University lecturer appointed to Olympic role

A University of Wolverhampton dance lecturer is to take a lead role in producing the victory ceremonies for the athletics events at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Birmingham-based choreographer Dennie Wilson has been appointed as Victories Ceremonies Producer for Athletics (Games Time) for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

The position will see Dennie tasked with leading, training and directing the Victories Ceremonies Team to ensure the successful delivery of all victory ceremonies for Athletics at the Olympic Stadium for both the Olympics and Paralympics. This vital role also includes medal and venue management as well as press and broadcast liaison.

Dennie works part time as a Senior Lecturer in Dance at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure and is a Teacher of Contemporary Dance at the renowned Elmhurst School for Dance in Association with Birmingham Royal Ballet.

She is also the Artistic Director of dna3d a dance, design and digital performance company that brings together dance and performance artists, sound and vision to create unique ensemble performance based work.

As well as working on commissions, collaborations and being artists in residence, dna3d under Dennie’s management has created and project managed opening, closing and medal ceremonies for a number of high profile sporting events including the 2011 Trampoline, Tumbling and DMT World Championships, 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2010, and the 2007 European Indoor Athletics Championships.

Dennie has received great support from her educational employers to take on her Olympic role and will be relocating to London for six months from her home in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter to prepare for the exciting Olympics role in April.

Dennie said: “I am hugely proud to have been appointed Victories Ceremonies Producer – Athletics (Games Time) for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. This truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity, it’s not often that people in the arts get the opportunity to represent their country in the same way that sports people do so I am absolutely thrilled to be part of such a magnificent event.

“I am extremely lucky to have made a successful career out of my passion for dance, performance and sport and am delighted that my commitment and hard work has been recognised with this amazing post.

“Working as part of the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ is absolutely the pinnacle of my career and I am incredibly excited to start this esteemed role in April.”

Dennie’s road to being part of the 2012 Olympics team began when she attended the 2004 Olympics in Athens as a spectator and had a chance meeting with a member of Birmingham City Council’s International Sports Unit who was instrumental in overseeing Birmingham’s International Sports Development. This encounter led to Dennie being commissioned to work on her first sporting event, the 2004 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final.

ENDS