2 Background
"Dance is one of the oldest means of human expression.
Since the 1960s new styles and purposes have made dance artistically
vibrant, and more culturally relevant than at any time since we
were dubbed 'the dancing English' in the 16th Century."[10]
5. People throughout the country have been dancing
for centuries, but the growth of dance as a distinct art form
only began relatively recently. In the 1920s, ballet became established
in England and its popularity grew through the 1930s and 1940s.[11]
The Arts Council of Great Britain, around this time, supported
only Sadler's Wells Ballet, Ballet Rambert and Ballets Jooss.
However, it was not until the 1960s that any significant growth
in the dance sector occurred.[12]
From this point, as can be seen in the graph below, there has
been almost exponential growth in the number of dance organisations
supported by the Arts Council, commensurate with the overall growth
of the sector.[13]
Figure 1: Chart showing the growth in Arts Council funded organisations
from 1969-70 to 2003-04.
Source: Arts Council England.
6. The time-line below details significant events
within dance since 1945. These include: the beginning of British
contemporary dance during the 1960s; the growth of the sector
in size and diversity during the 1980s; and the emergence of choreographer-led
dance and the establishment of the National Dance Agencies (NDAs)
in the 1990s.
Figure 2:
Timeline showing the growth of dance since 1945.
* animateur: a new breed of practitioner,
based in a specific location. **RABs: Regional Arts Boards
Source: Information adapted from 21st
Century Dance: present position; future vision. Jeanette Siddall.
Arts Council of England.
7. Over the last 30-35 years, there appears to have
been an overall growth in the amount of public funding for the
dance sector. However, when the figures for such funding are converted
to constant prices, the same growth in funding levels is not obvious.
The figures show fluctuation over time (see table below). This
is also reflected in the percentage that dance receives as a proportion
of total arts funding, which has ranged between 25% and 8% between
1969-70 and 2003-04. This suggests that although the number of
publicly supported organisations has increased, the amount of
funding available has varied, meaning that the average annual
grant received (at 1969-70 prices) has varied between approximately
£27,000 and £11,000. It has not increased over time,
or even remained stable, as we would have expected. This has created
a 'boom-bust' funding situation within dance and caused many difficulties
for the development of the art form. This was described by Jeanette
Siddall, Director of Dance, Arts Council England (ACE):
"What we had for a number of years was a little
bit of boom and a little bit of bust and that does not do anybody
any good, it means that you raise expectation and then you disappoint
and people lose confidence, people being the public, the participants,
the audiences as well as the artists and they just think it is
a fly by night thing, it is not going to be sustained."[14]Table
1: Growth in Arts Council funds for dance 1969-70 to 1998-99.
| 1969-70
£
| 1979-80
£
| 1989-90
£
| 1998-99
£
|
| Arts Council Grant-in-aid
| 8,200,000
| 63,125,000
| 155,500,000
| 189,950,000
|
| At 1969-70 prices | 8,200,000
| 19,414,134
| 23,482,505
| 20,289,319
|
| Arts Council expenditure on arts in England
|
6,456,000
|
48,613,000
|
147,428,000
|
188,293,000
|
| Total expenditure on dance (Note: 1969-70 and 1979-80 includes opera)
|
1,587,892
|
8,718,290
|
12,244,467
|
23,236,478
|
| At 1969-70 prices | 1,587,892
| 2,681,316
| 1,849,072
| 2,481,981
|
| Dance as percentage of expenditure on arts in England
|
25%
|
18%
|
8%
|
12%
|
| Expenditure on dance, excluding Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet
|
187,892
|
1,718,290
|
4,666,967
|
11,364,198
|
| At 1969-70 prices | 187,892
| 528,461
| 704,772
| 1,213,855
|
| As percentage of expenditure on arts in England
|
3%
|
4%
|
3%
|
6%
|
| Number of organisations supported
|
7
|
31
|
64
|
74
|
| Average grant at 1969-70 prices
| 26,842
| 17,047
| 11,012
| 16,403
|
Source: Appendix 2, 21st Century
Dance: present position, future vision. Jeanette Siddall, Arts
Council of England.
8. More detailed figures for recent years, below,
show that Arts Council England (ACE) grant-in-aid funding and,
correspondingly, funding for dance, has remained constant or increased
year-on-year since 1999-2000 (apart from exceptional circumstances
in 2001-02 when Royal Ballet was taken out of the dance portfolio).
