Dance School Awards 2026

CELEBRATING JAZZ WITH DOLLIE HENRY MBE

The Dance School Awards are so incredibly proud to have Dollie Henry MBE as one of our esteemed judges for 2026, proudly judging and sponsoring our Jazz category. With a remarkable career spanning more than four decades, Dollie has dedicated her life to the art of jazz dance as a performer, choreographer, director, educator and mentor.

Her influence reaches far beyond the stage. Throughout her career, Dollie has championed jazz dance, celebrated its rich history and helped inspire the generations who will carry this incredible art form forward.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

At the heart of the Dance School Awards is a commitment to celebrating young dancers and giving the next generation a platform for their talent. Having Dollie Henry MBE as one of our judges represents exactly that. Her career represents where jazz has come from, while the young dancers stepping onto the DSA stage represent where it goes next.

We couldn't be prouder to have Dollie as part of the Dance School Awards 2026.

Buy your Tickets to Dance School Awards at The Shaftesbury Theatre

The Dance School Awards are incredibly proud that our 2026 Jazz category will present the …

DOLLIE HENRY MBE AWARD FOR JAZZ DANCE
Celebrating exceptional young jazz dancers and the future of an art form to which Dollie has dedicated so much of her extraordinary career. For our young dancers, having their work seen and celebrated by someone who has contributed so much to jazz dance makes this award particularly special.

In 2025., Dollie was awarded with the ‘Most Influential Industry Creative Award’ presented to her by The Dance School Awards, making her presence with us this year even more rewarding and special.

Join us as we celebrate another year of all things that share the creativity and dance on the Sunday 6th September 2026 at The Shaftesbury Theatre, London

CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE

A SUPER ARTICLE ABOUT Dollie henry mbe … from Dance Mogul

Dollie Henry MBE is a transformative figure in jazz theatre — a London-based choreographer, educator, artistic director, and mentor whose career spans continents and whose commitment to the art form has never wavered despite every barrier her environment placed in front of her. She began dancing at age four because dance came to her — she didn't run to it, as she has said — and spent the decades that followed building a body of work and a school of practice rooted in the belief that purpose, once found, cannot be shaken by external circumstances.

Henry's story begins in England at a time when Black artists of any kind were rare in the British arts landscape, and when Black children pursuing dance faced explicit institutional and social resistance. The environment that tried to discourage her instead clarified her purpose. She built her own company, developed her own curriculum, trained her own dancers, and created a jazz theatre legacy that now influences practitioners across the UK, Europe, and the United States.”

— DANCE MOGUL MAGAZINE - NEW YORK

“BOP Dancers performing at emma cons hall as part of the morley college SPRING festival LONDON” … Friday 13 March 2026

BOP Company shared an ELECTRIFYING EVENING OF JAZZ THEATRE AT THE EMMA CONS HALL.

With two bold, expressive jazz theatre dance performances by the UK’s premier jazz theatre company, Body of People (BOP). Both pieces Daughters of Eve and Clap Your Hands, masterfully blended movement, music, and storytelling.

This was followed by an intimate Q&A session with Dollie Henry MBE, Paul Jenkins, and the BOP company dancers.

It was a unique opportunity for the audience to engage directly with the creators and performers, gaining insight into their creative practice, influences, and the artistry behind the UK’s jazz theatre landscape.

Check out our dedicated News page for fresh updates, insights, and announcements.

Your gateway to the latest stories, updates, and behind the scenes insights from the world of BOP Jazz Theatre.

Here you’ll find announcements about upcoming performances, creative projects, workshops, and the vibrant community that shapes our jazz dance, theatre and music culture in London. Stay tuned and stay inspired!

BOP NEWS

Jazz Arts ReWIRED Performance review by LiftedLeg ★★★★

“Flying the flag for jazz dance since the 1990s has been BOP Jazz Theatre Company (where BOP stands for Body of People), led by the indomitable Dollie Henry and Paul Jenkins. The company is not just concerned with doing its own thing; rather, they advocate for the form and support the widest possible jazz dance ecology. This is where the Jazz Arts ReWIRED two-day convention comes in. Two years on from the first one, The Place has just hosted the second, alongside its entertaining final performance. I can’t speak for the convention, but if it’s anything like the performance, it will have been an enlightening, uplifting and joyful affair”