It's the One Dance UK Awards this week!

“Dance is not a competition, it’s a passion” said Rhee Gold, a pioneering American dance educator - and we all know that awards are not what we’re doing it all for. They shouldn’t matter. But they do. Being recognised for the passion and hard work you bring to your job every day is something that isn’t obvious in the dance world. One Dance UK, the sector support organisation leading the way to a stronger, more vibrant and diverse dance sector, founded the inaugural One Dance UK awards last year to give the dance community a platform and an opportunity to recognise, celebrate and reward its own heroes, the outstanding professionals and practitioners who are working in dance.

Unlike most awards that focus mainly on performers or creators, the 23 Award Categories of the One Dance UK Awards span all the vital work that is taking place on stage as well as behind the scenes that shapes the dance sector today, with special honours given to teachers, community practitioners, dance writers or researchers amongst others.

Last year, we were extremely proud that our Physical Support Team at London Contemporary Dance School, headed by sports therapist and dance scientist Kim Hutt, won the first Dance Healthcare Team Award.

Kim speaks of the importance for healthcare teams to be recognised: "We are extraordinarily proud to have been nominated a second time for the One Dance UK Dance Healthcare Team Award. This is a real testament to the enormous efforts of our team to support London Contemporary Dance School student's physical well-being. It is extremely rewarding to know that the 'can do' attitude and tireless dedication of our team is so appreciated and recognised by our students."

Aside from Kim, we are thrilled that The Place’s Programming Team was also nominated this year for an Outstanding Dance Programming Award. Jessica Greer, Programme Manager, and Michael Kitchin, Programme Assistant, say: “We are here to support and champion the people on stage. Being nominated for programming is a testament to the quality of the work that people out there are making. Our drive and passion is to support them and give their voices space. We always think about how we can make things better and whose voices are out there that we are not engaging with yet.”

Programming for a theatre like The Place is a team effort, and our programming team do not act as taste makers or gatekeepers but see themselves as just one part of the entire Artist Development activity of the organisation, the searching, fostering and building of relationships with artists across the dance community.

“I recognise people on the One Dance UK panel for the work that they do across the industry, so it feels amazing, that we were put forward along with the other people in the category who do such great work”, says Jessica.

To celebrate our 50th anniversary year with our friends and colleagues across the industry, The Place will also be sponsoring the award for Dance Personality of the Year, which will be presented on Saturday by our Artistic Director Eddie Nixon.

Congratulations to all the nominees and let’s celebrate the UK dance community!

The One Dance UK Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 9 November, at the Imperial War Museum, Manchester.