“For 28 years Val Bourne, indefatigable and indomitable, has been the most constant figure in British dance. She has widened our horizons and shaped our taste in ways we didn’t even know we wanted. Like a terrier she has fought for contemporary dance, and like a mother hen she has nurtured some of its most important creators.” As Bourne prepares to retire this weekend, she says that she fears for the future of dance in the UK, despite impressive gains in recent years.