Schools dance competition Dance Live! expands to further regions for 2023

Following interest from schools and colleges across the country, annual dance competition Dance Live! is expanding across the south to deliver an amazing, inclusive, developmental experience for students. Guildford, High Wycombe, Eastbourne and Poole will be joining Portsmouth for Dance Live! 2023 and teachers interested in finding out more are invited to express their interest now.  

Dance Live! is an annual dance event for schools and colleges produced and managed by The Guildhall Trust. Over 4,000 participants from 60 schools as far away as Cumbria competed in Dance Live! Portsmouth (the Finals are set to take place in May 2022). With demand growing across the country, Dance Live! is returning in 2023 with heats in four new cities to allow more schools and colleges to participate.       

Aimed at students aged seven to 18 in Key Stages 2-4 and Further Education, Dance Live! embraces the ever-evolving digital world and how this is changing the face of modern performance. The competition sees young people compete with choreographed routines to the backdrop of a giant digital LED screen, showcasing a range of dance, performance and creative design skills and off-stage technical capability. 

With a focus on raising aspirations and developing skills for creative career choices, Dance Live! is an inclusive and developmental experience for students and offers:      

• Free workshop for every new school or college
• Experience of performing on a professional stage
• Opportunity to develop off-stage and technical skills
• Development of friendships, teamwork and confidence 
• Numerous health & wellbeing benefits
• Improved attainment and aspiration levels

Dance Live! is produced and managed by The Guildhall Trust as part of its wider Get Involved programme of activity for the community and to inspire careers in the creative industries.

Hayley Reay, Head of Learning & Participation at The Guildhall Trust, said,

“We are so excited to be able to expand Dance Live! beyond Portsmouth and invite more schools and colleges to participate in 2023. Following a successful trial Heat in Poole this year and interest from across the country exceeding all our expectations, we’re keen to capitalise on the opportunity of providing a holistic skills-building opportunity for students across southern England.”

Teachers are asked to register their interest for the location of their choice now at dancelive.co.uk to receive an invitation to an introductory meeting in their area or a Zoom seminar. Register interest by 6th May 2022, workshops will take place in the Autumn term, Heats in March 2023, culminating in the Finals in Portsmouth in May 2023. Expression of interest is not a binding agreement to participate.  

There are also commercial and partnership opportunities available for businesses who want to support next year’s and to reach the thousands involved in the event.

Further information can be found at www.dancelive.co.uk