People Dancing is a three year programme of activity

aimed at encouraging mass participation in dance and

dance related activity across the West Midlands.
People Dancing is funded by Legacy Trust UK, Arts Council
England West Midlands and Advantage West Midlands. Take a look inside to find out how to get involved … and get people dancing!
 Want to get People Dancing?
Contents So do we!
03 introduction Part of the region’s plans for the 2012
Cultural Olympiad, this exciting programme
provides the opportunity to bring West Midlands
04 what’s it all about?
communities together, from all backgrounds
and neighbourhoods, to celebrate the 2012
08 who can take part? Olympic and Paralympic Games by getting
local people moving.
12 get involved!
The challenge for this programme is to encourage
14 your proposal more people to take up dance and dance related
activity so that it becomes part of their lives, resulting
in them feeling fit and well in both mind and body
16 the process and having fun.
18 what we can People Dancing is aimed at everybody of all ages,
backgrounds, skills and abilities. Whether you’re a
commission
professional dance organisation, local dance school,
sports group combining sport and dance, or a
20 if your proposal dancer, choreographer, dance teacher or student
is successful working in partnership with others, you can get
involved … and get more people dancing.
Sonia Sabri Company. Photo by Simon Richardson.
22 what next? People Dancing is funded by Legacy Trust UK, Arts Council England West Midlands and Advantage West Midlands.
People Dancing is looking to commission a broad
and diverse range of dance and dance related activity
across the region, and we are asking organisations
or collectives of individuals with strong links to their
community to use their creative ideas and energy
to develop innovative approaches to extending
opportunities to more people.
We are looking for a mix of large, high impact
projects designed specifically to respond to local
needs. Engaging young people in the design and
development of the activities is an integral part
of the programme.
This booklet will give you further information
about the programme, what will be commissioned
and how you can get involved.
Can you help us create a lasting 2012
legacy for the region? Let’s dance! ≥
 what’s it all about?
It’s about inspiring
more people to dance.
Within the People Dancing programme
dance has a very broad definition incorporating
dance within communities and dance and
movement-related activities within sport,
as well as dance as an art form.
Building on the rich and diverse dance
infrastructure that exists in the West Midlands
region, People Dancing aims to get people
dancing by investing in the following areas:
1 Dance at grass roots level
Supporting collaborative programmes from
dance companies, leaders, sports clubs or
community groups to develop dance at grass
roots level and encourage people to take
up dance and dance related activity locally.
Young people from across the West
2 Flexible dance stage
Midlands joined together for a BIG DANCE
performance at the launch of the Cultural
A portable dance stage will be available for use
Olympiad in the West Midlands. by communities across the West Midlands to
enable mass community dance to take place.
041
3 Dance leadership
Developing the capacity and skills of dance
leaders in the region, encouraging leaders of
dance and dance related activity to work with
new and existing partners in fresh ways to build
their own capacity, knowledge and understanding
about dance and of others.
4 Site-specific dance participation
Taking dance to places where dance is rarely
seen – large-scale, mass participation dance
events in unusual and unexpected places.
5 Marketing and digital archive
 Ensuring that the public is better informed
about the opportunities for them to dance in
the West Midlands. A portal for information on
all aspects of dance, recording dance experiences
from the People Dancing programme.
Commissions will initially be available
against strands 1, 3 and 4, above.
05
 what’s it all about?
The minimum value of a commission is £30,000,
and the maximum is £100,000 (with flexibility for
exceptional partnerships which can deliver very
wide impact). Commissions are only available to
non-commercial organisations.
The total budget available for dance and dance
related activity across the West Midlands over the
life of the People Dancing programme is £2.61m.
Of this, £1.67m is allocated for dance at grass
roots level, £190,000 for dance leadership and
£750,000 for site-specific dance participation.
Projects spanning any time period from a one-off
event to a three year programme of activities are
eligible to bid for the commissions.
Motionhouse Dance Theatre workshop.
061
To be considered for a commission
you need to show how your proposal
meets the following aims:
Working innovatively with a wide and
diverse range of people, taking dance
into local communities/neighbourhoods.
Providing a legacy beyond
the life of your activity.
Working creatively by making new
partnerships and developing those
that already exist.
Ensuring that your proposal has local
relevance and is based on need.
Considering the minimum and maximum
value of commissions, ensuring that your
proposal is realistic and feasible.
Bringing in other funds from your own
resources, partnership funding or other
funding bids.
Realising the overarching values and principles
for all West Midlands 2012 programmes:
Including and involving young people in the
design and delivery of your work; Developing
international links; Using digital media in
your work and its dissemination.
07
 who can take part?

