After producing thirteen festivals on a frayed shoestring of a budget, we are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded Arts Council England funding for our upcoming festival, Showtime, which will enable us to start exploring ways to develop Cloud Dance Festival further, in order to become a more vital resource for the emerging dance industry. We're also focussing on the ancillary fields of dance photography, writing and video, and developing professional development programmes to assist people entering these fields.

The other exciting news at Cloud Dance Festival Towers is that our team has grown significantly, thanks to our Arts Council grant: we'd like to welcome Tom Crawshaw, a freelance venue and arts festival manager who has many years' experience of managing and producing Buxton Fringe Festival and Oxford Fringe; Camilla Halford, an independent arts manager with an impressive track record of development and strategy, and is currently working with IJAD Dance Company; Vanessa Pope, a freelance theatre and cabaret producer; and last but by no means least, Eleanor Turney, a freelance editor and PR specialist - among many other skills.

Tom Crawshaw joins Cloud Dance Festival as Assistant Producer; Camilla Halford is joining us as Development Manager; Vanessa Pope is working with us as a Marketing Consultant, and Eleanor Turney is our PR Consultant.

In the meantime, do enjoy our impressive new lineup for our next festival... it's Showtime!