Home > Dance Development > Déda: the Artist Scheme
Déda: the Artist Scheme was launched in 2007 to provide support for artists based in Derby, the East Midlands and nationally. Stephen Munn, Director of Derby Dance explains:
“We noticed that there was a distinct lack of dance artists and practitioners living and working within our area. And this is at a time when the region is investing heavily in its cultural offering, with new buildings for the arts being erected across the East Midlands. We recognised that, if we want to attract creative people to Derby, we need to ensure that the city is seen as a place rich in artistic activity. So we launched the artist scheme with two key aims: to raise the aspirations and calibre of local artists; and to link the work of high quality national and international artists to Derby Dance, the city and the region.”
Déda: the Artist Scheme has been made possible by an investment through Grants for the Arts, Arts Council England’s main open application funding programme. Suzannah Bedford, Dance Officer at Arts Council East Midlands says:
“We are delighted that our investment of £10,500 through our Grants for the Arts scheme has enabled Derby Dance to attract such an exciting line-up of artists to Derby. Ultimately, our increase in regular funding of an additional £74,000 over the next 3 years will enable Derby Dance to attract and support more artists in this way, which means our dance artists in the region will benefit from working with a wider range of artists, and the people of Derby will benefit from seeing some high quality and exciting dance performances.”
In order to encourage artists to base themselves in the East Midlands, different levels of support will be offered through the scheme, ranging from rehearsal space, administration support and office facilities to performance and training opportunities.
There are two Associate Artist positions that will focus on choreography and composition. Claire Cunningham & Jose Agudo will jointly hold the position of Associate Artist (Choreographer) to create a new piece for national and international touring over the next twelve months. Claire and Jose are both recognised artists in their own right, working with companies such as Random Dance, Shobana Jeyasingh and Theatre Rites.
Claire Cunningham, Associate Artist (Choreographer), said:
“We are delighted to be Associate Artists at Derby Dance. The residency will provide further opportunities to bring our collective knowledge of dance and movement to projects in Derby. After 12 years working away from the Midlands it will be a wonderful home-coming and I look forward to introducing Jose to the vibrant dance culture which is developing in Derby.”
The Associate Artist (Composer) is Robin Rimbaud, a.k.a. Scanner. Having collaborated with artists as diverse as Radiohead, Random Dance, The Royal Ballet and Merce Cunningham, Scanner is an internationally renowned composer of electronic music and he will work with regional artists over the next year to create music that reflects the changing face of Derby.
Scanner, Associate Artist (Composer), said:
“I am delighted to be working within this dynamic scheme and am very keen to develop new work, encourage others to think in fresh creative ways and share my ideas, thoughts and experiences with a wider audience within Derby.”
Derby-based artist Candida Elton is this year’s Home Start artist. This scheme was designed to provide regional artists with a year’s worth of research and development time plus access to facilities in order to develop their work. Candida, who works in creating dance for both live performance and film, said:
“Derby Dance, with its beautiful studios and expert staff, is a valuable resource for independent dance artists in the East Midlands. As a choreographer based in Derby, I am delighted to be offered a package of support by Derby Dance as part of Déda: the Artist Scheme and look forward to making new dance work for screen and performance in the year ahead.”
The Resident Artist package was set up to provide an artist or company with a base and an administrative infrastructure to plug into over a period of two years. This has been offered to Derby-based physical theatre company Maison Foo. The company has a flair for visual detail and a desire to both entertain and challenge and consists of Kathryn Lowe and Bethany Sheldon, Joint Artistic Directors, and Sam Ford, Operations Director.
“We are absolutely delighted to have been given this fantastic opportunity to work with Derby Dance through the artist scheme. It gives us a real chance to establish ourselves as a successful theatre company. We look forward to this new and exciting journey.”
For more information about our artist scheme, please contact Rachel Austin, Dance Development Team Co-ordinator on rachel.austin@derbydance.co.uk