East London Dance’s Annual Review 2024-25
27 February 2026
A Taste of Africa, 2025. Image by Vendi Vabole
View the full Annual Review at the bottom of the page or HERE.
Download a PDF version of the full Annual Review HERE.
Intro to East London Dance’s Annual Review 2024-25
2024–25 has been a defining year for East London Dance — a period of consolidation, renewal, and looking ahead with confidence. The Talent House truly flourished, welcoming over 20,000 community visits; we launched Talent House Ignite, a major new artist development programme; our Board was strengthened with three new members – Kirsty Trujillo, Rene Germain and Tim Carter; our organisational advisory board, the Creative Collective, came into its own; and our youth programme continued to grow in ambition and impact.
Alongside this, we focused on building a strong, values-led team; embedding wellbeing and safeguarding at every level; and creating the conditions for artists, young people and staff to thrive and develop as creative leaders.
Queer Club – Part of Mindful Movement Festival, 2024. Image by Emily Almodovar
Our work is rooted in our five core commitments:
- to elevate people to realise their full potential
- to develop talent by investing in young people, artists and producers
- to champion mental health and wellbeing
- to educate through skills-building, confidence and paid work
- to represent the diverse people and art forms that define east London
Having spent the past three years grounding ourselves in the Talent House and the local community, this year has offered both the reflection needed to understand who we are now, and the momentum to move forward as we stand at a remarkable crossroads in our history.
Our story is built by visionary leaders, passionate staff, and vibrant creative communities, working together to ensure our dance offer is accessible, relevant and rooted in the lives of local people. We are proud to nurture grassroots dance, support artists, young people and elders, and help communities find their own dance voice. We’ve done this for almost 40 years, long before east London became a cultural destination.
A Taste of Africa, 2025. Image by East London Dance
We exist in a rapidly changing and increasingly challenging landscape. Costs are rising, funding is under pressure and yet, demand for our work and our impact on creativity, wellbeing and sustainable careers continues to grow. Our foundations are strong and we are looking ahead. As we approach our 40th birthday in 2028, we are not simply celebrating our past; we are resetting our future and extending our reach, influence and partnerships across east London and nationally.
Throughout this Annual Review you will hear of the impact we have made this year, alongside the stories, achievements and journeys of the people we supported, nurtured and worked with. We hope you enjoy!
Tia Hassan & Kate Scanlan – Joint Creative Director & CEO, East London Dance
Read our previous Annual Reviews here:
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