Legacy Trust UK’s London programme Big Dance 2010 ran from 3-11 July and offered Londoners the ultimate dance experience by presenting dance in unusual spaces throughout the city – parks, museums, libraries, shopping centres – showcasing the diversity of dance styles on offer in London.

Sponsored by T- Mobile, Big Dance works through five Big Dance hubs who co-ordinate activity in their own area of London – East: East London Dance, West: English National Ballet, South: Greenwich Dance, North: Sadler’s Wells and in the South: Siobhan Davies Dance.  Working in partnership with the 33 London boroughs, they produced some wonderful, inspiring, uplifting and challenging works.

The highlights below give a flavour of what the capital was treated to over the summer.

The Big Dance Bus
From May onwards, an old Routemaster bus travelled all over London showcasing local talent, and presenting a range of dance pieces, that encouraged people to take part in dance by either watching or getting involved in a workshop.

The Big Dance Bubble
An inflatable bubble also travelled round London wowing audiences with specially commissioned dance pieces, workshops and performances.

Photo: Kois Miah

The Big World Dance
The finale of Big Dance 2010 was a mass participation dance that took participants from the Southbank Centre to Trafalgar Square.  Thousands of dancers had been learning the routines (choreographed by Luca Silvestrini of Protein Dance) at events and workshops throughout London from May to July, and came together to take part in the grand finale on a scorching summers day in Trafalgar Square.

Big Dance Schools Pledge – World Record
School children from across the world took part in a record breaking attempt for the largest dance class in multiple venues.  At 1pm on 9 July schools across London, performed choreography created for Big Dance my Hakeem Onibudo of Impact Dance.  We are still counting and verifying the record, but the signs are looking good with in excess of 30,000 dancers already totted up.

Dancing stAGE
Not to be outdone by children and young people, 150 older dancers took to the stage at the Southbank Centre to showcase just what they can do.  The piece, produced by East London Dance and choreographed by Natasha Gilmore, was inspired by the theme of love and left barely a dry eye in the house.

For more information and images from Big Dance 2010 and to see how plans are developing for 2012 – check out the Big Dance website: www.bigdance2010.com

Photo: Kois Miah