The TIRED Movement have been working tirelessly to engage with schools, colleges, awarding bodies and organisations to encourage them to see the value of the movement and how working as a collective to drive the changes is paramount. Delivering CPD training, providing valuable insight through symposiums and talks.

Through discussions with some of the leading vocational performing arts colleges in the UK, we have now partnered with the following colleges, who have all pledged to support the movement and be part of a 3-year research project that looks into the impact of having little or no representation in dance education. This project will culminate with the development and pilot of a new framework that will be embedded in all Performing Arts colleges.

In order to understand the reasons why less than 20% of the intake of a college are from the global majority, and why…

• Of the 36 adjudicators listed on the All England Dance adjudicators directory, not one of them is black.
• Of the 240 adjudicators of the British Festival Federation, not one of them is black
• RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) website claims to have a panel of over 200 examiners with their photo images displayed online, not of them is black.
• There are 22 board directors pictured on the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association) website, not one of them is black.
• Of the 42 adjudicators in this country that are registered to the British Festival Federation, not one of them is black nor has there ever been a person of colour represented in that organisation.
• Nine tenths of bosses at the country’s 50 highest-funded theatres are white, with people of colour making up just 8% of leaders.

Children only know what they see, and the statistics prove that the need for more education around ethnic inclusion and racial equity is paramount.

PARTNERED COLLEGES

• BIRD College, Sidcup
• Performers College, Essex
• Performers College, Birmingham
• Laine Theatre Arts, Epsom
• Italia Conti, Woking
• ICTheatre, Brighton
• READ College, Reading
• London Studio Centre, London
• Shockout Arts, Manchester

RESEARCH PROJECT

Year 1: CONSULTATION – We will work with colleges to create focus groups that will meet regularly and ensure that the chosen ambassadors are supported throughout this project, with considerations for their wellbeing and mindful of safeguarding.

Year 2: DEVELOPMENT – We will work with colleges and the ambassadors to develop ideas for equity inclusion, and explore the eventual structure of the framework.

Year 3: IMPLENTATION – All colleges have agreed to implement the pilot framework.

All colleges will have the opportunity to collaborate with other colleges to share best practice in order to improve racial equity, inclusion, and representation in dance education. This will be the first time a project of this magnitude will be a collaboration of some of the best colleges in this country.

We are so excited to partnering with all the colleges and appreciate their support and understanding of the importance of this project. But we could not do this without the amazing Imogen Aujla, who will be our Lead Researcher throughout the next 3 years.