Déda Appoints Creative Producer
Déda in Derby, through funding by The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, has appointed a Creative Producer to help drive forward the organisation’s vision to become the Midlands’ leading creative centre for dance, contemporary circus and outdoor performing arts.
Phil Hargreaves is a leading producer in the creative scene who has worked on a range of regional, national and international projects. He will work alongside Déda CEO & Artistic Director Stephen Munn, the Senior Management Team and key partners. Phil will take a creative lead in embedding dance and contemporary circus practice across all artistic and learning programmes including performance, artist support and talent development. A new piece of research will also be produced over the next three years which will explore the relationship between dance and contemporary circus from the perspective of the artist, producer, audience and education.
Phil has extensive experience working in the arts and producing a wide range of companies and projects including Dep Arts, 2Faced Dance Company and Joss Arnott Dance. He took a change of direction in 2014 branching out on his own as a freelance producer working with some of the UK’s most prominent dance artists - Rosie Kay Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Sonia Sabri Company, Gandini Juggling and ZfinMalta Dance Ensemble. Phil will work in a freelance capacity alongside his new role, in order to maintain his passion for artist and audience development, which will continue to inform and infuse Déda's artistic programme.
Phil explained: “I have been involved with Déda over the years in a number of ways and am delighted to be involved in this exciting development programme for the organisation. “I am passionate about developing artists and particularly supporting those from this region to achieve national and international recognition. “I also share Déda’s commitment to audience development – ensuring that we develop and produce a diverse programme of dance, contemporary circus practice and outdoor work that is creative, engaging to audiences and relevant to the communities of Derby, Derbyshire and beyond. “It is vital that organisations such as Déda continually evolve and break new ground both artistically and through financial modelling - particularly in the landscape of reduced public funding. My experience in fund raising and income generation is therefore another important aspect for the role.”
Déda Director Stephen Munn explained: “Phil’s appointment with us will be crucial as part of our overall vision is to enrich people’s lives through dance and the arts. “Our goal is to create a Midlands hub here in Derby for creative excellence and explore we can fuse these art forms, strengthen our links with existing partners and forge new relationships both in the UK and abroad. “By looking at new ways of working, broadening the scope of the organisation and with Phil’s valuable input and experience, I am confident that Déda can confirm its position as a national lead and spearhead the creation of some exciting new work – fusing the creativity and innovation of dance and contemporary circus.”
Alison Holdom, Grants Manager Sector Lead Arts at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation said: “Esmée Fairbairn aims to support the artistic and financial sustainability of the arts sector and make sure that the widest range of people can participate. “We are interested in funding organisations that are trying out new business models or new artistic programmes and believe Déda is well positioned to develop and take forward the relationship between dance, contemporary circus and outdoor work.”
For more information about Déda please visit www.deda.uk.com