GLASGOW SET TO BECOME THE NEW HOME OF WORLD STREET
DANCE
City is named host of prestigious global chanpionships
for the next three years!
Glasgow has been selected to host the world’s most prestigious
street dance event for three consecutive years.
The coup for the city will see the premier event on the global
street dance calendar – the UDO World Street Dance Championships –
take place within both the Clyde Auditorium and halls one and two
of the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) later this
year and again in 2014 and 2015.
The announcement was made outside the Clyde Auditorium today
(Tuesday, January 15) by Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of
Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
(GCMB), and Simon Dibley, Chief Executive of the United Dance
Organisation (UDO).
They were joined by UDO ambassadors Perri Kiely and Jordan
Banjo, from celebrity dance troupe Diversity, as well as aspiring
street dancers Abbie Hughes (6), Tiree Stewart (7) and Jay Logan
and Nicole Le-Drew (both aged 10) from St Thomas’ Primary School in
the city’s East End who will take part in the inaugural Glasgow
Schools’ Street Dance Championships in June.
Individual dancers and dance crews from some 30 countries,
including from across Europe and as far afield as China, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the US, will
travel to Glasgow this year to compete in the eighth annual World
Street Dance Championships, which will be held over three days from
August 23-25.
Around 6,000 people are set to descend on the city each year for
‘The Worlds’, which will inject nearly £7 million into the local
economy over the event’s three-year cycle. Almost half of those
attending will be competitors, aged between five and 30, while the
rest will comprise coaches, family and supporters.
The UDO World StreetDance Championships are run by the United
Dance Organisation which, since its formation in 2002, has grown to
become the largest and leading street dance organisation in the UK
and Europe with over 40,000 members.
This year will mark the first time that the Championships have
been hosted outwith Blackpool’s Winter Gardens in their eight-year
history after Glasgow City Marketing Bureau approached the UDO in
December 2011 about bringing the event to Glasgow.
In another first for the competition, the winners of this year’s
advanced team category (aged 18+) will get the opportunity to
perform live at the MOBO Awards, taking place at Glasgow’s new
Hydro Arena this autumn.
Ahead of the Worlds, Glasgow will first host the UDO Scottish
Street Dance Championships on Sunday, June 9 at the city’s new
state-of-the-art Emirates Arena – the only Scottish leg in a series
of 14 UK-wide World and European qualifying heats, which will earn
the top performers a place at either the 2013 Worlds or the 2014
European Championships.
Additionally, the newly-opened arena will also host Glasgow City
Council’s inaugural Glasgow Schools’ Street Dance Championships
over the same weekend, on Friday, June 7, with competitors aged
from 7-18 comprising 40 teams drawn from a minimum of 16 primary
and secondary schools.
Alongside the Worlds, both the Scottish and Glasgow Schools’
Street Dance Championships will return in 2014 and 2015.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and
Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Today’s announcement
is fantastic news for Glasgow and marks the first step in
positioning the city as the global home of street dance over the
next three years.
“The United Dance Organisation’s decision to bring their
flagship event to Glasgow is a huge vote of confidence in the city
and one which reflects the standout success and continuing growth
of our tourism sector as well as our cutting-edge style credentials
and our reputation for winning and delivering major events.
“The World Street Dance Championships are incredibly valuable to
Glasgow, especially when you consider that more than 80% of
attendees will come from outwith Scotland; providing a significant
boost to our economy.”
Interest in street dance has grown markedly in recent years due
to the popularity of TV shows, such as Sky 1’s ‘Got To Dance’,
ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and BBC’s ‘So You Think You Can
Dance’, with UDO members, judges and ambassadors regularly
featuring on these shows.
Simon Dibley, Chief Executive of the United Dance Organisation
(UDO), said: “Glasgow’s excellent presentation, coupled with the
genuine warmth and distinctly stylish vibe of the city, really
appealed to us.
“Street dance is a genre that has grown in popularity in recent
years and one which is truly inclusive; attracting people from all
ages, cultures and economic backgrounds. We’re very excited about
bringing the World Street Dance Championships to Glasgow over the
next three years.”
Diversity stars Perri Kiely and Jordan Banjo were delighted to
be in Glasgow for the Worlds launch.
The pair shot to fame in 2009 as part of an 11-strong dance
troupe from London which beat Scots singing sensation Susan Boyle
to win the third series of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent; watched by a
TV audience of more than 19 million people.
The group sparked a ticket rush in the city last month after it
was revealed they will perform their new show Limitless at The
Hydro on December 10 this year.
Perri said: “It’s fantastic to be in Glasgow today supporting
UDO and helping to launch the city’s hosting of the World Street
Dance Championships for the next three years.
“Jordan and I, along with the other members of Diversity, have
visited Glasgow on many occasions including all of our arena tours.
We love Glasgow; the people are always so welcoming and
supportive.
“We’re really looking forward to returning later in the year and
performing at The Hydro. Today has been the first time that Jordan
and I have seen the venue and, although it’s still being built, it
looks amazing.”
John Sharkey, Chief Executive of the SECC, said: “The SECC is
delighted that we have been chosen as the venue for the World
Street Dance Championships and we are thrilled that we will be
welcoming this prestigious event for the next three years. This
announcement begins a very exciting year for us as we also look
forward to the opening of The Hydro, which will further enhance our
ability to host many more events of this calibre.”
For more information about the eighth World Street Dance
Championships visit www.udostreetdance.com or
www.seeglasgow.com.
Ends
For more information, contact:
Graeme Watson
Senior Marketing Communications Manager – Corporate &
Digital
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
Tel: +44 (0)141 566 0835 / 07534 982 312
E-mail: [email protected]
(Or)
Tricia Crosbie
Corporate Marketing Communications Executive
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
Tel: +44 (0)141 566 0838
E-mail: [email protected]
For any enquiries regarding the World Street Dance Championships
or the United Dance Organisation, contact:
Owen Derbyshire
United Dance Organisation
Marketing and Sponsorship Manager
Tel: +44 (0)29 20 799 199 / 07807 210 852
E-mail: [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
About Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB)
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) is the official destination
marketing organisation (DMO) for the city of Glasgow. As custodian
of the Glasgow: Scotland with style brand, GCMB works
with partners, stakeholders and businesses to position and promote
Glasgow across national and international markets as one of
Europe’s most vibrant, dynamic and diverse cities in which to live,
work, study, invest and visit. For more information, visit: www.seeglasgow.com.
About the United Dance Organisation (UDO)
The United Dance Organisation (UDO) is an events management
company based in Cardiff. The UDO has over 40,000 dancing members
worldwide and founded the UDO World, European and British Street
Dance Championships. They also founded the UDO National Schools
Championships and the UDO Street Dance syllabus. For more
information, visit: www.udostreetdance.com.
About the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC)
The SECC is the UK’s largest integrated venue, purpose-built to
provide exhibition, conference and concert space. Capable of
delivering events from two to well over 10,000 delegates, the SECC
has space with flexibility; from the iconic Clyde Auditorium to the
Loch Suite of meeting rooms, all joined to
22,355m2 of exhibition space. Opening in
September 2013 will be The Hydro – a 12,000 capacity purpose built
arena which will host national and international concerts as well
as major entertainment and sporting events.