Dance shoes celebrate partnership

Annual Dance Shoe Ceremony celebrates a unique partnership bringing dance and creative opportunities to the South Bank community

Coin Street and Rambert have celebrated their longstanding partnership with the annual presentation of a pair of a Rambert dancer’s shoes as the company’s symbolic rent to its South Bank neighbour.

This year’s Dance Shoe Ceremony has particular significance as Rambert celebrates its centenary and both organisations prepare for leadership changes, with Coin Street’s Iain Tuckett and Rambert’s Helen Shute stepping down from their respective roles later this year.

The tradition stems from the agreement that enabled Rambert to build its purpose-built home on Upper Ground. Coin Street offered the land for the development, with Rambert committing in return to providing opportunities for local people to experience and participate in dance.

As part of the agreement, Rambert pays Coin Street an annual symbolic rent of a pair of shoes worn by one of its dancers.

This year, shoes worn by Rambert dancer Dylan Tedaldi were presented to Iain. The shoes were from Rambert X LA (HORDE) collaborations Moon, Weather is Sweet and Hop(e)storm. The choice had particular resonance for both dancer and recipient: Dylan was thrilled to learn that his shoes had been selected, while Iain has long regarded him as one of his favourite Rambert dancers.

Dylan joined Rambert in 2022 following an international dance career which included nine years with the National Ballet of Canada. He has now been cast in a principal role in Rambert’s forthcoming It’s a Sin, a major new dance work inspired by Russell T Davies’s award-winning Channel 4 television series.

Directed and choreographed by Rambert Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, It’s a Sin will premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester in February 2027 before touring nationally and internationally, including a run at Sadler’s Wells in London in October 2027. Russell T Davies, Pet Shop Boys and Glyn Fussell are executive producers.

The Dance Shoe Ceremony reflects a partnership that extends far beyond the two organisations sharing a corner of London’s South Bank.

During 2025/26, the partnership between Rambert and Coin Street enabled people of all ages to take part in dance and movement. Activities included regular sessions at Coin Street Nursery, family sessions, Colombo Centre classes for people aged 50+ and programmes with local schools including London Nautical and Notre Dame, alongside community performances and events including Moon and Feel This Free.

Recorded activity shows more than 2,000 instances of participation and engagement across the year, demonstrating both the breadth and sustained nature of the programmes. Coin Street residents and community members also benefited from 253 tickets to Rambert performances, including Bring Your Own, Moon and Peaky Blinders.

The partnership continues to develop. On 19 and 20 September, two members of the Coin Street Nursery team will receive training and support as part of Lambeth’s Test and Learn programme, helping to introduce children to dance and movement from their earliest years and embed that experience within the nursery’s work.

Before then, on Saturday 5 September, Rambert will bring its vibrant Feel This Free festival to the neighbourhood, coinciding with Coin Street’s Gabriel’s Wharf Art Festival and creating a celebration of dance, art, creativity and community across this part of the South Bank.

Iain Tuckett said:

“When we first began working with Rambert, the ambition was never simply about bringing an extraordinary building and a world-class dance company to the South Bank. It was about what having Rambert here could mean for the people who live, work and grow up in this neighbourhood.

“Seeing children from our nursery discovering movement, young people encountering professional dancers and older residents taking part in classes shows what that original idea has become. The shoes are a wonderful reminder each year of an agreement, but more importantly of a partnership that has brought creativity and opportunity into the lives of local people.

“I was particularly delighted that Dylan’s shoes were chosen this year. He is a wonderful dancer and one of my personal favourites, so they will have a very special place in the collection.”

Natalie Bell, Head of Community and Youth Programmes at Coin Street, said:

“These shoes represent something much bigger than a symbolic rent. They represent a partnership built over many years around a shared belief that creativity, culture and opportunity should be part of everyday community life.

“Behind every participation figure is a person – perhaps a child discovering the joy of movement for the first time, a young person gaining confidence or an older resident becoming more active and meeting other people.

“Having a world-class dance company as our neighbour is something special. Having one that shares its creativity, talent and opportunities so generously with our community is something we value enormously.”

Helen Shute, Chief Executive and Executive Producer of Rambert, said:

“Rambert’s home on the South Bank has always been about more than providing exceptional facilities for our dancers and artists. Our relationship with Coin Street enables us to connect what happens inside our studios with the community around us.

“As Rambert celebrates its centenary, it feels especially appropriate to celebrate a partnership which is also about looking forward – opening up dance to new people and new generations.

“I am enormously proud of what our organisations have achieved together and of the relationships that have developed between our dancers, artists and the Coin Street community.”