One Dance UK Awards

The One Dance UK Awards is an annual celebration for people from across the dance sector to unite, celebrate, acknowledge and reward the people who have made an impact on the vibrant UK dance landscape! Championing the excellent work of dance artists, teachers, practitioners, educators, schools, choreographers, companies, venues, scientists, and writers, this is a glittering evening of celebrations, all for those who contribute to the dance sector throughout the UK.

Back for an eighth year, the One Dance UK Awards took place on Saturday 7 February 2026 in Bradford. It was a wonderful night of celebration, highlighting all the amazing and impactful work happening in our sector! The One Dance UK Awards are a unique opportunity to bring together everyone working across the dance industry. There was delicious food, breathtaking performances and a chance to celebrate with the sector. You can see the full list of this year's award recipients below.

View the programme
Meet the Judges

The One Dance UK Award Categories

White female wheelchair dancer with black hair. With one arm up and one down with wheel chair side on. Wearing silver sparkle dress and silver high heeled shoes in front of hot pink studio background.

Community Champion Award

This award is for any person or organisation who is using dance as a tool to create, strengthen and /or build communities with non-professional groups in any setting and with any age group.

Global majority male LGBTQ+ vogue dancer with slick back blonde hair, kneeling with one hand behind head and the other hand stretched out gesturing stop. On bright purple photo background.

Dance Changemaker Award

This award recognises bold, brave and impactful work that has driven progress, improving access to dance for all, and championing diversity and inclusion, and could be for a person, team, organisation, campaign or movement.

white male dancer lunging to the right with arms pointed to the left. Black outfit and white trainers. On blue studio background.

Advancing Dancer Healthcare Award

This award honours those that support dance professionals and aspiring dancers to be healthy, well, and performing at their best.  

global majority dancer with hands infront and around face on hot pink studio background. Wearing marbled purple crop top.

Research in Dance Award

This award celebrates research in dance that is pushing the artform forward with academic and scientific enquiry.  It will be impacting how dance is created, seen, taught, and understood, and will be helping influence the future of the dance ecology. 

Two global majority LGBTQ+ male voguing dancers. Wearing pink tops in a purple studio. Standing next to eachother with outside hands leaning over their heads and joining together in the middle over eachother.

Artistic Innovation in Dance Award

This award recognises those who are innovating across artistic elements of dance, including stage design, choreography, costume and lighting, to unlock new ways of storytelling, exploring themes, and challenging how we think.

LGBTQ+ voguing dancer with curly red mohawk and black beard, holding onto his elbow. Wearing see-through black top on purple photo backdrop.

Dance Sector Spotlight Award

For producers, admin teams, marketers, programmers, school & community leaders, fundraisers, venues…. the list goes on! This award is a chance to shine a light on those whose work is vital to the production and support of dance.

contemporary dancer flicking hair to the right side of the image with hands held either side of her face on bright blue studio backdrop. white blonde females wearing a long purple dress.

Green Dance Award

This award celebrates an individual, team, organisation, venue or project in the dance sector, that is working to spotlight and respond to the environment and climate issues.

 

South Asian dancer holding both hands crossed over her chest and under her chin looking to the topof the screen. Wearing traditional purple dress with gold belt bracelets necklace and head jewlery with gold nose ring. Bright purple studio background.

Young People’s Dance Champion Award

This award spotlights individual dance educators championing dance to be experienced by all young people, regardless of style, genre or setting. 

White female wheelchair dancer with black hair. With one hand holding her ear and the other arm pointed to the right hand side of the image, her head and wheel chair side on. Wearing black top and trousers in front of hot pink studio background.

The Bob Lockyer Award for Digital or Content Creation

This award showcases individuals, teams, projects or organisations who create engaging, high-quality content to promote, share or educate about dance.

South Asian dancer holding one hand to face and the other towards her elbow on hot pink studio backdrop. Wearing traditional orange dress with gold belt bracelets necklace and head jewellery with gold nose ring.

