Asos partners with dance company Candoco
Asos has announced that it will be supporting Candoco Dance Company, the
company of disabled and non-disabled dancers, to stage a residential dance
training intensive this summer, as part of its on-going corporate
responsibility activity.
The partnership will enable Candoco to offer dancers aged 18-30 an
opportunity to develop their physical skills and creative potential in an
inclusive environment, free of charge. The Training Intensive will run for
two weeks and give disabled and non-disabled dancers from diverse
backgrounds a route into the dance profession.
Founded in 1991, Candoco recently appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come
Dancing and has performed on international stages from Sadler’s Wells to
the Bejing Olympics, and it is hoping that its partnership with Asos will
extent its reach even further.
Charlotte Darbyshire, artistic co-director at Candoco, said in a
statement: “There is so much physical talent and artistic potential out
there among young disabled and non-disabled adults and a huge demand for
wider representation in the dance sector and yet, there is simply not
enough access to training or routes into the profession.
“This exciting partnership with Asos will enable Candoco to use our
expertise in inclusive dance practice to provide an unparalleled learning
opportunity for these young artists.”
Louise McCabe, corporate responsibility director at Asos, added: “We
believe that every young person, no matter their background, should be
given the chance to reach their full potential. We couldn’t be happier to
be working with Candoco and supporting such an inclusive approach to
creative expression.”
Asos expands its’ corporate responsibility
The partnership sits within Asos’ wider corporate responsibility
activity, a substantial element of which aims to promote and protect its
customers’ mental health, wellbeing and body confidence. In recent years
it has donated stock to disability charity Scope, to help more than 600
disabled people back into work, has partnered with Stonewall and GLAAD to
support and further LGBTQ+ acceptance globally, and worked with Beat, the
UK’s leading eating disorder charity, to help eating disorder sufferers and
their families.
Image: courtesy of Asos/Candoco by Camilla Greenwell