It is also due to continue to increase to £32.3 million in
2005-06 (a 22.4% increase over 3 years).[15]
| Year
| Art Council Grant-in-aid from DCMS
£m
| Arts Council funding for dance
£m
|
| 1990-91
| 175.8 | 15.1 (3)
|
| 1991-92
| 205 | 18.3 (3)
|
| 1992-93
| 221.2 | 20.4 (3)
|
| 1993-94
| 225.8 | 21.0 (3)
|
| 1994-95
| 186.0 | 21.6 (3)
|
| 1995-96
| 191.1 | 22.4 (3)
|
| 1996-97
| 186.1 | 23.3 (3)
|
| 1997-98
| 186.1 | 23.2 (3)
|
| 1998-99
| 189.6 | 23.2 (3)
|
| 1999-2000
| 227.2 | 25.5 (3)
|
| 2000-01
| 237.2 | 18.0 (1)
|
| 2001-02
| 252.2 (2) | 17.6 (1)
|
| 2002-03
| 280.7 (2) | 24.7
|
| 2003-04
| 310.5 (2) | 26.4 (4)
|
| 2004-05
| 340.5 (2) | 30 (4)
|
| 2005-06 (expected)
| 365.5 (2) | 32.3 (4)
|
Source: DCMS. Notes: (1) Royal Ballet was taken
out of dance portfolio and funded under the umbrella of the Royal
Opera House in this year; (2) Excludes Creative Partnership funding;
(3) Figures only include grant expenditure. Managed funds expenditure
on Dance is not available for these years. Figures also exclude
spend on Dance by the old Regional Arts Boards before the merger
in 2002/3; (4) Figures are budget allocations only and exclude
managed fund and open application programme spend as the precise
art form split of this is not predetermined.
9. Growth of the sector has been accompanied by the
emergence of a support structure for dance and dancers. Dance
UK (originally the National Organisation for Dance and Mime) and
the Foundation for Community Dance (originally NAMDA) were both
established in the 1980s. To begin with these organisations were
artist and practitioner-led, providing information, networking
opportunities, professional development and advocacy for the sector.[16]
Over the years these organisations have become more professional
and provide a wide range of help and advice for the sector, in
areas including pensions, dancers' health and well-being, career
support, and youth dance.
10. By the late 1980s, dance had established itself
sufficiently to gain inclusion in the National Curriculum. Somewhat
controversially, due to the physical nature of the activity, dance
was placed within the National Curriculum for Physical Education
(PE). At present, within schools, dance is compulsory at Key Stages
1 and 2 (age 5-11) and optional at Key Stages 3 and 4 (age 11-16).
It is the only area of the PE National Curriculum that has an
accredited GCSE. It is also possible for students to go on to
study dance at A level.[17]
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has policy responsibility
for dance within schools and the wider education system.
11. The number of forms of dance has proliferated
greatly along with the growth of the sector. The traditional forms,
such as ballet, continue to thrive and receive regular funding
from ACE. The diversification has taken many forms, over the past
30-35 years, including: Western contemporary dance; South Asian
dance; African dance; Hip-Hop; street dance; and social dance.
Other forms of dance also practised and performed in Britain include
national and regional dance forms. These include: Irish dancing,
Morris dancing; and Highland dancing.
12. As dance has grown as an art form, it has also
grown as a participatory physical and social activity and is
one of the most popular recreational activities in the UK.[18]
Many people have also been able to engage with dance, over history,
through its collaboration with music, sport, theatre and the visual
arts.[19] Dance is an
inherently attractive and inclusive activity. The Department for
Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) highlight this in their written
submission to this inquiry:
"There is a wealth of evidence showing how dance
can uniquely attract people who may not be interested in other
forms of physical activity: dance can be an attractive form of
exercise particularly to girls, some of whom may be turned off
by sport; it is acceptable to different cultural backgrounds and
religions; it has no language barriers; it is generally not competitive
and anyone can take part; it has positive effects on social behaviour;
and it can also encourage people to express themselves through
creative experiences."
10 Ev 39 Back
11
Ev 39 Back
12
21st Century Dance: present position; future vision. Jeanette
Siddall. Arts Council of England. Back
13
Ev 39 Back
14
Q 60 [Ms Siddall] Back
15
Ev 47 Back
16
Ev 39 Back
17
Ev 50 Back
18
Ev 40 Back
19
Ev 34; Ev 2 Back
|
