Join us for an evening of fun, laughter and dancing at the new must see musical Singin' in the Rain  and help raise funds for the DCD Independent Trust  'Genuinely makes you feel better about life'  Charles Spencer, The Telegraph.  To read the full review please click here                  The Independent Trust Division of DCD offers guidance and support to help all dancers make the often difficult transition from a professional performing career to a post-performance career, either in or outside dance. We do this through awarding retraining grants and supporting dancers through one-to-one counselling meetings and a wide range of career support services.   We accept applications from all eligible Independent dancers in the UK including Commercial, Contemporary and Musical Theatre dancers, as well as those dancers working in Opera.   Over recent years we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of worthy applications. Whilst we are extremely pleased to be able to reach out to so many dancers in all areas of the dance profession, this increasing demand for retraining grants is putting a critical strain on our funds available for awards.   We would therefore be delighted if you would join us for a   Gala evening performance of Singin’ in the Rain  at 7pm on Monday 19th March 2012 The Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London to help raise much needed funds for the Independent Trust.   Tickets: £95   To include programme, interval Champagne and a post performance party with the stars of the show.   If you are unable to attend, we would be extremely grateful for any donation you are able to give to support our work. To reserve tickets for this exciting event, please contact the DCD office: admin@thedcd.org.uk or call 020 7831 1449  **Please note that given expected heavy demand, avilable tickets will be allocated on a strictly first come first served basis. Early application is advised to avoid disappointment**

DCD Company visits and Schools and Outreach Programme Working to prepare all dancers for transition DCD believes that the idea of transition, moving from a performance into a post-performance career, should be discussed as early as possible during a dancers’ career, to prepare and reassure those entering the world of professional dance. This belief forms the basis of our Schools and Outreach programme, designed to promote the exciting possibilities, rather than the anxiety and fear of transition. 'It is reassuring to hear that there is an organisation like DCD supporting dancers'  student at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance School and College Visits As part of the programme, DCD provides visits free of charge, to all Vocational Dance Schools and Colleges across the UK. The informal and informative talks offer the opportunity for students to gain honest advice on their chosen career path and what DCD can do for them in the future.    Our talks by Executive Director Linda Yates, are individually tailored to every school, ensuring that students gain relevant advice and guidance on the specific area of dance they wish to pursue, be it Musical Theatre, Ballet, Contemporary or Commercial. Where possible, a DCD retrained dancer will attend the talk, providing students with an exciting opportunity to hear from a successful professional dancer now excelling in a post-performance career. Past dancers have included Henry St. Clair (English National Ballet, The Royal Ballet) Johan Persson (The Royal Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada) and Colin Poole (professional dancer for over 20 years). During the academic year 2010/11 DCD visited English National Ballet School, Laban, Rambert School, Liverpool Theatre School and Laine Theatre Arts, amongst others.   This year we have a wealth of retrained dancers offering their time and expertise to the DCD Schools and Outreach Programme. If you know a School that would benefit from a DCD talk then please do get in touch. Company visits As part of our work, DCD also annually visits all of our Contributing Companies, as well as other Dance Companies. We offer talks to dancers on the work of DCD and advise them of the support that is available to them, not just at the end of their career but throughout. With all company visits, as with vists to Schools and Colleges, we endevour to arrange for a DCD retrained dancer to attend the meeting in order to share their experiences with the dancers. 'I was honoured recently, to be able to share my experiences with ENB dancers about the valuable work done by the DCD. As a recently retired dancer myself I felt that I could offer some useful insights into what they could expect' Henry St. Clair, DCD retrained dancer, formerly a  dancer with English National Ballet and the Royal Ballet

Photographer: Mikah Smillie. Ballet Ireland. Production: Scheherazade. Choreographer: Morganne Runacre-Temple. Dancers: Kieran Stonley, Jack Jones. 'Extremely useful and helped clear up uncertainties about the future - Thank you!' student at Liverpool Theatre School and College What can you do?       In order to support DCD's ever expanding Schools and Outreach     Programme you can do the following: Offer your expertise and experience - We know from our Feedback forms that students and professional dancers gain a lot from hearing first hand from a dancer what life is like post-performance. It can also be a good opportunity for you to give back to the sector, improve public speaking skills and help to inspire a new generation of dance artists and professional dancers unsure about the transition process. If you are a DCD retrained dancer and are interested in offering your time please get in touch.   Suggest - If you know of any vocational dance schools or colleges that may be interested in receiving more information about our Schools and Outreach Programme please get in touch with us. Similarly, we welcome any suggestions of Dance Companies whose dancers may benefit from a DCD talk.    Donate - We continually need to raise funds in order to run and develop the Schools and Outreach Programme. If you would like to contribute to the Programme and help us to continue our work please contact the office for more information.