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The Ö÷²¥´óÐã Performing Arts Fund has awarded over £172,000 to dance groups across the UK through its Community Dance scheme.

Grants of up to £5,000 have been awarded to 41 not-for-profit groups in order for them to carry out training, attract new audiences, encourage new members and raise their profile in their communities.

The scheme also encourages groups to take on more challenging projects through commissions and working collaboratively with other local organisations as well as professional artists.

The successful groups were able to demonstrate that their projects were challenging and ambitious yet achievable, that their project would develop the group and its members, and that the group would collaborate with and have an impact on the wider community.

Miriam O'Keeffe, project manager of the Performing Arts Fund, said: "We are really excited to be supporting dance projects for the first time this year. It's very encouraging to see such a diverse range of dance activity going on around the country and we are proud to be supporting those activities. 2012 should prove to be a very exciting year as the winning projects develop."

Responses from winners

"We are really looking forward to the challenge of running an exciting community dance project that will inspire and motivate people in our rural area to join in and dance!"
Community Creative Arts Projects Association, Suffolk

"[We are] thrilled to be awarded funding... It will help us realise our dream of children, young people and adults all dancing together."
Brighton Youth Dance, East Sussex

"We are delighted at the offer of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Performing Arts Fund grant and the opportunity it allows for older people to experience contemporary dance." Body Wisdom (WEA), Derry

Notes to editors

Details of all the grants awarded are available in a PDF file on the right-hand side of this page.

The Ö÷²¥´óÐã Performing Arts Fund is a registered charity, number 1101276.

The charity (formerly Fame Academy Bursary Trust) was set up in 2003 within the Ö÷²¥´óÐã. The fund receives revenue from the voting lines of Ö÷²¥´óÐã One entertainment programmes that seek to find new performing talent (including Fame Academy, How Do you Solve A Problem Like Maria? and Over The Rainbow).

To date the fund has allocated more than £3.5 million to talented performing arts individuals and community groups, as well as offering mentoring and advice to help them achieve their goals.

The Fund's mission is to seek out and support aspiring performing arts individuals and community groups who, for reasons of lack of existing support, personal background or circumstance, would not have been able to achieve their most ambitious goals or greatest potential without the Fund's support or intervention.

JB