Whether you’re a professional dance

organisation, local dance school,
sports group combining sport and
dance, or a dancer, choreographer,
dance teacher or student working
in partnership with others –
People Dancing is for …

International Dance Festival Birmingham. Photo by Brian Slater.

081 09
 who can take part?
The aim of this programme is to commission
dance and dance related activity from a wide
range of organisations and collectives
throughout the West Midlands.
From ballet to break dancing, cheerleading to cha
cha, the only criteria is that your activity gets more
people in the West Midlands dancing and active.
Trace by Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company.
101
You can apply if:
You are a non-commercial body or collective
of individuals who use culture and/or sport
in your work. Bodies need to demonstrate
in what ways they are not-for-profit.
Your proposal will mainly benefit
people living in the West Midlands.
Your proposal is for a single activity
or a range of related activities.
You can complete your activity
and undertake all project expenditure
by 31 December 2012.
The organisation or collaborative
partnership submitting the proposal will
be the same organisation or partnership that
will be responsible for the delivery of the
project, including managing the budget.
Working with young people/vulnerable adults:
Organisations planning activity which includes
working with young people and/or vulnerable
adults must have a protection policy, and all
staff and/or volunteers working with vulnerable
adults and/or young people must have Criminal
Records Bureau (CRB) clearance.
11
 get involved!

People Dancing is an open

and flexible programme which
you, and the communities you
work with, can help to shape.

Applying for a People Dancing commission 4 Seek some free advice

is really simple and straightforward; there is
no application form to fill in, just follow the
5 steps below:
1 Read this booklet carefully
It provides important information on how
to prepare and submit your proposal.
2 Write a proposal
You need to tell us about your project by
submitting a maximum 2,000 word proposal;
p14 gives clear instructions on what to include.
You can request help to shape and develop
your proposal, simply contact us by emailing
peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk for
support and guidance.
5 Please send your proposal to:
People Dancing
Arts Council England West Midlands
82 Granville Street
Birmingham B1 2LH
Or email to: peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk

3 Include relevant
further information
 ou can submit images, video and sound
Y Please see p17 for submission dates.
files, as evidence of your previous work and
your aspirations for the project. Please note For future rounds it will be possible to bid
that we are unable to return these materials. online, but this is not currently available.

