EncoreEast is delighted that Brendan Keaney, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of DanceEast has been awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Brendan began his dance career over 40 years ago. He has worked as a dancer in film, television and theatre, for Arts Council England and more recently in leadership/artistic direction for Greenwich Dance before moving to Ipswich to lead DanceEast and the Jerwood DanceHouse in 2013. He was awarded the Dance UK Industry Award at the Critics Circle Awards in 2007. 

Brendan is passionate about working to build a brighter future for Ipswich and the East of England, and has been a constant supporter of EncoreEast, most recently in facilitating our projects with Protein Dance and Russell Maliphant Dance Company. On hearing he had received the award Brendan said:

“I was both shocked and completely delighted that, after such a tough year, the arts and cultural sector should be recognised in this way. This award is also acknowledgement of the extraordinary work of both the Board and Staff teams at DanceEast”

Congratulations Brendan!!

Other people receiving national honours for services to dance are:

Dame Arlene Phillips CBE – choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, theatre director, former dancer and Strictly Come Dancing judge

Theresa Beattie OBE – dance consultant working with a range of companies and freelance dance artists

Emma Gladstone OBE – former dancer, judge for BBC Young Dancer 2015, dance programmer including for Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Artistic Director of Dance Umbrella

Samantha Pippa Moore MBE – former dancer with Northern Ballet now coaches Company dancers, delivers work for the Learning team and teaches on the Leeds Centre for Advanced Training programme