People’s Choice Award

The People’s Choice Award recognises an individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to the dance industry throughout the last year. This award is decided by the public.  

contemporary dancer looking up to the top left of the image holding her face with one arm behind her head on hot pink background. White, long curly blonde haired female wearing black trousers, purple leotard, black blazer and a diamond head cap.

Dance for Health Award 

This award recognises the transformative work of those using dance activity to make a significant impact on participants’ health and wellbeing. 

White female wheelchair dancer with black hair. With arms above her head and wheel chair side on. Facial expression wide mouth excited. Wearing silver sparkle dress and silver high heeled shoes in front of hot pink studio background.

The Jane Attenborough Award

The prestigious  Jane Attenborough Award honours an individual working who, like Jane, has made an outstanding contribution to dance throughout their career.

The 2026 Award Recipients: 

Advancing Dancer Healthcare Award: Dancing Beyond, Rachael Kuik

Research in Dance Award: Alice Marshall (Vale)

Dance for Health Award: Scottish Ballet (SB Health) 

Young People’s Dance Champion Award: Arunima Kumar BEM 

Community Champion Award: Carrie Washington - BEEE Creative 

Dance Sector Spotlight Award: Stephanie Hellewell Baird, Move Orkney 

Dance Changemaker Award: Care to Dance 

Green Dance Award: Move Orkney 

Artistic Innovation in Dance Award: Dam Van Huynh   

People’s Choice Award: Motionhouse

The Bob Lockyer Award for Digital or Content Creation: CoDa Dance 

The Jane Attenborough Award: Clare Connor 

With thanks to Silver Sponsors:

Harlequin Floors

https://uk.harlequinfloors.com/en/

With thanks to Bronze Sponsors:

Equity

https://www.equity.org.uk/
"We are delighted to shine a light on the work, dedication and talent of these incredible people who are truly making a difference to the dance sector every day."
Andrew Hurst MBE, Chief Executive One Dance UK
Two global majority LGBTQ+ male voguing dancers. Wearing pink tops and blue jeans on purple studio background.

Honouring Jane Attenborough and Bob Lockyer OBE

The prestigious Jane Attenborough Award and the newly named Bob Lockyer Award for Digital Innovation in Dance awards honour the lives and work of founding members of Dance UK.

The Jane Attenborough Award

The Award is named in memory of the founding Director of Dance UK, Jane Attenborough (1955 – 2004).

A dynamic and passionate advocate for the arts and in particular, dance, throughout a 25-year career, Jane made a huge impact on the arts sector working for the Royal Academy of Dance, Arts Council of Great Britain, Rambert Dance Company, and Dance UK (one of the four organisations that merged to form One Dance UK). 

Throughout her career, and particularly as a founding executive director of Dance UK, Jane used her vast experience in arts management, lobbying, fundraising and administration to contribute to promoting the dance sector and improving conditions for dancers.  Her forward-thinking work resulted in ground-breaking and long-lasting legacies for the dance community, including the creation and development of our Healthier Dancer Programme.

Every year One Dance UK recognises the incredible lasting impact Jane had on the dance sector by dedicating an Award in her name. This Award is presented to individuals who, like Jane, have gone above and beyond the call of duty to move dance forward and enable the art form to thrive.

Bob Lockyer OBE

This Award is named in memory of one of the founding members of Dance UK, Bob Lockyer OBE (1942 – 2022).

An innovator, a collaborator, a director, a patron, a founding member of One Dance UK and so much more, Bob Lockyer OBE truly was an inspiration, a mentor and a friend to all of us in the sector.

The Bob Lockyer Digital Innovation in Dance Award aims to pay homage to Bob and his incredible legacy. This award – one that showcases work using technology and digital to innovate how we see, experience, understand and use dance – will also pay tribute to Bob’s incredibly vibrant mind and all the innovation he bought to the sector.

Every year One Dance UK recognises the incredible impact Bob had on the dance sector by dedicating an Award in his name. This Award is presented to individuals who thrive on technological innovation, digital creativity and more. 

With thanks to our supporters

 

We are also grateful to our event contributors and associates. 

 

 

For full T&Cs regarding the One Dance UK Awards, please click here