Big Dance, founded in 2006 and now produced in partnership with People Dancing, is both a festival and a national campaign with the support of such stars as Tamara Rojo, Darcey Bussell, Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne, Arlene Phillips and Bruce Forsyth.
As the curtain raiser to this year’s event, Akram Khan will lead the Big Dance Pledge 2016 inviting everyone, irrespective of age, ability or experience, to join a free dance on a world stage on Friday 20 May.
Everyone taking part will take their cue from an original piece of choreography specially created by Akram Khan to commissioned music by Nitin Sawhney. All materials including demonstration videos are available on the Big Dance web site.
Over the Big Dance Weekend on 2 and 3 July, there will be performances, workshops, outdoor events, street dances all over the country.
Jacqueline Rose, Director of Big Dance, said, “reflecting the strong growth in the dance community in the UK, our aim over these last ten years has been to encourage participation in the joy and the personal and social benefits of dancing.
"Together with our partners, we have aimed to be inclusive, risk-taking, taking dance out into the communities where people live.
"Whether it is through the travels of the Big Dance Bus, or the numerous commissioned programmes for television, or the large-scale public events such as those hosted in Trafalgar Square, we hope to have influenced people’s appreciation of dance, and contribute to the structure for encouraging further development in the artform the future.”