Current Activity
Examples of our work in Drama and Dance Every year we support a range of performing arts projects around the world. From small street art events and workshops to full-scale touring productions, our Drama and Dance team in the UK works in conjunction with our overseas arts managers to create projects that challenge outdated perceptions of the UK and create new collaborations and partnerships.
The following examples of current and recent performing arts activity provide a snapshot of the work that we do.
Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur Awards 2009
The British Council presented these awards in August at a packed ceremony in Edinburgh. The
International award went to Lucien Bourjeily from Lebanon and
Alex Fleetwood, the founder of Hide & Seek, was declared the winner of the UK award. Both will receive £5,000 to invest in a project between the UK and their home countries.
In a rare and much publicised performance, the Royal Ballet danced for the people of Havana, presenting an inventive full programme that featured Cuba's own star dancer, Carlos Acosta.
The British Council/BBC Writing for Radio project in the Middle East has culminated in a new radio play,
Al Amwaj (The Waves), written by a group of seven Qatari and Saudi writers.
Our biennial Edinburgh Showcase staged more than 30 productions over the course of five days at the Fringe, ranging from young unknowns to established artists.
Featuring historic, seminal and ground breaking films, Forward Motion creates a moving snapshot of Britain’s prolific screen dance output.
Efo Kodjo Mawugbe from Ghana and Erin Browne from the USA have been awarded the two top prizes in the BBC World Service and British Council International Radio Playwriting Competition 2009.
The SPACE project, in which the British Council is a partner, is providing a professional, mobile training programme for arts managers distributing performing arts work throughout Europe.
The British Council and El Teatro de la Laboral collaborated to present
S.P.A.C.E. UK, a showcase programmed to explore the possibilities of performance spaces.
Celebrated dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan, has forged a new partnership with the National Ballet of China, and recruited four of their members to perform in
Bahok. 