121 Fearless by Motionhouse Dance Theatre. Photo by Roy Peters. 13

 your proposal
You need to submit a proposal outlining the activity you would
like us to commission, please use the checklist below to ensure
you provide the information required:
State clearly who the applicant
is, along with contact details.
Include information about your project: what
you are aiming to achieve; how you plan to do
it; who will be involved in delivering the project;
and the benefits that it will bring you/your
organisation and the People Dancing programme.
Provide evidence of need for the project and
list any partners who have been engaged in its
development or who will be involved in delivery.
Demonstrate your track
record of successful delivery.
Include details about the people your project
will reach. You should tell us how your project
will affect the people who will experience it.
Explain how you intend to engage young people
in the planning and delivery of the project.
Include a clear, balanced budget (this means your
income and your expenditure must be the same
and include how much you are requesting from the
People Dancing programme). You should show
how you have worked out the costs in your budget.
141
Tell us about other resources from your own
funds, partner contributions or funding you have
applied for for this project, and the progress
of those applications with timescales for any
outstanding decisions.
Clearly state how long the activity will run
for and timelines for starting and finishing the
project, with key milestones.
I
ndicate the key risks which may hinder
delivery of the project and how these
will be overcome.
Explain how you will evaluate your activity.
The proposal should not be more than 2,000
words long (excluding supporting information).
Additional supporting information can be
provided, e.g. images, video, sound files. Please
note that these materials cannot be returned.
Your proposal will be assessed
against the following criteria:
Strong evidence of need.
The project is well planned and organised.
The budget is realistic and represents
good value for money.
The extent to which other resources have been
identified to support the delivery of the proposal.
The extent to which the project meets
any or all of the aims set out on p7.
Who will benefit from the commission, will the
beneficiaries be a wide and diverse range of people?
The demonstration of the creation of partnerships
which extend benefit and add value to the programme.
The extent to which you/your organisation have a
track record in the successful delivery of projects.
There will be a legacy of learning for you/your
organisation and the local communities involved
with your project.
Your project actively engages with young people.
Projects are expected to involve young people
not only as recipients and audiences, but as
contributors to the design and delivery of the
programme where appropriate.
Your project shows a commitment to
inventive marketing and communications
practice (including digital media).
The extent to which sustainability has
been considered once the funding finishes.
Relevant policies in place.
You/your organisation is keen to apply for your
project to be part of the Cultural Olympiad.
15
 the process
Proposal submission and timelines.
The programme runs for 3 years: 2009/2010,
2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Proposals need to be
submitted by the following deadlines each year:
8th May and 6th November 2009
9th April and 3rd September 2010
4th February and 8th July 2011
You will receive an email or letter
acknowledging your proposal within
10 working days of us receiving it.
Following receipt of your proposal it will
usually take 6 weeks to let you know the decision.
Sometimes it will be necessary for us to contact
you to clarify some of the information before the
decision is made.
Support is available to help you shape your
proposal through surgeries held around the
region. To find out when the next surgery will
be held in your area and to book a place please
email peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk
Dancefest Street. Photo by Kate Brookes.
161
If successful, we will send you an agreement for
you to sign and return, and will ask you to provide
us with the details of your bank or building society
so that the commissioning monies can be paid
into your account by BACS. You will also receive
an information pack which includes:
Details of how we will work together.
How you should monitor your
project and measure its impact.
When and how you will be paid.
How to meet the publicity
requirements of the programme.
Confirmation of the project
costs we cannot fund.
Agreement signatories must be at least 18 years old.
We operate a complaints procedure.
If your proposal is rejected and you disagree
with the reasons for this you should contact
peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk in the
first instance.
17
 what we can commission (and what we can’t)

Examples of Some of the

costs we can things we cannot
fund include: fund include:
Artistic costs Projects which start within two months
of the deadline for which the proposal is
Community/young people engagement being submitted. Projects should start at
least two months beyond the deadline date
Staffing to allow for decision-making and project
start-up (three months if you also plan to
Materials/equipment apply for Arts Council England Grants for
the Arts funds to support your project).
Venue hire
Projects that provide no benefit
Marketing and publicity to the people of the West Midlands.
CRB checks Recoverable VAT

Training costs Commercial bodies Red by Sonia Sabri Company. Photo by Roy Peters.

For further guidance on what we can and cannot fund

181 please contact peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk 19
 if your proposal is successful

Post-award requirements.
Publicity and logos
You/your organisation will be required to meet the
publicity requirements of the programme, including
displaying the programme logos and/or using some
generic wording on all of your publicity materials
for your project.
Monitoring
All successful projects will be required to undertake
some simple information gathering in order to
monitor progress, improve the programme and
measure long term impact. Guidance on how
to capture the information will be provided.

The Cultural Olympiad How we will treat the information that

To become part of the official four year London
2012 Cultural Olympiad programme, your project
or event will need to go through an application
process to obtain the official 2012 Inspire Mark,
after you have raised finances for your project.
you share with us: Any information which you
provide to us will be handled in full compliance
with the Data Protection Act (1998). Please see
www.ico.gov.uk for further information.

Please note that the funding for your project must

be compatible with London 2012’s ability to raise
funding from its commercial partners. Your project
must be wholly funded or likely to be funded from
1) public sector sources; 2) private individuals;
3) commercial sources that are not in material and
direct competition with London 2012 partners.

Please visit www.london2012.com for more

information on the Cultural Olympiad. Ensemble by Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company.

201 21
 what next?

Please send your proposal to:

People Dancing
Arts Council England West Midlands
82 Granville Street
Birmingham B1 2LH
Or email it to:

peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk
You will receive an email or letter acknowledging your proposal within 10 working days of us receiving it.
Contact us for any further information: peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk

This document can be provided in alternative languages or alternative

Dancefest Breakdance. Photo by Poppy Marriott. formats. Please contact: peopledancing@artscouncil.org.uk
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