closes on 13 August.
http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards
OOPS! In AP220 we said Munira Mirza was Interim Chair of Arts Council England, London.The Interim Chair was Ajay Chowdhury.