About One Dance UK
One Dance UK is the sector support organisation for dance – leading the charge in creating a vibrant, strong and diverse dance sector. Combining over 100 years of expertise into one strong and specialist organisation, One Dance UK work tirelessly to champion dancers and dance professionals from all across the sector to build a more resilient dance industry. As a membership organisation One Dance UK’s mandate comes directly from the sector, where they work to connect dancers, suppliers, professionals and companies.
This series of photographs celebrate One Dance UK’s relocation to Birmingham from London in July 2019. Taking the sounds of the city as their orchestra, and the streets as their stage some of the region’s finest dance artists were invited by One Dance UK to partner with the city itself; exploring and celebrating the sights, venues, culture, and surroundings that make the city so vibrant, diverse and unique.
Featuring dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet, SAMPAD, Swing-Era and a whole host of other incredible independent artists, this exhibition celebrates One Dance UK’s arrival into the ‘second city’ which is home to so much first-class dance.
About the Photographer
One Dance UK’s Marketing Manager and Freelance Photographer Dani Bower began her relationship with dance at a young age. At 5 years old, Dani started ballet classes and as she grew her socialising would always relate to dance, the place she felt her imagination was best able to run free. After being unable to continue dancing due to a back injury as a teenager, Dani sought to pursue her creativity in other ways. Being fascinated by art, imagery, and people, she was naturally drawn to photography; a passion which developed throughout her teenage years and eventually into education, where she obtained both a BTEC and Bachelor’s Degree, with a special interest in dance photography.
After achieving a first-class degree, Dani was able to turn her passion into a profession, firstly through a freelance career which has taken her around the world as a photographer, and later going on to work for various arts organisations as a digital marketer. In 2019, Dani became part of the One Dance UK family as Marketing Manager, where she is able to combine her skill as a marketer and photographer to highlight the important work they undertake for the dance sector. This series of photographs, taken to celebrate One Dance UK’s move to Birmingham from London, use the vibrant setting of the city to complement the movement, and create harmony between the place and the dancer.
On display in Level 2 & 3 Gallery. You can visit the exhibition from 10.30am, Mon – Sat, using our Thorp Street entrance.