For a full programme of events and venues for LEAP2010, please visit www.leap2010.co.uk

LEAP Dance Festival reaches its 18th anniversary in 2010 and celebrates with an impressive yearlong programme of dance activity across the region.

Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI) is celebrating having reached 18 years of LEAP Contemporary Dance Festivals across the region. For 2010, LEAP will expand its normal March festival into a yearlong programme of dance with the launch of the new Merseyside Dance Promoters Network (MDPN) to maximise dance opportunities in 2010. The network consists of leading venues within the Liverpool City Region who are working with MDI to increase the amount of dance in the venues diaries throughout the year.

Already, an exciting mix of Local, National and International companies are programmed in the city’s theatres across the year from Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Candoco Dance, Tmesis, National Dance Company of Wales and Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance to name but a few, a usual concentrated programme of dance will cluster around the festival dates in March 2010.

MDI are also working with Culture Liverpool to animate the city centre with dance, the International Day of Dance on 29th April and City Steps 12th and 13th June are significant dates for the diary when the city will see a host of dance activity on the streets including some surprises. New dance works and commissions are also in the planning and will be premiered within the year. Extra activities such as seminars, dance intensives, workshops, ‘An audience with’ style events and public dance classes are also planned and all fitting with Liverpool’s Year of Innovation, Health & Well Being.

MDI Director Karen Gallagher said: "As part of celebrating LEAP’s coming of age, MDI has initiated the Merseyside Dance Promoters Network and together we will be producing a year long programme of dance that we are very excited about. We are producing a virtual dance house together where different styles of dance can be presented at different sized venues thus providing something for everyone. There will be lots of chances to see and take part in dance with an eclectic mix of events both indoors and out."

General Manager of Liverpool Empire Hannah Ashdown said: “We're delighted to be part of the Merseyside Dance Promoters Network and we are working hard to bring a wider and exciting range of traditional and contemporary dance to the region. It's an honour to have secured Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake for its first ever Liverpool dates here at the Empire, and we look forward to many future collaborations."

Performance Programmer at the Bluecoat, Richard Kingdom said, “I’m delighted that the Bluecoat has been a part of MDPN and it’s been great to see the participating venues working together to bring this impressive programme of fantastic performances to the city. It’s also very exciting to see the inclusion of home-grown talent through TILT, a monthly platform for the city’s emerging dance artists, as well as the New Moves Northwest showcase and the Everyman debut for Liverpool-based company Tmesis. It’s a great time for dance in Merseyside!

MDPN will also continue to create a positive and lasting impression by promoting and nurturing dance in the region and will be showcasing and supporting emerging talent, programming performances for local and regional dancers such as the Community Dance Showcase, North West Moves, New Moves Liverpool and Family Dance Days. Early in the New Year will see the announcement of a public competition using YouTube and social network sites for youngsters to record and send in their 3-5 minute dance via mobile and the winner will have the chance to perform their piece to the public at the Liverpool Playhouse as part of the Community Showcase.

LEAP Contemporary Dance Festival has grown significantly year by year and a vast array of dance has taken place across the Liverpool city region, beginning in 1992 LEAP was set up to celebrate achievements in dance on Merseyside, the festival lasted three months and took place all over Merseyside. It originally included physical theatre and mime in partnership with the Unity Theatre. In 2002, LEAP returned to its origins as a dance focused event, becoming a more concentrated festival to celebrating its 10th anniversary.

MDI has worked with and promoted a variety of companies over the last 17 years of the Leap Dance Festival such as: Random Dance Company, Shobana Jeyasingh, Richard Alston, Henri Oguike, Wendy Houstoun and Russell Maliphant, New Art Club, Nigel Charnock to name but a few. Also MDI has promoted international companies such as Sylvain Emard, Holy Body Tattoo and Estelle Clareton (Canada), Urban Bush Women, (America), Nora Chipaumire – Zimbabwe / USA Johannes Weiland (Germany) Serge-Aimé Coulibaly- Burkina Faso and Mei Yin Ng (Malaysia/USA). Some of these artists will return in the year of celebration, marking their contribution to dance promotion in Liverpool over the years.

MDI is a regularly funded organisation of Liverpool City Council and Arts Council England (NW) to date the programme is supported by Culture Liverpool, MDPN, Brindley Arts Centre and City BID, with more sponsors to be revealed as the year unfolds.