London mayor Boris Johnson has announced plans for this year's Big Dance festival, first launched as the result of a partnership between the Mayor of London's office and Arts Council England (ACE) in 2006.

The biennial dance festival, which will also take place ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, is scheduled for 3-11 July and has received nearly £2.9m from Legacy Trust UK to help expand the event and to reach more people over the next two years. T-Mobile - the mobile phone company was behind the 'Dance' television advert – has been announced as the main sponsor of Big Dance 2010, which will see the capital's streets and public spaces taken over for Big World Dance on 10 July involving 10,000 people.

Hundreds of other performances, workshops, community programmes, school events and free events will form part of Big Dance 2010, which aims to celebrate dance in all its forms through a network of London dance organisations. East London Dance, English National Ballet, Sadler's Wells, Siobhan Davies Dance and Greenwich Dance Agency will provide hubs across the capital to help develop the planned programme of events.

Meanwhile, the mayor has confirmed that Wayne McGregor, the artistic director of the Wayne McGregor / Random Dance company, has been commissioned as the city's "choreographer" for Big Dance 2012. Johnson said: "Anyone switching on the television lately cannot fail to have seen how enormously popular dance is - not just the lively shows, but the dancercise commercials.

"Big Dance is a terpsichorean feast that takes it quite literally one step further. We want to get as many people moving as possible this July and afterwards, to 2012 and beyond." ACE, London chief executive Moira Sinclair added: "Big Dance has already created some wonderful moments in the capital, bringing people together through movement."

Sport England, NHS London, London Councils, the Museums Libraries and Archives Council, London and the British Council are also supporting the Big Dance scheme. Image: T-Mobile Big Dance 2010, copyright David Parry