DTAP Steps Forward

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release

DTAP Steps Forward

New Delhi, 23rd January 2010:The Dance Training Accreditation Partnership (DTAP), a major national initiative for developing quality standards and building capacity for the teaching of dance in England outside of the formal education sector, is announcing several new developments in its work.
Earlier this year, DTAP was awarded a significant grant by Arts Council England to take its work forward. The grant is currently enabling DTAP to:
• Commission Trinity College London to create a new level 6 qualification in Teaching Dance for Children and Young People. The qualification is currently in its pilot stage, prior to being rolled out for delivery from autumn 2010 onwards.
• Create National Occupational Standards (NOS) for community and participatory dance, including investigating the skills and competencies required within specific settings including dance for young people, dance and disabled people, dance for older people, dance in health, and dance within the criminal justice sector. A broad consultation with specialist advisors across these areas is currently in progress, with the aim that NOS are submitted for accreditation in spring 2010.
• Recruit a consultant to research the establishment of a suitable regulatory framework to ensure standards are disseminated and maintained, with the potential to unite the dance sector.
DTAP is formed of a group of leading national dance organisations including ADAD (the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora), the Council for Dance Education and Training, Dance UK, the Foundation for Community Dance, SADA (South Asian Dance Alliance), the National Dance Teachers’ Association, SCODHE (the Standing Conference on Dance in Higher Education), and Youth Dance England. Laban and the National Dance Network are also involved as consultative partners.
Graham Devlin, former Acting Secretary General of the Arts Council of England, has been appointed as Executive Chair, with the Foundation for Community Dance and Youth Dance England leading on delivery of key project strands. In addition, DTAP now has its own website (www.dtap.org.uk) where information on its background, management, achievements to date and work in progress are detailed. Anybody interested in receiving news of its work can subscribe to receive updates via the website.
DTAP’s chair, Graham Devlin, says “We are very pleased with our progress so far, and confident that DTAP will have a hugely positive effect on the dance profession in this country, with benefits for those learning and teaching dance at all levels. In taking these next steps, we hope that dance professionals who work outside the formal education sector will be encouraged to keep track of future developments and take up the opportunities that are being developed”.
A conference is being planned in summer 2010, through which interested parties will be able to find out more about, and feed back on developments. Further information will be announced shortly.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. History
DTAP was first formed in 2006 as a collective, industry-led response to an increasing concern about the lack of recognised qualifications at an appropriate level that equip dance professionals / artists for the nature and range of work that they are undertaking with young people. This reflected the shared belief that the quality of dance provision for young people rests on the quality of the dance artists and practitioners delivering it.

In January 2008 DTAP published a report by consultant Susanne Burns, which investigated its concerns and made recommendations that have led to the current initiatives. Copies of the report are available on request (see contact details below).
In April 2009 Arts Council England awarded DTAP £200,000 to support the next phase of development, to April 2011.
2. Goals
DTAP is committed to:
• Enhancing the quality of the leadership, teaching and facilitation of participatory dance for people at all stages of their development and points of engagement with dance;
• Building capacity in the dance sector to develop a workforce qualified and skilled to meet demand for high quality dance teaching and leadership;
• Taking forward work to develop regulation of dance leadership, teaching and facilitation outside of the formal education sector;
• Developing greater communication and collaboration across the dance sector on issues of quality, standards and good practice.

Further information, including photos, are available on request from:
Catherine Willmore, DTAP Project Manager: dtapcw@gmail.com
Tel. 07522 499648
DTAP is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.