TRADITIONAL DANCE INITIATIVE AND THE CULTURAL OLYMPIAD

The TDI was set up to bring interested parties together as a lobbying and ideas forum for projects to promote and develop training and demonstration of regional traditional dance to youngsters and to deliver these dances as part of the various showcase events planned for the four year Cultural Olympiads in the regions.

The idea grew out of attempts to galvanise the efforts of the various member organisations, Morris Ring, Open Morris and the Morris Federation, that make up the Joint Morris Organisations, as an umbrella organisation to promote traditional dance and train up dancers to perform at the various Olympic events.

We believe the model of the ESMM Children’s Festival and the Plough Monday example above can be rolled out more widely and they fit within the scope of the Cultural Olympiad Inspire Programme. We will be making an application to use the 2012 Inspire mark as part of our marketing and promotional activities with the ambition to roll-out similar events across East Anglia.

In 2009, both the Ip-art Children’s Festival and the Dancing Tent tour are the first new projects to be launched and are ideal performance outlets to captivate and excite children with the dances of their region - and channel the TDI into East Anglia.