David Hopkins has been appointed Chair of Trustees for Jones the Dance / y Ddawns and will be helping to lead the board at an exciting moment for the dance company.
Jones the Dance / y Ddawns is an independent Welsh dance company that has been making, sharing and presenting innovative and transformative contemporary dance projects since 2014 (formerly as Gwyn Emberton Dance). Their work includes touring dance productions, youth dance programmes for young people who are d/Deaf in South Wales, and for young people rurally isolated in Mid Wales, as well as bringing international dance projects to Wales.
At the end of last year, Sharon Casey stepped down as Chair, and David feels honoured to take up the role at an exciting moment for the company. David joined the board of Trustees in 2019 and has already been helped guide and shape the future of the dance company.
“2024 promises to be a very exciting year for us all at Jones the Dance – Y Dewis, our new touring production that weaves together film and live performance; the continuation and growth of our Young Company through projects Quiet Beats and Jones Bach, that have formed a strong reputation for being embedded in their communities; and finding a way for Jones the Dance to bring the ground-breaking European-wide research and production project iCoDaCo back to Wales. As Chair, I’ll ensure that the Board will do all we can to support this ambitious vision, and to continue being ambitious for all of the independent dance sector in Wales.”
David Hopkins is an experienced arts fundraising and marketing professional living in Cardiff. A former graduate of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, he has worked in a number of arts and charity roles, including with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Proms, Greenwich Dance, Newport Mind and now he works for National Youth Arts Wales as Fundraising and Development Manager.
Gwyn Emberton, Artistic Director and founder of Jones the Dance said, “We are thrilled to have David as a trustee and now as Chair for the Company. The support he is already giving us and the belief and encouragement in our ambitions will help drive the company to achieving the exciting projects we have coming up in the next few years. His vast experience and expertise in the arts, fundraising, marketing, and management, as well as in youth arts, will help guide the team at Jones the Dance. We look forward to working closely with him and the trustees.”
