The Stage

Laban gets £100,000 to encourage boys to dance

Published Tuesday 15 June 2004 at 13:35

Laban has been awarded a £99,690 grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to enable it to run more activities designed specifically to attract boys and young men to contemporary dance.

The three-year project, designed for boys and young men aged between eight and 22, will give participants the opportunity to engage in contemporary dance events as well as other activities including film, video, digital technology and physical theatre. It will also include weekly dance classes, long and short-term project work with a range of professional dance artists and performance opportunities.

Head of education and community at the contemporary dance conservatoire Veronica Jobbins said: “Gender inequality exists within every aspect of the dance sector in the UK. Fewer boys and men participate in dance within schools, the community and at a professional level, than girls and women.

“This project aims to address this imbalance through a host of exciting and relevant dance activities. In the long-term we hope that the project will help to integrate boys and young men into the ongoing programme of Laban’s youth activities, such as our youth dance company, as well as enrich the dance community throughout the UK.”

For more information contact Niki Lavithis at Laban on 020 8691 8600, email n.lavithis@laban.org or register at www.laban.org.