Philip Piggin

Philip believes every person has the right to experience the many joys, learnings, health and wellbeing benefits that result from a quality dance experience. This is for all people, regardless of age, mobility or ability. Working as a Dance Artist for almost 4 decades, he has witnessed and experienced the significant positive outcomes – cognitive, physical and social – that result from such experiences. His career has taken him to the UK, Russia and the USA, and has included performance, production of major community projects, and teaching in a wide range of educational and community settings. He was Dance Animateur for Clwyd in North Wales, Development Officer for Ausdance ACT, Manager of Canberra Dance Theatre, and Dance for Wellbeing Officer at Belconnen Arts Centre. He has also served as a board member for various arts organisations and served on a number of local, state and national funding organisations. Philip is a 2014 Churchill Fellow who travelled to the USA and the UK, to pursue further study of dance programs for people living with Parkinson’s and Dementia. On his return he initiated and managed the innovative Dance for Wellbeing Programs at Belconnen Arts Centre in Canberra, leading a team of dance practitioners delivering high quality programs to people with a range of physical and cognitive challenges. Now a member of the Canberra based ZEST: Dance for Wellbeing team, he is also a Co-Director for Dance for Parkinson’s Australia, a member of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for the Aged, and a Co-Director for the award winning GOLD company, a dance group for seniors at Canberra Dance Theatre. He speaks regularly at industry conferences and festivals and contributes regularly to the delivery of training programs for educators and dance artists across Australia. Twice nominated for Services to Dance in the Ausdance National Dance Awards, Philip has a BA Dip Ed from UNSW alongside other dance and music qualifications, and in 2016 received Life Membership from People Dancing, UK.