BALLET NEWS: Arlene Phillips

Thursday, 20 May 2010

THE CLOCK STARTS FOR THE COUNTDOWN TO THE T-MOBILE BIG DANCE 2010

Dance Champion Arlene Phillips launches the T-Mobile Big Dance Bus at Sadler’s Wells

• Programme announced for The T-Mobile Big Dance 2010

• The T-Mobile Big Dance Bus launched by Arlene Phillips

• Londoners invited to join the biggest street dance in the world

The six-week countdown begins today for The T-Mobile Big Dance 2010, which runs from 3-11 July.

• The world’s biggest and most influential dance initiative, a wide-ranging programme of over 600 events is being announced, organised and curated by the five hub partners - East London Dance, English National Ballet, Greenwich Dance, Sadler’s Wells, and Siobhan Davies Dance. The aim is to reach out to all the communities across London.

• The T-Mobile Big Dance Bus launched by Arlene Phillips, one of the Dance Champions, set off today to tour London, rolling out its dance floor in communities all over the capital, inviting everyone to join with professional dancers to experience the joy of dance.

Katie Deacon and James Waddell from the Central School of Ballet

• T-Mobile Big Dance at Westfield takes place this weekend (22 and 23 May) with stunning live performances from a host of dance groups and the chance for the public to get involved in dance workshops throughout the weekend. On Saturday 22 May, there will also be a chance for shoppers to see English National Ballet perform sequences from Swan Lake.

• Registration opens today for Londoners to join the world’s biggest dance, the Big World Dance. Southbank centre has commissioned Protein director Luca Silvestrini to choreograph and direct the Big World Dance with live music mixed by DJ Walde. Up to four thousand people can take part in the advance workshops and join the dance procession which will begin at Southbank Centre and culminate in Trafalgar Square, transforming Central London into a giant stage for dance on Saturday 10 July.

Led by the Mayor of London in partnership with Arts Council England, Big Dance is also being funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games. Leading mobile operator, T-Mobile is the headline sponsor for Big Dance 2010. Big Dance is supported by the Dance Champions.

Katie Deacon and James Waddell from the Central School of Ballet

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'With TV shows, an astonishing array of styles on stage and brilliant choreographers working in the capital, dance is at an all time high. We want to get as many people moving as possible – not just in July, but to 2012 and beyond - so give Big Dance a whirl.'

Lysa Hardy, Head of Brand and Communications for T-Mobile said: “We are passionate about encouraging our customers to participate in extraordinary events. From our experience with our Dance advert, which attracted over 17 million views on YouTube and spawned many fantastic imitation videos, we know how dance can really capture the imagination and spur people to get involved. We’re looking forward to supporting The T-Mobile Big Dance 2010 in the spirit of our ‘Life’s for Sharing’ brand philosophy.”

Moira Sinclair, London Executive Director for Arts Council England said “Big Dance will really get London dancing this summer. Featuring some of the world's finest dance companies, choreographers and dancers, it offers a great opportunity for everyone to get involved whether it's in the Big Dance Bubble or on the Big Dance Bus. With outdoor spectacles in some of London's iconic locations and activities in every London borough, this year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever.”