Put Your Dancing Shoes On
Published on:
13
September 2007
The Scottish Traditions of Dance Trust (STDT) was previously based in Stirling, and has now relocated its headquarters to the Speirs Centre in Alloa - the first national organisation to base itself in the Wee County.
The Trust's move into the Speirs Centre is a key development in their partnership with Clackmannanshire Council's Cultural & Community Services to renovate and extend the Speirs Centre as an important cultural and performance centre serving Clackmannanshire, the rest of Scotland and overseas.
You are invited to send a photographer to the Speirs Centre on Monday 17th September at 2pm when Provost Derek Stewart will officially welcome the Trust to Clackmannanshire.
The Scottish Traditions of Dance Trust promotes and encourages participation in all forms of Scottish dance. The Trust's partnership with the Council began 3 years ago with a dancer in residence. The Trust also has a Dance Artist in Fife and in Aberdeen City and ultimately aims to have a dance artist in every local authority area in Scotland.
Council officers and the Trust Director have begun working with acclaimed architects Malcolm Fraser with a view to creating a library, local museum and archive, a performance space and a National Archive and Resource Centre for Scottish Dance within a renovated and extended Speirs Centre.
Cultural and Community Services Manager Ron Carthy said: "I am delighted that the successful joint working with STDT over the last three years has resulted in this agreement to work in partnership to develop a cultural centre and performance space for Clackmannanshire. The Speirs Centre is a beautiful building with many fascinating features. We and the Trust are confident that with the assistance of the Malcolm Fraser team we can create an outstanding space that will be attractive to local residents and visitors from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. And not just individuals, other museums and performing companies will want to display and perform here."
Lisa Kennedy (nee Dunlop), former Dance Artist in Residence in Clackmannanshire, organised and delivered various community and school workshops and classes including training for teachers. Lisa established The Lornshill Fusion Dancers, a high school performance group blending Scottish traditional dance with contemporary styles, such as Hip-Hop and Salsa. Additionally Lisa worked with ISH an Amsterdam based performance company to develop local pupils' dance skills. Lisa remains with STDT as Resident Dance Tutor continuing the work of the Trust within the Clackmannanshire area and beyond.
Provost Derek Stewart said: "We're delighted to welcome the Trust to Clackmannanshire. The fact that they've relocated their headquarters at the Speirs Centre is very pleasing and it marks the start of a significant period of redevelopment for the centre."
Director of the STDT, Angela Dreyer-Larsen said: "We have moved here as we believe Clackmannanshire is a forward-thinking Council, actively breaking through the barriers by adopting a holistic attitude towards creativity and learning in the community. One of the major aims of the Trust when it began in 1995, was to establish a National Archive and Resource Centre for Scottish Dance. We are thrilled, therefore that the new developed Speirs Centre will finally, after 12 years, give a home to this important national resource. We believe that participation in traditional dance will make an important contribution to the Clackmannanshire community. STDT and traditional dance not only get people of all ages involved in the arts but also assists them to learn about and appreciate their culture and traditions. Dance is also a good accessible forum for the development of social skills and fitness with FUN. In the last year alone, STDT brought traditional dance to around 33,000 people throughout Scotland. We expect this figure to rise as the interest in Scottish tradition and dance continues to grow.
"We are grateful for the support and encouragement that we have received throughout the last three years from Cultural and Community Services and look forward to developing this exciting partnership further."
For further information on the STDT visit www.stdt.org
