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Escalator Dance is a talent development programme
which we run in the East of England.
The purpose of the programme is to spot and nurture talented dance artists
and help them to take the next step in their careers.
We work with a network of venues, promoters and agencies in the East of England,
connecting them with those artists
and giving those artists opportunities to develop and grow.
The selection panel is really looking for a diverse group of artists
making different work, kind of representing the best of new dance.
The array of support structure that Escalator Dance was offering
is like a dreamlike support structure
that anybody who wants to be a performer, a dance artist
or who is very serious about pursuing or sustaining a career would wish for.
And that is one of the reasons why I wanted to apply.
The Escalator Dance Producer Project had never been run before
but it has been brilliant for me to work with the producers,
to see their growth and development.
We've had a mix of one-to-one mentoring, we've taken them to festivals.
Part of the success story for me is that a number of those producers
are now setting up as freelance independent producers in the region.
A number of them are carrying on working with the artists they had been paired with.
So as a resource and the ecology on that level it really worked.
For me it was brilliant to network
and to make those connections with those organisations, with the artists.
To get my name out there as a producer.
We couldn't make the work that we make without the support of the Arts Council.
And in turn the support that arts organisations
who are supported by the Arts Council give us.
I wanted to be a part of Escalator Dance because I wanted to do more choreography.
And being part of Escalator gave me a foundation
to really do that and to work with Dance East and get a part-time producer there.
And just feel like I had a bit of a base and support to become a choreographer.
It's a really good scheme to get on to if you're looking just to have that
support in that next stage of your development.
I think it's really fantastic, especially for people who want to start out
and who don't know the uncharted seas, in a way,
and they want to get support, Escalator Dance is perfect for that.
A big thing for me as a producer is to take this great work out to as many as possible.
I think that's been one of the great benefits.
We've really put those artists in front of those audiences
in a way that perhaps wasn't happening.
So I'm really excited about what comes next.
It's incredibly exciting because we now have five brand-new dance producers
and I think they'll go on to be leaders in the dance world.