Let’s Dance: Personal message from campaign Founder Angela Rippon
Dear Colleagues, Stakeholders and Ambassadors.
The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity on Let’s Dance! And as our Press Launch on February 8th, and the National Dance Day on March 2nd are now just weeks away, this is good opportunity to bring you all up to date.
I think perhaps the most important news has come out of successful meetings with Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Minister, Stephen Kinnock, and the team at NHS England.
Both Wes Streeting and Stephen Kinnock have given their total support to the aims and ambitions of the Let’s Dance! Campaign. And the NHS have officially incorporated Let’s Dance! into their ten-year plan to get the nation fit and healthy.
This means that dance is being officially recognised , not just as an entertainment to be watched and enjoyed by millions, but as a valid form of exercise for the health and wellbeing of mind and body, in people of all ages and all physical conditions – along with its ability to overcome isolation and loneliness through social contact, and the sheer joy that dance brings to people. It’s not just exercise, it’s fun! Something that dance teachers and dancers have known for years.
There are plans to involve all 1.3 million NHS employees in the Let’s Dance! Campaign and further promote the use of dance in providing non-medical interventions in some medical conditions. As our collaboration unfolds, there will be so much more to share, but this is a great beginning.
In other news –
Our website goes live on Tuesday January 21st at let’s-dance.org.uk The team at 21six have done a brilliant job for us, and the site will be a great hub for information and contact.
Saturday February 8th is the date of our press launch, to make the nation aware of Let’s Dance. So far, the programme has mainly been shared and developed by all of you. Now, we go public. Television, Radio, Print Media and Social Media will all be invited to hear about the Let’s Dance campaign at the London Guildhall, with huge thanks to The City Corporation for doing this for us.
We have invited ten dance groups to each give the press a very short sample of the vast array of dance activities that will be seen nationwide on March 2nd.
Collectively they will emphasise the value of dance as exercise for health and wellbeing and a joyous activity. So, our groups include those using dance for people with Parkinson’s, Stroke and cancer. People over 60, teenagers. Ballroom, Classical Indian and Jazz dancers. Dame Arelene Phillips will be directing the performance part of the press launch.
I will be “On the Sofa” in The One Show on BBC One, the evening before- on Friday February 7 th – to launch the press day. And the day before that – February 6th – a video talking about Let’s Dance and the incredible difference it can make in many medical conditions, will be going out to 55 thousand GP’s via the medical information site Red Whale.
The Sun newspaper are principal press supporters. They are planning a series of articles prior to the March 2nd launch, that will emphasise the health benefits of dance.
The BBC are supporting us through Radio and Television broadcasts. Every BBC local radio station will be happy to support teachers and dancers wanting local airtime to talk about dance and promote their activities in advance of March 2nd.
That information detailing how to contact your local station, will be coming your way in the next few weeks. We are making a series of films for The One Show, to be aired in
the week leading up to March 2 nd. Each will highlight the health, fitness and social benefits of dance.
Our schools programme, and the drive to get dance into more schools is ongoing. With professional dancer Kai Widdrington at the helm of that campaign.
The Institute of Social Prescribing are stakeholders in our campaign. We will continue to work with them to recommend a national Social Prescribing fund to enable GP’s to use dance as a non-medical intervention in some medical conditions such as diabetes, mental health, obesity and depression rather than writing drug prescriptions.
March 2nd. National Dance Day is gearing up to be a really exciting day. In addition to the regional hubs we have in Cornwall at The Eden Project, Scotland in Dumfries House, Portadown in Northern Ireland, The Winter Gardens in Blackpool and with the Bhangra dancers in Birmingham , there will be , by my rough reckoning – over 50 thousand dance teachers, companies and organisations nationwide who will be opening their doors to the public, and inviting them to come in and sample the health and well-being, and sheer joy of dance. And be encouraged to continue to dance through to a healthy, fit, and socially active old age.
Monitoring and Evaluation – I am delighted also that we have had an approach from Cirencester University to support the Sport and Recreation Alliance with research on the outcomes of the campaign.
The success of this will be all down to you – the teachers and dance companies who will make this happen. We really can’t do it without you!
To you, the researchers and medical contacts who have provided such invaluable information-based research into the value of dance.
To you, every stakeholder who has supported and encouraged us from the beginning.
So from me, a huge THANK YOU. And a simple message.
LET’S DANCE!
English