Farewell and thank you to Rose Kigwana

Creative Future specialises in supporting creative people, underrepresented artists and communities facing barriers and inequality to opportunity. 

This new role for Rose is a perfect fit and we want to acknowledge the huge legacy Rose leaves behind at South East Dance.

Rose joined us in November 2015. Throughout her time she has been a champion for making dance – and the dance industry - accessible to all. From leading on productions such as Dad Dancing, in which a community cast of fathers and daughters performed together on stage, to establishing our current Emerging Producers scheme, which seeks to challenge the lack of producers from the Global Majority in the dance sector. She has supported hundreds of extraordinary artists, makers, producers and dance teachers over her time with us, to develop and thrive, and has built strong strategic partnerships with funders and arts organisations across the UK.

As we prepared to open our brand new home for dance in 2022, Rose was instrumental in creating the building we see today. It is Rose’s vision of sustainability that makes up the interior design of the building – the mix of vintage and reclaimed furniture; the African printed textiles - lending warmth to the contemporary, clean lines of the architecture. But it is Rose’s vision for a building that is accessible and welcoming to every body which will be most felt by our visitors. Rose led on a consultation with Reimagined Futures, (Dan Daw and Studio 360), working with artists with a variety of access needs to explore how The Dance Space could be a building for them. The images of different kinds of bodies on the outside of the building are just one of the ideas that emerged from that consultation. 

Rose will be very much missed by all of us here at South East Dance and the people and partners we work with. We want to thank her for her vision, clear thinking, humour and warmth and wish her every success for the future.