ABOUT UDOIT DANCE FOUNDATION
UDOIT Dance Foundation is a charity that was set up in 2014, with a focus on ensuring every young person has the opportunity to access street dance. We aim to inspire, engage and empower children and young people through street dance, making sure all opportunities are inclusive for everyone to enjoy.
We have been funded by Sport England & Sport Wales as national partners to support the roll out of an inclusive street dance offer across both nations, focusing on areas of deprivation. Through our years of experience working with street dance in the school and community environments, we have since been able to create bespoke programmes that use Street Dance to help with issues such as mental health & gang & knife crime, engaging women & girls into physical activity and tailored Street Dance delivery for the elderly & learners with special educational needs.
Our commercial partner is the United Dance Organisation, the largest street dance events company worldwide. Having this partnership allows us to access the best names in the industry, ensure all our work is robust and true to the correct street dance knowledge and allows us to be part of and put on inspiring dance competitions and experiences.
WHY WORK WITH US
- We have years of experience of working with young people to ensure they have the best experience of street dance as a physical activity.
- We are the trusted delivery partners for Street dance funded programs by Sport England and Sport Wales
- We will tailor the programme to meet the needs of the outcomes desired by you for the participants.
- All of our instructors are quality assured, DBS checked, and follow the delivery programme outlined by us.
- We have training and progression routes for participants who wish to take street dance further or would like to access more opportunities such as leadership or competition and performance.
- We are the organisers of the National Schools Street dance Competition in England and Wales.
- Professional connections to the best in the industry through our commercial partner UDO.
Our Team.
Meet our team of passionate individuals who are based across Wales & England to drive our programmes.
Executive Team:
CEO: Alp Orge Alp@udoitdance.co.uk
Alp has a wealth of experience in the UK sports sector having been involved professionally for over 20 years as the MD of the Tempest Sports Group, a multi sport sportswear and commercial company, and in a non exec capacity for sporting bodies such as British Fencing and UDOIT!.
Driven by a strong belief that sport and activity if presented and provided in the right way can play a vital role in being able to support and shape young lives, Alp is delighted to be able to play a role in helping to shape and deliver the charitable goals of the UDOIT! Dance Foundation.
Operations & Development Manager: Natalie Pitman Natalie@udoitdance.co.uk
Natalie has been on the UDOIT team since April 2016. Natalie has grown up in the world of street dance and opened her own dance school ‘Funk Force' in 2011 and now runs her own dance studio based in an area of deprivation in South Wales. Natalie has grown through the Sport Wales Young Ambassador Programme, inspiring other young people to be active through street dance and empowering other women & girls to want to live active lifestyles and to have the confidence to partake in leadership positions. Natalie carried the Olympic Torch in 2012 for her work in the community and has been involved with speaking at conferences for Sport Wales for the last 10 years. Natalie is currently on the Sport Wales Leadership & Management programme amongst other managers & CEO’s of the Welsh Sport Sector. Natalie is extremely passionate about her role within UDOIT Dance Foundation and the potential we have as a team to impact on young people’s lives across the UK.
Development Officer North of England: Rich Hawke Rich@udoitdance.co.uk
Rich joined the UDOIT team in February 2020. He comes with a wealth of experience having been in the Street Dance industry since 2006 running his own company ‘DancedazeUK’
DancedazeUK Crew ‘Rise Unbroken’ performed in the Live Semi Finals of Britain’s Got Talent, Choreographers have performed on BBC 1’s The Greatest Dancer while some of the dancers have toured with Justin Bieber, have scholarships at Pineapple Dance Studio & even become World Champions.
Rich is passionate about developing Street Dance all over the UK and believes all children should be given the opportunity to shine.
Development Officer Wales: Sophie James Sophie@udoitdance.co.uk
Sophie recently joined the UDOIT team in March 2022 after starting her journey with dance at age 4. Sophie began volunteering at her local primary school in 2016 before working for her local authority delivering dance sessions and launching an Over 60’s Dance Project. These experiences led Sophie to understand the incredible impact dance can have on young people, empowering them to develop their confidence, creativity, and motivation. Sophie is incredibly passionate about developing Street Dance in the UK and is excited to share the power of Street Dance to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Development Officer South of England: Caroline Fallis-Taylor Caroline@udoitdance.co.uk
Caroline began performing at a very young age in productions of Annie and the King and I for companies that visited the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. The theatre became familiar to her as she worked for many years for QDOS Entertainment which produced a number of shows including pantomimes at the theatre. She embarked on a professional career in London appearing in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita as well as performing at the iconic Cafe De Paris in the heart of the West End. She also took part in the national tour of One World. After living in Cyprus dancing at the Pallas Theatre, Caroline returned to embark on her teaching and choreography journey. She trained at Northern Ballet, Manchester, Preston College and more recently Elite Studios where she has gained her FDI, DDE via the ISTD. Caroline has a wealth of experience teaching in the education setting as for many years she delivered dance and student engagement for the Dixons Academy Trust in Yorkshire. She continues to keep her Yorkshire roots alive by teaching at the weekend at her own successful Infinity Dance Studios, where she delivers a number of genres to young people.
