The Jane Attenborough Award 2026 goes to...

Clare Connor, Chief Executive of The Place, has been awarded the prestigious Jane Attenborough Award from One Dance UK, recognising her exceptional contribution to the dance sector and her commitment to expanding access, education and opportunity across the field.

The award honours individuals who, like Jane Attenborough, have made an outstanding contribution to dance throughout their career. Clare Connor was recognised for her visionary leadership, championing inclusion and her transformative impact across organisations, education and the wider cultural sector.

Since becoming Chief Executive of The Place in 2017, Clare Connor has driven a bold ten-year vision for “a world with more dance.” Under Clare Connor’s leadership, London Contemporary Dance School achieved independent Higher Education Provider status and recognition as a world-leading specialist provider, strengthening its global reputation for pioneering dance education.

Clare Connor has also expanded The Place’s artistic reach through co-designed models for presenting, producing and touring independent artists, with a focus on audience engagement and breaking down barriers to participation. Touring programmes now reach rural communities, outdoor festivals and community-based settings, reinforcing a commitment to ensuring meaningful access to dance.

Clare Connor’s influence extends well beyond The Place. Over a career spanning more than 25 years, Clare Connor has helped shape major cultural organisations, including the Southbank Centre and Stratford Circus Arts Centre, which Clare Connor founded. Clare Connor has also played an active role in national sector initiatives such as Future Arts Centres and has recently been a prominent advocate for protecting funding for the Centres for Advanced Training, one of the most accessible routes into professional dance for young people.

Accepting the award, Clare Connor reflected on returning to the institution where she once studied and the people who shaped her journey.

“Thank you so much. I am deeply moved to receive the One Dance UK Jane Attenborough Award. My sincere thanks to the panel, to all the nominees this evening, to my brilliant staff team, students, artists and participants at The Place, and a special thank you to Sharon Watson, who was part of the governance panel that appointed me to my current role in 2017.

It is a great honour and a privilege to be of service to — and through — dance, at the very place where I once studied… a place where I learned how to learn, and to love learning.

What a pleasure it is to be celebrating dance this evening with sector colleagues, including the phenomenal National Dance Centres for Advanced Training funded by the Department for Education — alongside my current and former colleagues from The Place: Christina, Frauke as well as Reece and Joe Bates, both London Contemporary Dance School alum.”

Clare Connor also reflected on meeting Jane Attenborough early in her career while teaching in East London.

“In my mid-twenties, I had the great fortune of meeting Jane Attenborough. At the time, I was a dance teacher in the East End of London at Newham Sixth Form College. Jennifer Simms, the then Vice Principal, said to me one day, “Clare, we are going to win an award.”
And I remember thinking: …well, that’s not how these things usually work.

But Jennifer understood something important about vision and persistence. And, interestingly, we didn’t win one award — we won three awards over two years. Two of those were presented by Jane Attenborough, who was then representing the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, sponsors of the curriculum innovation. And one of the students in that first cohort was Freddie Opoku-Addaie — now Co-Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Dance Umbrella.
I went on to build a relationship with Jane, so to now be connected to her legacy is incredibly meaningful. I am truly grateful to One Dance UK for this honour.”

Clare Connor also paid tribute to the teachers and mentors who supported her path into dance, dedicating the award to her former dance teacher Stephanie Nihill.

“Dance was my passport to social mobility. It validated my identity, gave me confidence, and led me to my tribe — to people who tend to care a little less for words and a little more for action….apart from my husband, of course, who is an actor and loves a good narrative.

And yet, in a world that still privileges words over movement, we must find our collective voice. So my hope this evening is simple: that our sector continues to come together with generosity, courage and care.
And that we use this “movement” to co-create a manifesto for dance, and to develop a bold, sector-driven National Strategy for Dance – one that reflects the diversity and ambition of our field.
A legacy – much like Jane Attenborough’s - shaped by us, for future generations.
Thank you.”

Clare Connor’s leadership has been widely recognised across the cultural sector. In 2024, Clare Connor received the Freedom of the City of London for her contribution to London’s arts ecosystem and joined the boards of Sadler’s Wells and GuildHE.

Through her work in education, touring and national advocacy, Clare Connor continues to champion a future in which dance is inclusive, accessible and transformative for generations to come.