At the beginning of July 2010 – exactly six years from the day they opened – we closed the doors at TAK! Towers to explore new ideas & ventures. It’s been fun, thanks for having us!

Recently, Tak had been responsible for the Home of Metal website, the branding for British Dance Edition and had picked up a run of awards for their work on BMAG’s Pre-Raphaelite website.

Meanwhile, I’ve just heard (via Dave Allen) that Script, the West Mids agency for dramatic writers, are shutting up shop:

It is with great regret and reluctance that the Board of Script has taken the decision to dissolve the company as of the end of August 2010.

The loss of RFO status in March 2008 has had a serious impact on the company’s resources, and the reliance on ever-decreasing pots of project funding has made its future existence unsustainable.

See Script’s August newsletter for further info and to see a slew of opportunities for writers.

During my first stint on Created in Birmingham I had a nagging feeling that there was loads of good dance stuff going on but it was all happening under my radar. I’m pretty much on top of it these days, partly for the reasons given in the disclaimer at the bottom of this post but mainly because there’s so much dance stuff happening around the city this year.

Anyway, from tomorrow until Sunday, British Dance Edition – a biennial showcase of the British dance scene – is in Birmingham. It’s a big deal, with loads of venues hosting performances, events, presentations and debates. It’s a national showcase, not a local one, but there’s a fair bit of local interest:

• Rosie Kay previewing her new piece, 5 SOLDIERS – The Body Is The Frontline
• DanceXchange showing some of their work on The 5 Man Show
• Listen by Ace Dance & Music
• Funny Bones, from dX and Two’s Company Management
• Receptions hosted by International Dance Festival Birmingham, Birmingham Royal Ballet and People Dancing.
• Walking tours of the city for delegates (Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter)

There’s probably more too. Most of it’s for paying delegates only but there are some good public events too.

Disclaimer – I’m working on/at British Dance Edition (incl one of the debates) and International Dance Festival Birmingham. WestMidlandsDance.com is one of my websites too.