Caroline's passion is making dance accessible for all and is very excited to have joined the UDOIT Team to deliver this passion throughout the South of England.
Engagement Officer (North England) Jack Bruce. Jack@udoitdance.co.uk
Jack is helping increase opportunities to deliver our programmes across areas of North of England.
Admin Assistant Sinead Darnell. Sinead@udoitdance.co.uk
Sinead is communicating with new partners about the work UDOIT do and works on our Social Media platforms.
Trustees:
Chair: David Teasdale
David Teasdale, UDOIT’s Chair since summer 2017, was a senior civil servant in Whitehall for 20 years, his term including a spell as the Government’s senior advisor on sport & recreation.
The other half of his working life has been In the private and charity sectors, mainly in sport, with leading roles at British Fencing, Badminton England, the Football Association and other NGBs. He remains Chair at Goodform Ltd, the marketing agency he founded with a partner in 2002. David takes a strong interest in UDOIT’s strategy and overall well being, its vital partner relationships, financial strength and people development.
Trustee & Founder: Simon Dibley
UDOIT’s founder and trustee, Simon is the CEO of the United Dance Organisation which was established in 2007. The UDO is recognised as the leading street dance organisation in the UK, offering dancers a stage to express their talents through internationally recognised competitions. It spans across four continents and operates in over 32 countries. He set up UDOIT with the view to helping children less fortunate, to be able to express themselves through dance, while keeping fit, enabling them to have a positive mental attitude and opportunities that would steer them through their lives.
UDO has also established an Academy which gives dancers the opportunity to progress through its street dance syllabus.
Simon also has a property company called SYM properties which comprises of properties that are available to rent in the UK and abroad. He is also a partner in D2 Propco, which is a company that works with councils in the UK that house vulnerable children and adults. He is also currently waiting to be appointed a magistrate in his local area.
Trustee & AGRC Chair: Duncan Evans
Duncan Evans is committed to charitable causes, and works with the homeless, children in care, children with disabilities, etc. He is a busy volunteer, and an excellent organiser. As well as such skills and experience, Duncan fully supports the UDOIT cause, he is a hard working and committed Trustee, and a member of the Audit, Governance & Risk Committee of UDOIT; in this role Duncan deals specifically with the bankers, and assists with our accountants and accounts; here he uses well (and to UDOIT’s advantage), his knowledge and expertise
gained through a strong entrepreneurial life, in property and financial matters.
Trustee: Aleen Gulvanessian
Aleen was a partner with Eversheds Sutherland for 30 years until April 2019. She was a corporate lawyer who specialised in M&A, joint ventures, capital markets and also took a particular interest in boardroom matters and governance and provides training to directors on their duties. Aleen is now a Consultant at Eversheds Sutherland, heading up their Boards and Governance practice. In June 2019, she became a member of the Governance Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Aleen believes in UDOIT’s goals as she considers dance a great activity to improve well-being generally and give confidence to the young. She takes a keen interest in matters of a governance nature for the Board and generally bringing independence of thought to the decision making process.
Trustee: Jade Cation
Jade became a UDOIT Trustee in 2017 - on the Board, she represents the interests of EMD UK, previously known as EMDP (The Exercise Movement & Dance Partnership), which was constituted in 2006 to facilitate and support dance fitness organisations. Jade has extensive knowledge and insight into dance/exercise policy and practise, based on her long standing and senior role at EMDP; and she makes a substantial contribution to UDOIT’s strategic policy and practise. She chairs our Audit Governance & Risk Committee, which advises the Board on all finance and governance priorities. She is currently on maternity leave, having just given birth to her first child. We all at UDOIT look forward to having her back!
Trustee: Elizabeth Gough
Lizzie is a unique established female performer in the Industry stepping across to choreography at the same time. Lizzie is currently working on her 4th season as a Mentor and Choreographer for the TV Show 'Dance Dance Dance' and BBC’s 'Strictly' first ever Street Dance couple's choice for Karen Clifton and Charles Venn and the Winners of that Season Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton. In between projects she is a Head Judge for UDO Street Dance and one of the creators and examiners for UDO Street Dance Syllabus associations across the UK. Lizzie is very grateful to be one of the trustees since the beginning of UDOit charity and is very proud to help it progress.
Trustee: Christina Taylor
Christina Taylor is the founder of the ASH Dance School in Cheshire with the vision of giving children the opportunity to take their dreams of dance and the performing arts to new levels, and we’ve certainly achieved it. With our students being chosen to dance with the likes of Justin Bieber and Stormzy. I have been a Trustee for UDOIT since 2017 as they share my passion, enthusiasm for bringing Streetdance to all, and I hope to use my knowledge and experience to help guide their development.