Dancers Network Relaunch

by Jack Fielding in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Total raised £415

£20,000 target 59 days left
2% 12 supporters
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 4th February 2025 at 7:30pm

We aim to elevate and regulate the commercial dance industry, ensuring dance artists are treated as the athletes they truly are.

by Jack Fielding in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Dancers Network has been a volunteer organisation, founded by dancers for dancers, since 2019. Li Li Hodge, one of the original co-founders, has led this project alongside various teams over the years, all while working full-time as a professional dancer. During this time, much has been accomplished:

We worked with agents, dancers, and industry professionals to develop the DN Terms & Conditions—a rulebook that had never existed before. This document standardises the rights and working conditions for all dancers in this currently unregulated industry. Our goal is to make yearly amendments and improvements, involving more agents in the process. We’re currently working on an update that also brings in casting directors and production companies to help develop a unified approach to commercial dance jobs.

We began providing a free advocacy service that has helped hundreds of dancers over the years with claiming delayed payments, addressing issues with agents, and handling discrimination cases, as well as educating on rates and industry standards.

During COVID-19, an incredibly difficult time for all, including those working in the commercial dance industry, Dancers Network raised more than £10,000 for our COVID Relief Fund. This fund supported struggling dancers during that time, with participation from choreographers, dancers, and even the stars themselves. Anne-Marie and Kylie Minogue made a special effort to be involved.

In May 2021, we launched the #WHEREAREWENOW campaign in support of Black Lives Matter, with all funds raised going directly to the charity. We collaborated with various brands to offer a week of free classes, juice recipes, meals, and educational live talks and podcasts. The campaign fostered a sense of community online, bringing dance artists together to educate and support one another. Supporters included Casa Pancho (Ballet Black), Aston Merrygold, Vick Hope, Eat of Eden, JaQuel Knight, and many more.

These are just a few of our highlights. Ask the community what Dancers Network means to them, and you may get a variety of answers! Some might mention our workshops, community events, or our online and in-person education. Others might highlight our Black Box conversations, where we tackled challenging industry topics. Our goal is to bring all of these initiatives back in a more sustainable way.

Despite all the great work we’ve done, the need for an organisation like ours has only grown, increasing our reach and reputation within the industry. This led Li Li to bring in Jack in 2023, with the intention of turning Dancers Network into a sustainable, scalable version of itself, while keeping our community of dance artists and our mission at the heart. Since then, we've been working hard on a rebrand, building and training a dedicated team of volunteers, and most importantly, initiating the first step of many in creating a membership offering that provides dance artists in the commercial dance industry with all the information and support they need—without breaking the bank.

In early 2025, we aim to launch phase 1 of this membership. We’ve been applying for funding far and wide, but currently, the entire project is being financed by the DN team. To deliver this initiative in the way the industry truly deserves—and, more importantly, needs—we’re asking for your support.

Any donated funds will go towards the essential running of the organisation, investment in our rebrand, and the launch of our phase 1 membership. For now, the team will continue to volunteer, as our priority is to get everything up and running for the community.

We welcome donations of any size and encourage you to only give what you’re comfortable with. We’re also open to more formal sponsorships and investment opportunities for larger contributions from individuals or organisations. If you’d like to discuss these opportunities further, or know someone who might be interested, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Community is at the heart of everything we do. We debated whether asking for help was the right step, or even one we wanted to take, but we’ve come this far thanks to your support and belief. We hope this message reaches those who understand our mission and might know someone who can help—because, as you know, sometimes it’s all about who you know!

The community is our strength, and we know that. Our mission has always been, and will continue to be, the elevation of standards for all dance artists in the commercial dance industry. We envision a world where labels, productions, casting, and agents operate within a regulated system that recognizes and treats dance artists as the professional athletes they are. This is the future we are committed to creating, and we hope you can help and join us along the way.

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£5 or more

Support

Pledge to help the movement - just because!

£10 or more

Support (more)

Support the movement - just because!

£20 or more

Support (most)

Support the movement - just because!

£30 or more

Single piece of Merch

Pledge your support and sign up to get a piece of merch of your choosing (once they're designed) - don't worry we'll contact you before. This will likely include caps, hoodies, clothing, water bottles and some other dancer essentials

£40 or more

Single piece of Premium Merch

Our merchandise will have many options, and we'll have some premium items available too - think yoga mats, exercise equipment or wellness items - the ideas are still flowing but you can bet they'll be great quality (and sustainably sourced!)

£50 or more

0 of 20 claimed

Merchandise Focus Group

Become part of the team that help come design and develop our first set of merchandise later in 2024/early 2025 - make sure it's made for you!

£50 or more

Now you're just being generous!

Support the movement (a lot) - just because!

£150 or more

Merchandise Half Pack

Dancers Network will be putting out a lot of great merchandise - and only things we know dancer artists want and need! This pack gets a selection of half of our DN Merch items - ensuring at least 5 branded moments. Dont worry - there will be no fruit of the loom here!

£225 or more

0 of 50 claimed

Inspirational Talk

Our organisation is made up a bunch of working industry dancers, who frequently go into colleges, universities and workshops to share their insights and education the next generation. Pledge and we can get in touch to discuss availability and what sort of talk you'd be ideally looking for. NOTE: Talks outside of London will be subject to additional travel expenses for the speaker.

£300 or more

All the merch!

Dancers Network will be putting out a lot of great merchandise - and only things we know dancer artists want and need! This pack gets you a selection of all DN Merch items (at least 10 branded moments) Dont worry - there will be no fruit of the loom here!

£500 or more

0 of 50 claimed

Curriculum Focus Group

We're launching a curriculum of inspirational talks by industry professionals in September 25'. These talks will educate the next generation on everything from finances to mental resilience when auditioning, and preventing injury through to branding yourself on social media. To stay close to us as develop this curriculum, be part of focus groups and shape these talks to work for your organisation - pledge here! Open to all UK establishments

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