The TIRED Movement: Championing and Improving Inclusivity and Diversity across the Performing Arts
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We are thrilled to announce that the TIRED Movement is attending WeAudition: Actors Pro Expo 2025 as the official charity partner!
The TIRED Movement and sister organisation Shades Dancewear have had an incredible experience at the past 2 Young Talent Expo events, and are delighted to be on board with Actors Pro Expo 2025.
The TIRED Movement (Trying to Improve Racial Equality in Dance) is at the forefront of challenging and driving positive change for representation, diversity and equity throughout dance and the performing arts. TIRED aims to provide young people with a platform to express their creativity, break barriers, and challenge the status quo. We believe that nurturing and championing diverse voices from a young age is key to fostering a more equitable future.
Through our collaboration with Actors Pro Expo, we hope to inspire positive change and highlight the importance of giving all dancers the opportunity to shine. We are committed to driving progress and ensuring that the dance and performing arts world reflects the rich diversity and talent that exists within our communities. This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate a joint commitment to improving racial representation throughout dance and performing arts education and the wider community.
Who is TIRED?
TIRED was co-founded in 2020 as a social enterprise (not-for-profit organisation) to raise awareness about the racial injustice across the industry, and the importance of representation within dance education. TIRED has gained great momentum, achieving an international reach and support system, including the diverse TIRED Advisory Board. Together, our mission is to unite the dance community with a seamless line of communication that both educates and motivates teachers of our future generation. TIRED is creating a movement that is inclusive, informative and provides a safe space for honest conversations, and the support TIRED has received from the dance community has enabled us to make great strides towards implementing change for future generations of dancers.
The RED Research Project
The RED (Representation and Equity in Dance) Research Project is conducted by the TIRED Movement, Dr. Imogen Aujla and in partnership with some of the UK’s leading vocational colleges (BIRD, Performers, Laine Theatre Arts, London Studio Centre and ICTheatre).
This 3-year long research project investigates the impact of having little to no representation in dance education, culminating with the development and pilot of a new framework that can be embedded across all Performing Arts colleges to ensure diversity and representation is monitored and evaluated at all levels. Each partnered college has been given the opportunity to collaborate with one another, sharing best practice to improve racial equity, inclusion and representation in dance education. This is the first time a project of this magnitude has been achieved in the UK.
Why does racial representation matter?
- Less than 20% of vocational college intake are dancers from the Global Majority.
- Less than 15% of vocational college faculty members are teachers from the Global
Majority.
- Is having one Black Patron at a performing arts college enough to portray a diverse organisation?
"Children only know what they see, and the statistics prove that the need for more education around ethnic inclusion and racial equity is paramount.” - TIRED Movement.
TIRED is dedicated to taking meaningful steps towards our goal through advocacy, education, and partnerships like the one we have with the Young Talent Expo. By supporting the TIRED Movement and initiatives like the Young Talent Expo 2024, you are contributing
to a more equitable future for dance!
Join the Movement
We invite you to join our mission to improve racial equality in dance. Whether you are a dancer, a teacher, a parent, or a supporter of the arts, there are many ways to get involved! You can also support TIRED by choosing to purchase your dancewear from small, inclusive brands such as Shades Dancewear, our sister organisation also dedicated to promoting diversity in dance. Shades offers high-quality dancewear available in four diverse shades of skin tone across their entire range. Each shade is named in honour of Global Majority pioneers of dance: Bojangles, Raven, Uday and Pearl. Browse their range at: www.shades- dancewear.com.
Together, we can make a real difference. We can create a dance world that is more inclusive, more vibrant, and more reflective of the diverse society we live in. The TIRED Movement is committed to driving this change, and we are excited to continue this journey with the WeAudition: Actors Pro Expo 2025!
“The more voices we hear, the louder we become.”
Join the movement and follow TIRED at:
Instagram - @movementtired
TikTok - @tired.movement
Facebook: The TIRED Movement
X: @MovementTired
YouTube: The TIRED Movement
Website: www.tiredmovement.com
The TIRED Team is always here to support you. Get in touch with us info@tiredmovement.com.