WIREDGOV

Big Dance has announced plans to go nationwide for Big Dance 2012, which will take place from 7-15 July as part of the Cultural Olympiad London 2012 Festival.

In 2012 the biennial week-long event will expand to reach out beyond London to communities all over England through a network of leading national dance organisations coordinated by the Foundation for Community Dance.

Moira Sinclair, Area Executive Director London, Arts Council England said: 'Big Dance is about the spectacular. Whether it is terrific set pieces, innovative community projects or mass participation events - it allows people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in dance.

'We are thrilled to support the programme to extend its work nationwide in 2012, meaning that even more people can make dance part of their lives. In this landmark year, Big Dance will offer opportunities and platforms for new and emerging choreographers to work in different contexts. We can't wait to see what they will do given this fantastic opportunity.'

Multi award‐winning British choreographer Wayne McGregor will set the vision and choreographic framework for Big Dance 2012, and will work directly on the creation of a new dance piece for 2,000 dancers in Trafalgar Square to be premiered on Saturday 14 July 2012.

Wayne McGregor said: 'I am excited at the prospect of being part of Big Dance. A major part of my preoccupation over the last few years has been to see how I can find ways to inspire creativity among young dancers and choreographers. Trafalgar Square will be the ultimate dance stage for all of us work on. I hope we will turn Big Dance into not just a celebration but a real movement.'

Working in collaboration with the British Council, Big Dance will reach out to schools all over the world in 2012. School children will be able to take part in a global record-breaking attempt to create the largest multi-location dance routine ever performed on Friday 18 May 2012, to coincide with the arrival of the Olympic Torch in the UK and marking the start of the seven-week countdown to Big Dance Week.

Big Dance London, which is supported by Legacy Trust UK, Mayor of London and Arts Council England, is coordinated through a partnership between: East London Dance, English National Ballet, Greenwich Dance, Sadler's Wells, Siobhan Davies Dance.

In 2012 a network of leading national dance organisations coordinated by the Foundation for Community Dance will take Big Dance nationwide. Organisations include: South East Dance, Dance South West/Pavilion Dance, Dance 4, Merseyside Dance Initiative, Yorkshire Dance, DanceEast and Dance City.

Founded in 2006 by the Mayor of London in partnership with Arts Council England, Big Dance is a high profile campaign to get everyone taking part - wherever they are, whatever their age, experience or ability. Over 2 million people have taken part in Big Dance since it began, with events taking place in unusual locations including shopping centres, parks, beaches, schools and on the Big Dance Bus as well as in performance spaces all over London.

Find out more about Big Dance 2012.