Papers of the Foundation for Community Dance and predecessors

Papers of the Foundation for Community Dance and its predecessors the Community Dance and Mime Foundation and the National Association of Dance and Mime Animateurs.

The papers include Executive Committee minutes and papers; administrative and financial files; papers relating to conferences held by the organisation including "You and Community Dance and Mime" (1990), "Training for Community Dance and Mime" (1991), "Beyond the Teadance" (1996), "Edge of Creativity: dance and young people" (2000) and "Dancing Differently? Access, inclusion and diversity" (2002); papers relating to workshops, training and summer schools; papers relating to projects and research conducted by the organisation including research into contracts and pay-scales for community dance professionals (1991), research into the scale of community dance provision across the UK (1998-1999), networking and mentoring projects, the "Creative Renewal" project (2001-2005) and the "Creative People" project (2001-2002); publications produced by the organisation including issues of "Animated", handbooks and guidelines for community dance practitioners, papers relating to the publication of Regular Marvels: a handbook for animateurs, practitioners and development workers in dance, mime, music and literature (1994), and newsletter "Network News"; and marketing material such as flyers, brochures, leaflets and mailings.

The National Association of Dance and Mime Animateurs (NADMA) was founded in 1986 to service the needs of professional dance and mime animateurs. It was based in Berkshire. In 1988 the association reviewed their priorities and decided to found the Community Dance and Mime Foundation (CDMF) to "promote and sustain community dance and mime activities at a national strategic level" (quote from a funding application).

A permanent home for the new foundation was found at Leicester Polytechnic through the agency of Mike Huxley, Head of Dance. From September 1989 the CDMF was based in office accommodation at the Polytechnic's Scraptoft Campus. In 1994 the aims of the organisation were reassessed and it was decided to relinquish mime from their brief. To note this change a new name and corporate image were launched, alongside a move away from the Polytechnic to central Leicester offices.

The Foundation for Community Dance (FCD), as it was now known, aimed to position itself as a national development agency and lead body for community dance. It forms a national network providing advice, information and support to members, issuing a newsletter, promoting training, conferences and resources, issuing a Community Dance Directory, supporting the continuing professional development of community dance practitioners, representing the needs of community dance to policy makers, and acting as a facilitator for partnership working.

Despite moving away from the campus, the FCD maintains a knowledge exchange partnership with De Montfort University. They have organised joint symposia and run a series of videoconferences with Arizona State University to discuss comparative approaches to community dance.

The collection is open for research, although some files contain sensitive information and may be restricted.

The collection was deposited in August 2012 by the Foundation for Community Dance.

A box list has been prepared and is available from the Archivist on request. A detailed catalogue will be produced in due course.

Listed by Katharine Short, Archivist, March 2013.

Further accruals are expected from the FCD.