MOBO success for MDI
Merseyside Dance Initiative won the BeMOBO award for its outstanding achievement in community engagement and grassroots work, at the glittering show at the arena last night. The likes of JLS, Tinie Tempah and Alesha Dixon may have been centre stage, but Hope Street-based MDI clinched the public vote for the special community award. Ironically, the win came on the same day that the government announced a 29.6% cut to the Arts Council’s budget, one of the organisation’s main funders. The 2010 BeMOBO award focused on the work of individuals and organisations participating in grass roots, educational and community projects in the North West of England and was created to acknowledge social responsibility. Karen Gallagher, artistic director of MDI, which stages the LEAP festival of dance among many other events, said: "It was a day of extremes - hearing major cuts to the arts from the government and finishing with this amazing accolade and endorsement of what dance can do for people in the community was just a fantastic end to the day and the icing on the cake for the year of dance. "We at MDI know what a difference dance can make to people’s lives whether it be taking part for fun, to improve their wellbeing or for some to take it further and become artists of the future. I am very proud of everyone at MDI, staff, board, artists and venues who continue to support the work that we do. We are grateful to all the people who voted for us and to MOBO for this wonderful recognition in putting community dance on the global stage. Thank you for taking dance to your hearts."
