New Glasgow dance company raises the barre
21 Sep 2016 02:36 PM
A new Glasgow dance company is set to bring the generations together to discover and rediscover their love of dance. Barrowland Ballet today (WEDNESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER) receives £42k of dormant banks and building society cash from the Young Start fund to turn their idea into reality.
The new company will give dancers aged 7 to 75 years old the chance to work with professional choreographers as part of series of special shows in the Tramway, Glasgow and the Beacon in Greenock in March 2017.
Taking part in an exclusive photos shoot at The Briggait in Glasgow, Irene Kelso, 63, from Glasgow said: “This will give me the perfect opportunity to continue to explore my own creativity. I love the fact that there are not formal auditions and no prior qualifications are needed to join.
“This makes it clear that dance is for everyone, me included – it’s a gift. I look forward to learning how to express myself though dance. I think that the more opportunities there are for different generations to have fun together, the better. I imagine that Barrowland Ballet’s new company will be like a family of dancers who grow together. I can’t wait to be part of it.”
Eve Romero-Dower, 13, also pictured, from Glasgow, said: “In this dance company I’m really looking forward to working with people from different age groups and abilities so I can widen my own skills and abilities in dance. It’s a really unusual thing to be part of and it’s great to know that you’ll be accepted no matter your background or level of dance experience.
“It’s great to talk to people with different ideas and opinions on dance because when you combine ideas, you make something really unique and exciting.”
Welcoming the £42,2000 award, Natasha Gilmore, Artistic Director, Barrowland Ballet, said: “We are delighted to have received this award from Young Start. We have always wanted to create an intergenerational company that is professionally led and open to everyone and there is clearly a need for this as we have received over 70 applications to join from seven year olds to 75 year olds. This funding will help us to deliver our new weekly intergenerational company for the next two years, alongside its annual performance project.
“Each generation brings something different to company, creating an environment of respect that has a vibrant, playful atmosphere. New relationships are forged with everyone feeling personally valued and a greater sense of understanding grows between generations. We hope there will be a real sense of being part of the Barrowland Ballet community, developing as a dancer and most importantly that everyone has fun.”
Announcing today’s Young Start funding to nine projects totalling £333,844 Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “With this funding, children and young people in and around Glasgow will be able to explore their passion for dance and performance, while making new connections with older people in their communities. As they learn more about dance, there will be opportunities to work with professional dance artists, costume designers and producers to plan and deliver public performances in Glasgow and Greenock. I am delighted to announce these latest Young Start grants which will which help future generations unlock their potential.”
Run by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Young Start awards money from dormant bank and building society accounts to support a range of projects to help young people aged eight to 24 years old reach their full potential. These latest nine awards to groups will allow young people across Scotland to access a wide range of new opportunities.
For more information about Young Start visit the website at:- https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/scotland/young-start
Other projects receiving Young Start funding today are:-
Diabetes UK- Glasgow
£50,00
This project will increase the confidence and capacity of young people to develop skills in communication, group work, planning and making reasoned decisions around the daily self-management of Type 1 diabetes.
Gorbals Youth Café -Glasgow
£48,277
This group will use the funding to help young people achieve awards such as Dynamic Youth awards, Saltire awards and Youth Achievement Awards and more.
Fantastic Friends Friday – East Renfrewshire
£49,660
This group will use the funding to continue their activity group for young adults with additional support needs. Young people will decide on and engage in a variety of activities for example a fundraising disco, zumba classes and live theatre.
Bright Sparks Playgroup – Midlothian
£31,958
This group will be used for three clubs one for young teenagers with autism aged from 12 years onwards.
Parkhead Housing Association Limited – Glasgow
£23,020
This group will run a two year project supporting 43 local young people aged 5-13 to create two educational films, speaking up against anti-social behaviour. The films will be designed and developed by young participants and shown locally.
The Wave Project – East Lothian
£47,100
This group will use the grant to continue working with young people with mental health issues or who have experienced trauma through the provision of surfing and peer mentoring
Arran High School Mountain Bike Club – North Ayrshire
£29,816
The school will launch the Arran Bike Project, which will offer 120 young people age 11-17 the chance to learn bike maintenance skills afterschool, they will then pass these skills on to other young people.
Youth Making Beith Better – North Ayrshire
£11,813
This group will use the funding to expand upon their existing youth provision, Youth Mondays. During these sessions a range of activities will take place including issue based activities focusing on topics such as healthy living and bullying.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1451
Email: lorna.mcniven@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglottery
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland
Notes to Editors
- Dormant accounts are defined in the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008 as those which have seen no customer-initiated activity for at least 15 years.
- In September 2011 the Scottish Government formally issued instructions to the Big Lottery Fund to distribute dormant accounts funding for the benefit of Scotland’s voluntary and community sector.
- The Reclaim Fund Ltd. (RFL), which was established in March 2011 to receive and invest dormant account balances across the UK, transferred the first tranche of monies from dormant bank and building society accounts to BIG on 2 August 2011. Scotland will receive an 8.4 per cent share of the total funds to be distributed.
- The Distribution of Dormant Account Money (Apportionment) Order 2011 prescribes that Scotland will receive 8.4% of the dormant accounts money to be made available for distribution by the Big Lottery Fund under the 2008 Act. The estimated grants budget for 2014/15 is £4.8m. It should be noted that this figure is a median projection and may go up or down.
- The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40 per cent of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
- Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Every year we fund 13,000 small local projects tackling big social problems like poor mental health and homelessness.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.
- The Big Lottery Fund Scotland is focussed on helping people and communities most in need throughout Scotland through its five-year £250m funding scheme as well as small grants schemes Awards for All and Investing in Ideas.
- Since March 2007 Big Lottery Fund Scotland has taken devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn plays a strategic role in the future direction of the Fund in Scotland.