In a year when dance has finally taken off as the nation’s favourite art form, plans were launched today for BIG DANCE, the world’s biggest and most influential dance festival to take place from 3-11 July 2010 and again in Summer 2012, just before London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games with hundreds of events already confirmed in London and an open invitation to cities and communities around the country to join in.

Big Dance was established as a biennial festival in 2006 by the Mayor of London’s Office in partnership with Arts Council England and has grown to become the UK’s most important dance programmes, with opportunities to experience, learn about and take part in dance for millions of people.

More than a major dance festival, Big Dance is a vibrant campaign to get everyone taking part – wherever they are, whatever their age, experience or ability. Supported by leading figures from the dance world, it is delivered through a network of national and regional agencies.

This year Big Dance was selected by Legacy Trust UK to receive a grant of £2.89 million as its keynote project for London, enabling a major expansion and a huge increase in its reach, with an anticipated three million Londoners taking part by 2012. The Mayor of London is also providing significant funding as part of his 2012 legacy commitment to increase participation, cultural opportunities across the capital and see Londoners get more active and healthy.

The plans announced today include a daring takeover bid of London's streets and public spaces with Big World Dance, a showstopping dance for 10,000 people, culminating in Trafalgar Square. Luca Silvestrini will direct five co-choreographers for the Big World Dance on Saturday 10 July 2010. Wayne McGregor, the Artistic Director of Wayne McGregor / Random Dance, recently described by The New York Times as "the closest thing to a rock star that ballet can currently claim", takes the commission in 2012. McGregor is the first Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet to have come from the world of contemporary dance.

Hundreds of other performances, workshops, free events, schools events, large-scale participation events and community programmes are featured in Big Dance 2010 in London, organised through a network of London's leading dance organisations, East London Dance, English National Ballet, Greenwich Dance Agency, Sadler's Wells and Siobhan Davies Dance, acting as hubs to develop the vast programme of events featuring every kind of dance style in the capital.