Help us Move on up

Dance and Performance needs your help to 'Move on Up'

2016 is shaping up to be a big year for all things movement related in Christchurch especially for us here at Dance and Performance:

� 2016 marks the 15th year of our annual Body Festival celebrating all things dance and performance movement related

� 2016 marks the 10th year of our low-decile primary schools dance project 'Dancing Like the Stars' in Christchurch, the 4th year in Dunedin and the planned piloting to four schools in Hutt City

� 2016 will see our high school dance ambassadors programme expanded to include 15-20 local high schools

� 2016 will see our workplace dance challenge 'Do a Little Dance' take place

� 2016 will be the year that a performance movement centre becomes a firm plan and starts to take shape as part of the rebuild plan!

A performance movement centre?

Tell me more!

Well we're glad you asked.

The recently announced masterplan for the Metropolitan Sports Facility, one of the key anchor projects in the Christchurch City rebuild, includes a 900sqm performance movement centre, Move as we like to term it, comprising purpose built spaces for dance, physical theatre and circus.

The centre will see over 100,000 people annually through its doors taking part in all forms of performance and movement inspired activities from professional to social dance and everything in between. The centre is going to be a fantastic asset for the city; and we believe our original suggestion that such a space be included and our ongoing lobbying for this space, for the last four and a half years, is a significant part of what has made this a reality.

To have it as a reality is exciting and we are pleased to have been invited on behalf of the dance community to inform the detailed planning of the space: which means we can contribute to ensure it is designed and operated to meet the needs of the dance and performance movement community and that there is zero barrier to participation throughout the space.

Now this is where we need your help to ensure we can achieve this.

Dance and Performance is a small organisation but one that we believe 'punches well above our weight' and leverages great outcomes from the funding and sponsorship we receive.

Nevertheless like many charitable community based organisations we run on tight finances and small surpluses. With the disruption that rocked the city through two the major earthquakes just over five years ago and the challenges presented to us to keep running and hold our festival and events during those five years, this has been even more of an issue.

To continue the fantastic work we do and ensure our ability to engage and lobby to achieve a great outcome for the performance move centre (Move), we're seeking to achieve a more stable financial position to ensure our ongoing ability to do this.

We're looking for your help to raise $10,000 to help us 'Move on Up', to help us to continue all of the great work we do for the community we serve.

If 500 people gave us $20 then we'd achieve that target, but we don't want people to feel they cannot give less or cannot give more and that $10,000 is the limit of our ambitions. Please give what you can and we assure you we can constructively use all we receive to continue the great work we do.

Once you've given you become one of our dance and performance champions and we hope you'll share our story with your friends, colleagues, neighbours, fellow dance enthusiasts and get them to donate as well.

So come on, help us to 'Move on Up'!